Update: Click here for our regular MiO Liquid Water Enhancer review

The new Black Cherry and Green Thunder MiO Energy Liquid Water Enhancers are kind of like NyQuil. They both have camel case names, both come in a cherry flavor and some weird green flavor, and they both make me grimace when I consume them straight out of their containers.

However, while NyQuil contains antihistamines and alcohol to make one sleepy, MiO Energy contains caffeine and B vitamins to make me hold back Mr. Sandman for a while.

Because of the caffeine they contain, the MiO Energy bottles have a warning that states they’re not for children and should not be added to alcoholic drinks. I also thought they didn’t have any warnings about squirting it straight into your mouth instead of a glass of water, but on the opposite side of the children and alcoholic beverages warning, the bottle says, “Always dilute concentrate.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t read that until after I squirted some Black Cherry and Green Thunder MiO Liquid Water Enhancer down my gullet, so my heart could’ve exploded. Thankfully, it didn’t.

When a 1/2 teaspoon of MiO Energy is squirted into eight ounces of water, the mixture provides 60 milligrams of sweet, sweet caffeine, which is 20 less milligrams than a Red Bull. MiO Energy is also cheaper than a Red Bull. For the price of one bottle of MiO ($4.99 regular price), which can make 18 servings, you can only buy two 10-ounce cans of Red Bull, or if you’re at a bar, half a can of Red Bull.

When mixed with water, both MiO Energy flavors have a slight medicinal flavor, which will probably be off-putting to many drinkers. At first, I didn’t care for the Black Cherry flavor because it kind of reminded me of watered down cough syrup. But it’s grown on me and now I think it tastes more like a cherry Tootsie Pop.

Green Thunder tastes like an energy drink. If you’re someone who likes to try all kinds of energy drinks, it tastes like one of those cheap energy drinks that tries to copy the flavor of Red Bull, except without any carbonation. For those of you who don’t like to try all kinds of energy drinks, it has a pleasant sweet and tart flavor. Although, as I mentioned earlier, it’s also slightly medicinal. I like both flavors, but if I had to pick a favorite, I’d choose Green Thunder, but not by much.

As for its ability as an energy booster, I think it did a pretty good job, providing me with a jolt of energy that lasted a few hours. To be honest, I was surprised by how well it worked since it has less caffeine than I’m used to consuming.

MiO Energy costs the same and comes in the same 1.62-ounce size as regular MiO. However, a bottle of MiO Energy makes only 18 servings, which is 25 percent fewer servings than a bottle of regular MiO.

But who cares about that, besides cost-conscious people? I certainly don’t because MiO Energy has sweet, sweet caffeine, and that’s all that matters to me and my tired ass.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 tsp – 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 10 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein, 10% niacin, 10% vitamin B6, and 10% vitamin B12.)

Item: MiO Energy Liquid Water Enhancer (Black Cherry and Green Thunder)
Price: $3.50 (on sale)
Size: 1.62 ounces
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Black Cherry)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Green Thunder)
Pros: Contains sweet, sweet caffeine. Black Cherry tastes like a cherry Tootsie Pop. Green Thunder taste like an non-carbonated energy drink. Good energy booster. Easy to make.
Cons: Makes less serving than regular MiO. Slightly medicinal flavor might be off-putting. Contains a pitiful amount of B vitamins. Squirting MiO straight into my mouth.

MiO Liquid Water Enhancer enhances water in two ways. It turns it into a festive color, and it makes water taste less like water. Sure, there are lots of water enhancers on the market, like Tang, Kool-Aid, Metamucil, and Crystal Light, but all of them come as powder.

Ugh, if you’re lazy like me, you probably hate powder, because we don’t have time to stir and dissolve crystals. We’re parched and our thirsts needs quenching right now.

MiO come in an orchard of flavors: Berry Pomegranate, Fruit Punch, Mango Peach, Peach Tea, Strawberry Watermelon, and Sweet Tea. Like plain ol’ water, MiO flavored waters have no calories and no sugar. But unlike water, MiOed water looks FABULOUS, thanks to the following food colorings: Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6.

