High5 ZERO Xtreme Electrolyte Hydration Tablets Review

High5 as a company produce all types of sports energy products from bars to powders and as reviewed here, electrolyte tablets. ZERO Xtreme is their electrolyte tablet that can be added to 500ml of water giving 0.35Kcal per 100ml and 65mg of caffeine (about the same as a cup of coffee) per tablet. Just as importantly, a great taste. Is it true?

I have, admittedly, been very slow to adopt the use of hydration bladders. The main limitation I found was the excessive cleaning required and poor monitoring of fluid levels. The main reason behind cleaning is that most energy drinks and the like have quantities of sugar in that can increase the chances of little organisms wanting to grow in there if a clean is missed. I looked at Nuun, and yes they are great, but sheesh are they expensive. So I started to look for a cheaper alternative. I dropped on the High5 Extreme tablets and decided to give them a try.

The tub contains twenty tablets which means enough for around ten litres of water. This means I need four tablets for my two litre hydration bladder. So enough for five weekends of walks.

When put into the water the tablets begin to dissolve immediately. They take around ten minutes to fully dissolve, although I do find a little residue is left in the water. Despite this, nothing seems to cling to the bladder like some other drinks do.

Unfortunately I wouldn't describe the flavour as berry. It sort of is, but the flavour is overpowered by other parts of the tablets ingredients. It does also add a sort of fizz to the water making it more refreshing. So it is an improvement on the taste of the average tap water.

From a performance aspect I would say that the electrolytes do help. I am generally a warm walker, which means I perspire a quite a bit. So replacing electrolytes is important for me. My only concern is the caffeine kick and whether I need it or not. It does help to bring you round a little when feeling tired, but the extensive use of caffeine could be questionable. So I will be trying the normal High5 Zero tablets at some stage.

So, compared to competitors, they are cheaper, taste as good and help with rehydration. But watching the caffeine could be a key point.