What Is The Flavor Of Original Red Bull Actually Supposed To Taste Like?

Whether you're a college student or an employee on the early morning shift, you're probably familiar with Red Bull. The energy drink, known for its promise to give people "wings," is one of the most recognizable and popular energy drinks on the market. But aside from all the energy it promises to give you, let's narrow down the flavor. Many have given their fair share of theories as to what Red Bull tastes like. People claim Red Bull's flavor to be similar to licorice. However, others have speculated that the drink is more citrusy, calling to mind oranges and lemons with its noticeable tang. 

You may be surprised to learn, however, that several consider Red Bull's original flavor was supposed to be similar to that of cough medicine. You know, that sticky-sweet syrup stuff that tastes like fake cherry? The justification is that, like cough syrup, Red Bull had a medicinal flavor and a strong and potent fruit taste that masked all the caffeine in the drink. While Red Bull would never be considered actual medicine today, there was a time when drinks like Red Bull were once marketed as healthy.

If you were to ask your doctor how much Red Bull you should drink to be healthy, chances are that will earn you a stern talking-to from your doctor. But, once upon a time, energy drinks, similar to Red Bull, were once sold as a medicinal tonic, as per CNN Health. It was during the early 1900s that these energy tonics were the most popular. While they weren't exactly the same as our modern-day energy drinks, these elixirs promised energy and vitality alongside other more colorful side effects. Unfortunately, many of these energy drinks included harmful and even dangerous ingredients, with one energy drink, in particular, containing live radium. 

While Red Bull doesn't contain any ingredients as harmful as radium, its sweet yet medicinal taste is a result of its ingredient list. In other words, much like the early medicine tonics of the 1900s and the cough syrups of today, Red Bull contains many additives designed to make the drink palatable to the consumer. These could include artificial sweeteners meant to disguise the naturally bitter taste of caffeine. 

If you look at the ingredients list of an average can of Red Bull, you'll find that it contains a generous amount of taurine. What is taurine? Is it some fancy word for the caffeine in the drink? Not quite. Taurine is a naturally occurring amino acid produced in the body, as per Healthline. It's used to help energy production in the cells, according to Mayo Clinic, and balance hydration, regulate minerals, support your central nervous system, and manage your immune system.

Taurine is not added to give you more caffeine but to assist your body's natural functions. If all of these benefits are believed, Red Bull, with its high concentration of amino acid, would technically be considered a health drink. It has that bitter medicine-like taste, it's full of vitamins and taurine, so why wouldn't it be considered a health tonic?

Unfortunately, because of the incredibly high amount of sugar and caffeine in the drink, whatever benefits taurine offers are somewhat muted. You may feel more energized and alert after drinking one can of Red Bull. However, drinking can after can wouldn't provide the health benefits you're expecting — even with that medicine-like taste it was initially intended with.