'I tried KSI and Logan Paul's Prime drinks for first time – one flavour was let down'

Reporter Lucy Marshall tried the Hydration Prime drinks range for the first time since its launch in 2022 . Five unique flavours left her divided between wanting more or never trying again

They are the drinks that have become a worldwide hit and has sent people into a frenzy as they scramble to get their hands on the latest flavours.

The drinks are so popular that parents have been paying outrageous prices to get a bottle for their kids, and people have even been spotted wrestling in supermarkets - all because of a drink. YouTube and boxing stars KSI and Logan Paul launched Prime in January 2022 and produce a variety of energy and sports drinks containing varying levels of caffeine, electrolytes and micronutrients.

As someone who isn't a huge boxing fan, and never drinks energy drinks, I never caught onto the hype with Prime drinks - but I was always curious about why people were so obsessed with them. After noticing a popularity in consuming electrolytes from health and fitness social media creators, plus people pining over the Prime, I decided to see what all the fuss is about and which flavours are the best.

I am a coffee girl to the core, so energy drinks are just not for me. Instead, I decided to try the Hydration selection - the sports drink version of Prime. It is a 25-calorie concoction of coconut water, electrolytes and zero-added sugar in 500ml of vaguely fruity liquid. Manufacturers state that this version of the product contains no added sugar, and is caffeine-free.

People have previously sold empty bottles of the drink on eBay and Facebook, and shoppers noticed off-licences selling the drinks for £9 each.

I knew that Asda stocked the drinks, but when I went to visit my local store there were not many available, nor a range of flavours. Spar stores are now also stocking the product sporadically and it's been available as one-off special buys at Aldi and Costco. To ensure I got the products, I ordered the drinks online from a site called Candy Mail UK after spotting that they had a range of Prime drinks on offer - including some limited edition flavours.

I purchased the orange flavour for 99p, cherry freeze for £1.99, strawberry banana for 99p, 'X' limited edition for £1.99, and most expensive of all the grape flavour for £9.99 - totally not worth it. My total came to £15.95 for the five drinks. For comparison, 12 drinks Prime Hydration drinks listed on the Prime website are priced at £24.99, so each drinks comes in at £2.08 each.

I was initially wowed by the packaging of the drinks - they are eye catching and hard to resist. If I was a teenager I'd definitely be asking my mum if I can keep the empty bottles out on display.

Strawberry Banana

As a truly girly, girl, I headed for the pink coloured drink first and sipped on the strawberry and banana flavour. Whenever I order a cocktail or milkshake it will always be strawberry flavoured, so I had very high hopes for enjoying this drink - and wow it did not disappoint. It smelt incredible and tasted like a sweet iced lollipop on a warm summer's day. It is definitely one for those with a sweet tooth. I couldn't put it down and consumed it all in minutes. It's only fault is that, like the rest of the flavours, it had a slight soap-like aftertaste. Rating: 8/10.

Orange

What a let down. Orange is my favourite flavour of all time - orange-flavoured sweets, chocolate and even perfume scents, but it certainly isn't my favourite of the Prime drinks. It had medicine taste and was like a bad orange squash. I think this would be more suitable for kids or teens, but I'll stick to my Robinson's orange squash instead. Rating 5/10.

Grape

I don't think I'll ever recover from paying £9.99 for a sports drinks - especially when the flavour totally was not worth it. After opening the bottle I was blasting by the very overpowering smell. It tastes like every other grape flavour sweets or drinks ever made. It reminded me of Sours shots on a night out. There is nothing unique about it and I quickly put it down. Rating 3/10.

Cherry Freeze

Now we are talking. It's like cherry bakewell in liquid form - and a lot less calories than the traditional dessert. This was so good that I felt cheeky for drinking it all to myself. My one disappointment with this drink is the packaging - call me fussy but about I wish they had made the whole bottle a cherry colour instead of using the ombre effect. Rating 8/10.

X

To be totally honest, I don't really know why I ordered this one. The unique bottle and limited edition hooked me in. I think this has a nice flavour too it and it is fun to try one of the flavours not many people have had. It ended up being one of my favourites. It was like sipping on a Fanta Lemon on holiday in the sunshine. It is really light and easy to drink, and feels the most hydrating out of the ones I had tried. I could drink this easy all day long. I was also pleased that despite it being one of the more rare Prime drinks, I was able to get it for £1.99. Rating 8/10.

Final thoughts

Overall I can now see why people enjoy the Prime Hydration drinks. Some of the flavours are really tasty and are hard to put down after one sip. But other flavours are too overpowering for my liking and taste like medicine rather than a nice sweet drink.

Do I think they are worth the huge hype? Well, I won't be pushing past anyone in a supermarket or forking out £9.99 for a bottle again, but I would buy my favourite flavours again and recommend them to a friend.

Have you tried any of the Prime drinks? Comment below.