Here we have Puraqua’s N2 Lemon Lime sports drink.  The “N” in this case stands for “infuse”, which is the name of Aldi’s sports drink line.  The “N2” is obviously a nod/rip-off of Gatorade’s G2 products, which aim to capture all the flavor of regular Gatorade with far fewer calories.  But how does N2 stack up against its national brand namesake?

I do a lot of shopping at Aldi, but there are certain things I will buy at other stores if I happen to be in there, and see them on sale.  Soda is one of them, as Aldi’s Summit soda line is rather lacking in certain areas (namely their Sprite and Mountain Dew knockoffs, which don’t taste anything like either, and don’t even taste good on their own terms).  However, sports drinks are one thing that I refuse to buy anywhere else.  Actually, I just lied, because I do enjoy the rare taste of an All Sport every now and again when I stumble across them (although those aren’t even as good ever since they dropped the slight carbonation they used to have several years ago).  But as far as Gatorade or Powerade is concerned, Infuse takes the cake.

First off, is its price:  69 cents.  For the 32 oz. size.  That’s a lot of energy to be had for well under a dollar.  Of course, all the savings in the world cannot make up for a horrible taste…but on the contrary, N2’s Lemon Lime has a very strong lemon lime flavor that really does wake up the senses, all with fewer calories  I cannot compare it flat-out to Gatorade’s simply because it has been so long since I’ve had it, but I can guarantee there’s no way theirs can be that much better, especially when they’re charging at least 30% more for theirs (and that’s generally on sale).

A quick comparison between labels reveals that G2 has fewer calories per 8 oz. serving (20, compared to N2’s 25), less sugar (5g, compared to 7), and less carbohydrates (5g compared to 8).  They are equal in potassium (30 mg) and sodium (110 mg).  Yet Infuse takes it one step farther by including some nutrients that not even Gatorade has, like 10% of Vitamins C and E, 25% Pantothenic Acid, 25% Niacin, and 25% Vitamin B6.  And keep in mind there are four servings per 32 oz. bottle, so guzzle the whole thing, and while you may end up with quite a bit of sodium (440 mg), you also will end up with 100% of your recommended daily intake of three different vitamins.  I’m not going to pretend like I know how this rehydrates my body after a particularly grueling hockey game, but it just sounds good.  And it tastes good.  And did I mention it’s 69 cents?

Overall: 10/10.  Beats Gatorade at its own game by boasting incredible flavor with a ridiculously affordable price.  Also gets extra points for not offering an off-brand of Gatorade’s ridiculous “G Series”.  Do you really need Gatorade before, during, AND after your sporting event?  What the hell ever happened to water?  Are people really buying into this ridiculous marketing ploy?

Sorry for the digression.  Infuse is the best sports drink money can buy.  So buy it.