The Phix Is In

I live a caffeinated life. Coffee in the morning, every morning, all morning. Sometimes I'll grab another cup or a cappucchino after lunch for an afternoon boost. Sure, it picks me up, but my caffeine addiction — and it is an addiction — also lets me down.

A few weeks ago I met Will Weisman, CEO and founder of Phix, who handed me a sample of his new product and just may have changed my relationship with my morning cup(s) of joe forever.

Phix is one of those products that you never knew you wanted until you've had it. The core product is an "all-natural energy aid" — a powder that comes in single servings, each one measured out in its own individual, slender package or "stick." You drop the powder into your water bottle (you're using a re-usable one, right?), shake it up with about 12 ounces of water, and you're good to go. Instant energy boost.

Best yet it doesn't let you down. Or rather, it doesn't send you crashing. While Phix certainly provides a sustained jolt, you don't feel like you're high on crack while you're up. And since it's got a bunch of good stuff in it, you don't feel guilty after you've had it. You also don't feel fooled: Some popular energy drinks (I'm looking at you, Vitamin Water) pack a ton of sugar and calories into its bottles. If you don't go out and run five miles after you've had a bottle Vitamin Water, you might as well be sitting on your butt and drinking a Coke.

The Phix "Energy" drinks come in three flavors: tropic, citron and teaberry. They're low in sugar, each stick has about 35 calories and has no nasty stuff inside. It's all vegan, organic and packed in recycled paper. Phix Energy is 14 vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, blended with a few other things you'd probably find in a Whole Foods' wellness aisle.

But as Weisman says: "Who's going to carry around a bunch of eye-droppers full of that stuff?" Right. Nobody does, or wants to. So Phix mixes it up for you in an easy-to-drink powder. Phix also has a lemon-chamomile "Sleep" variety, which helps send you to la-la land after a tough day. Again, all natural, it's not habit forming, is low in sugar and all good.

Weisman cooked the idea up a few years back when, he explains (over cafe mochas, no less), he was on a quest to live, eat and drink healthier. He, like so many others, didn't dig the energy spike and subsequent crash-and-burn that comes with coffee or other energy drinks. And, he was as intimidated as anyone else when stepping into that natural food store wellness aisle. But he wanted to learn more, and create a product that could take some of the mystery away while providing people with something they wanted, like better sleep or a pick-me-up.

Weisman was soon introduced to Dr. Joseph Pizzorno, president emeritus of Bastyr University in Seattle, and widely known as the authority on science-based natural medicine. The Phix blends are concocted by Pizzorno and his team, while another consultant provides the flavoring.

I'll be honest — the verdict is still out on the taste. Weisman himself says that it took over a year and one failed iteration of the product and flavoring to get the taste to where it is today: palatable (and selling in stores). I personally don't have a problem with the flavor — I actually find it refreshing and slightly sweet, if not a touch herbal. Others, in a very unscientific taste test held at Tonic don't care for it much. But then again, have you ever had a Red Bull? Nasty!

Weisman also knows a thing or two about starting a food-based business. Back in the day, he and his friends practically invented the healthy, burrito-like concoction that we all know and love as the "wrap," and built a restaurant chain, World Wrapps.

After World Wrapps, Weismann's interest in energy drinks became an obsession. Some time in 2005 to 2006 he started researching ingredients in health foods and drinks, dietary supplements and other herbal remedies. And as an entrepreneur, he saw a business opportunity to create a new kind of energy drink — something all-natural and tasty, without the gunk or crazy up-and-down. Phix was born.

"I just wanted something that is proven to work, and made from things that are backed with clinical research, and other things that are proven as remedies over time" Weismann said, pointing to ingredients like chamomile, which millions of people have taken to help with sleep.

Ultimately, Weisman hopes to turn Phix into a lifestyle brand. For now, he's just trying to get Phix into more stores and more water bottles.

If you're in the Pacific Northwest or southern California, you can get Phix at Whole Foods and other natural food stores. The San Francisco Bay area is next on Weisman's radar. You can also get your Phix at the website. A pack of five Phix sticks will set you back $9.95.