Each bottle makes 24 eight-ounce servings, but how much MiO does it take to turn eight-ounces of regular water into MiOed water? Half a teaspoon. But there lies the conundrum. The mechanism that dispenses the MiO from the bottle is activated when the bottle is squeezed. Yes, I just used 16 words to tell you that the MiO comes in a squeeze bottle.

Because the fruity moneyshot is quite violent, it’s hard to determine how much of it is coming out per squeeze. Also, “a squeeze” is subjective. An aunt of mine thinks a 15 second bear hug is just a squeeze, while another aunt thinks a hug beyond three seconds pushes up against her tolerance to how long someone can invade her personal space.

Sure, we could grab a spoon and squeeze half a teaspoon into it, but only squares who also use a Pyrex measuring cup to measure the eight ounces of water needed to make a serving of MiO flavored water would do that.

As I mentioned earlier, when MiO is squeezed out of the bottle, it’s powerful. So much so that it disperses itself in the water, making it unnecessary to stir. This is possible because of physics and fluid dynamics, but let’s just say it’s because of magic. After the magic happens, you’re left with something better tasting than what you began with, and again, it looks FABULOUS.

Strawberry Watermelon was the worst tasting of the six. I could taste both fruits, along with a slight floral flavor, but it all was extremely artificial tasting and, at times, hard to drink. It’s a flavor that I think would be more suitable for a kid’s toothpaste or mouthwash, and it makes me want to settle for plain water.

Mango Peach has a strong artificial peach scent. I tasted peach at the front and a little bit of mango at the back. At first, I thought it was as bad as the Strawberry Watermelon, but it grew on me a little bit. Peach Tea has a much weaker artificial peach scent and noticeably lighter peach flavor than the Mango Peach. The tea flavor lingers in the background. It’s not bad, and I like it as much as the Mango Peach. Both have a peach flavor that’s might be too fake for some.

Berry Pomegranate smells nice, but then again, so do midday strippers. It has a pleasant flavor that almost tastes like grape, and it’s not as artificial tasting as the peach flavors. It’s definitely a step better than the previous three. Sweet Tea is the weird one of the group because it’s the only one that’s not fruity. It tastes like sweetened Lipton iced tea, but not as strong. It also doesn’t taste as artificial as some of the others. I like it as much as Berry Pomegranate.

Fruit Punch was the least offensive smelling of the bunch, and it tastes similar to other fruit punch beverage I’ve had. I thought it had a nice fruity flavor, and the least artificial tasting of the six flavors. It’s definitely my favorite of the six.

Unfortunately, not even the Fruit Punch flavor can escape from what’s common found with drinks that contain artificial sweeteners. The sucralose and acesulfame potassium sweeteners leave behind a temporary coating in your mouth for you to enjoy.

According to the bottle and the MiO commercial, you can add more flavor by squeezing a little more of it into the water. But, I found with the ones that already have a strong artificial flavor, it makes them taste even more so, which in turn makes them less palatable.

Overall, I do think the MiO flavors that I enjoy could encourage me to drink more water, which is a good thing since I probably get half of what I’m supposed to drink each day. Although, I squeezed some MiO Fruit Punch into my Pepsi Max and turned it into a tasty fruity cola, so instead of water, I might just be drinking more Pepsi Max.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 tsp. – 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.)

Item: MiO Liquid Water Enhancer
Price: $4.29
Size: 1.62 fluid ounces
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Berry Pomegranate)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Fruit Punch)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Mango Peach)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Peach Tea)
Rating: 3 out of 10 (Strawberry Watermelon)
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Sweet Tea)
Pros: Portable. No calories or sugar. Fruit punch is tasty. Sweet Tea and Berry Pomegranate are good. Can add it to other beverages. No need to stir. Colors are FABULOUS. May make me drink more water. Awesome white t-shirt stainer.
Cons: Strawberry Watermelon is the opposite of tasty. Peach flavors might be too fake for some. Midday strippers. Artificial sweeteners leave a temporary coating in your mouth. Hard to measure a squeeze. Making powder dissolve.