I was recently sent a few pre-release samples of the new green tea beverage, Enviga, and despite some green tea afficionados I know who insist that tea should be "not bubbly, not flavored, and not cold," I found it to be much better than any of those Red Bull-like energy drinks. It is super-caffeinated, and has more of the active ingredient in green tea (EGCG) than any other bottled tea drink. Chinese legends claim that the first green tea was brewed way back in 2737 BC, but it's just recently become a flavor of the month in the western world, touted for its antioxidant benefits and mild flavor.

EGCG supposedly helps rev up the metabolism so in tandem with the caffeine (green tea has natural caffeine but Enviga is "fortified" with even more), Enviga provides a mild calorie-burning effect, especially if, like me, you drink three cans in one go. I'm sure if I had more, I'd be Nicole Richie by now, but after a few hours of bouncing off walls, I was out of Enviga and looking for snacks. There's also 200 mg of calcium in each can.

How does it taste? Not too sweet, not too strong, only mildly fizzy, and the berry and peach flavors (there's also plain) don't have that medicinal tang that's present in so many vitamin drinks. I think most diet soda devotees will understand when I say that it's reassuringly slightly bitter, like a low-calorie drink should be. Some of the newer Splenda-sweetened drinks taste so much like their full-sugar versions, that I get nervous sometimes that I'm downing hundreds of extra calories. This tastes like diet, but in a good way. Of course I understand that plain water or plain brewed tea are both non-caloric, but what's the fun in that?

Enviga will be rolled out over the next few months, and should be available widely.