ZONe Utopia went on sale on February 16. The ZONe series has put out plenty of one-of-a-kind flavors you won't find anywhere else — like the melon-soda-flavored "FIREWALL" and the Calpis-style "DEEP DIVE" — so a new release always gets me excited. Let me crack one open and review it right away.

Update (February 7, 2025): The current version, Zone Utopia Ver.1.1.8, is now on sale.

ZONe Utopia ver.1.0.0
Volume 500 ml
Price 190 yen (tax-excluded)
Ingredients (per 500 ml) Arginine 500 mg, Palatinose 5.0 g, Caffeine 75 mg

The first thing that catches your eye is this cute, gradient package design! Among the sleek, stylish energy drinks out there, this packaging really stands out. The pink in particular jumps out, and it had me imagining a sweet peach-like flavor.

Color

A pink liquid that looks sweet.

Aroma

It has a sweet, lovely tropical-fruit aroma. Just one can smells strong enough to fill a room with sweetness.

Taste

The first thing that hits you is the sweetness, followed by a wave of fruity juiciness. Sweet and delicious! It supposedly uses 17% apple, peach, and orange juice, but the balance feels closer to about 70% peach and 30% orange — I couldn't really pick out the apple. The carbonation is light and the acidity sits subtly in the background, so it goes down very easily. The flavor is in a similar lane to Monster Energy's Pipeline Punch, but Utopia comes across as gentler and more drinkable. It doesn't have the punch typical of an energy drink — it really drinks more like juice.

Summary

I came away feeling like this is a new ZONe series that's sweet and easy to drink. I personally love the look of it too, and I'd happily buy it again. It keeps the flavor quality high while pricing in line with other companies at around 190 yen, and the 500 ml volume is generous, so I think this series will only grow more popular from here. Spec-wise, it holds up as a proper energy drink as well. That said, there's none of the kick or fizzy intensity you'd expect from an energy drink, so keep that in mind.

The author: "I'd drink it again."

The current version, Ver.1.1.8, is here: