V ENERGY TROPICAL SUGARFREE

Posted on January 2, 2020 | Last updated February 9, 2025

Released in 2018, V Energy Drink's flagship product, V Tropical Sugarfree. In a market where there aren't many high-quality sugar-free tropical fruit-flavored energy drinks, the launch of this sugar-free version was a surprising achievement in terms of taste.

With the release of TROPICAL SUGARFREE, it marked the debut of V Energy Drink's first sugar-free series.

V ENERGY TROPICAL SUGARFREE

Manufacturer	Frucor suntory
Country of Origin	Australia
Price	5 AUD
Flavor	Tropical citrus
Total rating	★★★☆☆

Author information Author: Energy Drink-kun

In 2001, while living in the United States, I encountered energy drinks through the dance scene and was deeply impressed. After returning to Japan, I found that energy drinks were considered novelty beverages, so I established a comprehensive website in 2013 to share the true appeal of energy drinks. As an energy drink enthusiast, I began drinking them seriously again, collecting over 7,000 varieties of energy drinks from various countries. I am also active as a critic and expert, receiving media interviews.

Flavor of V ENERGY TROPICAL SUGARFREE

When opening the can, a sweet, candy-like fruit fragrance fills the air. Since it’s sugar-free, there’s no issue with it not being a real fruit smell.
V TROPICAL SUGARFREE
The moment it hits your mouth, the guava-like tartness and sweet-sour flavor of fruit candy spread, offering a refreshing taste reminiscent of low-juice fruit beverages. Even after taking a few more sips, the refreshing deliciousness continues, and it’s so well-made that you forget it’s sugar-free.

The taste of artificial sweeteners is hardly noticeable. The sweet and sour tropical fruit flavor is prominent, and the scent of fruit candy lingers, giving you lasting satisfaction after drinking. It’s a top-tier sugar-free drink.

If you add ice, the flavor tends to become diluted due to the sugar-free nature, so it’s best enjoyed chilled to appreciate the full taste and aroma. On the other hand, when at room temperature, the taste of artificial sweeteners tends to stick around, so chilling it is definitely the best option.

Is the scent of the early V TROPICAL SUGARFREE horrible?

The scent of V TROPICAL SUGARFREE varies depending on the manufacturing date. I have V TROPICAL SUGARFREE from the 2018 release and another from the 2019 campaign period, each with a different alphabet logo and manufactured at different times.

When I first drank the V TROPICAL SUGARFREE from its initial release, it had an unbearable fragrance, like fabric softener or perfume, making it hard to continue drinking. However, when I drank one from a campaign product released about six months after the initial launch, there was no unpleasant scent at all. The flavor I’m reviewing here is from that batch.

I was actually amazed by the flavor when I first drank two cans from the campaign. But when I later opened an earlier batch, I was shocked by the strong, persistent scent that stayed with me throughout the entire drink. Although the flavor was the same, the scent was completely different, which was surprising. Later, when I opened another can from the campaign, I was able to taste again the incredible quality of V TROPICAL SUGARFREE and felt reassured.

I suspect that the flavorings used in the initial batch and the later batch were different. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell by looking at the ingredient list.

Energy Ingredients of V TROPICAL SUGARFREE

V TROPICAL SUGARFREE
It contains 155mg of caffeine and 600mg of guarana. It does not contain taurine. While it’s sugar-free, it still has a small amount of calories, so it's not strictly zero-calorie.

2019 Sees Continued Releases of Sugar-Free Products

V TROPICAL SUGARFREE was released, followed by the sugar-free Berry Twist, making the sugar-free series a reality in 2019.

The design of the can is simple but clear for sugar-free products, with the bottom of the can in product color and the top in silver. However, it could be considered a bit too simple and lacks individuality.

Immediately after the release of V TROPICAL SUGARFREE, the #VCHAT campaign began, and cans with limited edition alphabet logos, excluding the main V logo, were released for each flavor. Even for the newly released V TROPICAL SUGARFREE, there were two new letters for each size.

Finding them all is quite difficult, and there were some trips not written about in my energy drink journey. After the #VCHAT launch, I visited Australia several times to collect them. I still haven’t completed the set yet Σ(´∀｀；) This is the fun of hunting for cans in foreign countries. It makes me want to visit again and again.
V TROPICAL SUGARFREE
By the way, V Energy Drink is probably the only energy drink brand in the world that regularly offers four sizes for one flavor. Also, no other energy drink brand releases cans with different designs for each size during a campaign as V Energy Drink does.

The Australian energy drink market hasn’t been particularly rich in sugar-free options compared to North America. However, with the success of V Energy Drink’s sugar-free series, it’s likely that other energy drinks will start releasing sugar-free products as well in the near future.