Tru is a weird brand. There are currently 7 types of Tru sparkling drinks: Tru Energy, True Focus (with l-theanine) and Tru Defend (immune system support), Tru Dream (chamomile, gaba, magnesium), Tru Gut, Tru Refresh, Tru Glow (biotin). Founded originally in 2015, Tru expanded to the current sparkling energy drink lineup in 2021 from only offering energy shots before.

Yesterday was the first day I saw this brand on shelves, at a Dollar Tree no less; I bought both varieties they had, the other being Tru Energy Orange Mango, and some other weird energy drinks too.

I was wary of the minimalist design of the can, drinks like this tend to be hit or miss.

Bubbly and light. Unlike other minimally packaged sugar-free drinks like Phocus, this Tru actually tastes like something. The taste is like sour apple gummies, like maybe those peach rings they sell at gas stations but if they were sour apple. The bubbles make the drink crisp and smooth. It's very enjoyable. Even though it lacks body because it's sugar-free this drink has its place as a nice refresher on a hot day.

The interaction of l-theanine with caffeine supposedly helps taper the "jitters" that caffeine gives you, hence why this blend is called "focus". In my experience the effect is minimal in doses smaller than 200mg, which is about where they max out for "nootropic" drinks like this. The label doesn't say how much l-theanine so I can only guess it's less than 200mg based on what other drinks contain. Finally, with just 100mg caffeine, there is not much energy to taper.