Recess’s Mood-Boosting Sparkling Drinks Taste Great AND Make You Feel Like a Million Bucks

Life can get pretty stressful from time to time, and I'm always looking for practices that promote calm from the inside and out.

While I'm typically skeptical of foods and drinks that promise to boost moods, I am also open to giving them a try, and I've gotten some surprisingly spectacular results from adaptogenic chocolate, drink mixes and more.

So when the team behind Recess's new adaptogenic Recess Mood drinks (designed to calm the mind and lift the mood) reached out to me, I knew I had to give them a test run. The company kindly sent cans of their canned sparkling waters, as well as a pack of their Recess Mood Powder, and they've instantly made a new fan.

The Brand

Recess's drinks are formulated to help you destress, acting as a remedy to otherwise hectic and overwhelming days, and their new Recess Mood line aims to lift spirits while also filling drinkers with a sense of calm.

Their sparkling waters include ingredients such as magnesium L-threonate for lifting the mood and balancing the mind, L-theanine to ease tension, American ginseng for vitality and focus, and lemon balm for equilibrium and unwinding. Since the drinks are between 15 and 20 calories per can, you can indulge anytime, anywhere, whether it's to develop a sense of calm to start your day off in the morning, keep you going at lunchtime, or to help you unwind and quiet your mind before bed. Recess Mood drinks retail for $35 for an 8-pack or $47.68 for a 12-pack. Their Recess Mood powders sell for $21.99 for a pack of a dozen sticks.

 

The Drinks

Black Cherry Mood

When it came time to try the drinks, I decided a can of the Black Cherry Mood was as good a place to start as any. As a big fan of sparkling waters in general, I immediately took a liking to this flavor, with its burst of robust and juicy cherry flavor and just a hint of sweetness. It's super sippable, either by itself or along with a meal, and it was all too easy to drink a can in one sitting.

But even better, drinking it left me feeling good. I felt like my concentration and focus were improved, and maybe it was only because I'd just had a delicious beverage, but I felt pretty positive and optimistic about what my day held for me. And this didn't just happen the first time. Every time I drank Recess, I felt great. I even found myself turning to a can on tough days to power through.

(via Recess)

 

Strawberry Rose Mood

Strawberry Rose is an all-new flavor to the Recess family, and I think it's a delicious addition to the lineup. The strawberry flavor packs a punch, backed with a rosy and floral aftertaste and just enough sweetness to make it extra crave-able. But even better than the taste, it packed all of the mood-boosting benefits of the drink that came before it.

 

(via Recess)

 

Blood Orange Mood

I'm not usually the biggest fan of blood orange as a flavor, so this wasn't the drink I was looking forward to most. While it was far from my favorite, I still thought it was pretty good, with a rich, well-rounded blood orange flavor capturing both its bitter and sweet notes. And, of course, the sense of positivity I felt after drinking it made it all worthwhile.

(via Recess)

 

Peach Ginger Mood

Last in the seltzer lineup was Peach Ginger Mood, a bright, peachy flavor accented by just a trace of sharp, spicy ginger. Of the four flavors, it was by far the most complex, and that might have also made it the most fun for me to drink. And I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but you shouldn't be surprised that it had all the mood-boosting properties of the drinks that had come before it.

(via Recess)

 

Recess Mood Powder: Lemon Citrus

Last but not least, it was time to try something a little bit different. Recess's Mood Powders include a somewhat different adaptogen blend. It features the magnesium and L-theanine of the canned Recess drinks, in addition to passionflower for balancing ups and downs, as well as hydrating electrolytes to power both your body and mind.

Just add a packet of this zero-calorie, sugar-free powder to 8 to 12 oz. of water, smoothie or any other drink to get all of the Recess benefits. I don't drink lots of smoothies, so I've personally only had it in water, and I've found that it adds a tart and lemony kick to my water bottle every day. Though I have to admit there is a slightly gritty texture when you get to the bottom of the glass, it's always delicious, and I felt the included adaptogens gave me a somewhat different feeling from the canned sparkling waters. Not only did I feel more hydrated, but my mood felt more steady and balanced.

 

(via Recess)

 

Bottom Line

All in all, I'd say that Recess's drinks get the job done while tasting just as good as any sparkling water out there. I never had a bad experience with them, regardless of the time of day I decided to sip, and I'd gladly drink them even if they didn't confer all of those excellent benefits.

If there is one downside, it's that these drinks don't come cheap. Even if you invest in 12-packs, they cost nearly $4 per can, which means you'll want to be sure before stocking up. On the other hand, it does mean you'll appreciate every gulp and probably save them for the special occasions when you truly need them most.

 

Curious about these drinks? Click HERE to read an expert interview on the importance of magnesium and whether you should be taking it.