SENTIA GABA BLACK

This is an interesting product. I think it could kick off a lot of different brands seeking to capture the market of people who want to be social but not get inebriated. The product arrived well packed and undamaged. I read the label and saw that the serving size was .87 of an ounce, so I measured it out and added it to a fruit flavored, zero calorie drink. I noticed a spicy background taste of the herbs in the product. A pleasant taste. I don't think I would drink it straight. The effect was mild but noticeable. I felt relaxed. I could see this as a way to unwind after a tough day at the office. I think it does what is says it does without alcohol, which is the whole point. I haven't tried the other flavors yet but may do so. The product is a good alternative to alcohol at social gatherings or alone to relax.

I tried two different versions. Black and Red. I had no issues with the flavors although they were not something I could imagine developing a craving for. Mix ‘em with some ginger beer or whatever you like and they are not vile nor exciting.Feel/effects? This is where the product disappoints. I was unable to detect *any* change at all. So it was. $40 bottle of slightly odd tasting fruit juice. Add the fact that the black version seemed to have some odd looking sludge/residue that stuck to the bottle inside and wasn’t visible right away until I poured enough of it out. It didn’t seem to be a contaminant just some dried juice? lolEveryone’s chemistry is different but this was not for me. I have tried other products that make similar claims and enjoyed them. Maybe when the magic molecule is approved I’ll give it another whirl. Great concept, just no delivery for me.The order sat in the Amazon queue for about 2 months before it shipped.

I'm usually too lazy to write Amazon reviews but Sentia products are getting such an odd division of reviews that I felt obliged to. For context, I've now consumed 2-3 bottles of Gold and 2-3 of Red but have yet to try Black. Most of my purchases were via Amazon but I did make the mistake of purchasing my initial bottle via their website (which added a hefty shipping cost and, if anything, took longer to arrive).So... where to begin? First of all, if you are actually expecting a buzz/intoxication effect that is very similar to alcohol without the health concerns, don't bother purchasing it, you're just going to be disappointed. I think a large number of the 1 or 2-star reviews could be explained away with this simple fact.But that does not make this product worthless. The "buzz" created is more of a mild mental calming effect with slight physical sensations. It does the job of taking the edge off after work or relaxing a bit in the evening versus consuming alcohol, but that's about it. Personally, I view this as a good thing, but I suppose if you're specifically looking for the less-inhibited, so-called "pro social" effect of alcohol you're not going to find that here.The taste is quite nice -- it's certainly not "overpriced fruit juice" as some reviews are suggesting. It's more botanical/bitter in taste.Alas, that's about all the praise I'm going to give this product/company. From here on out, it's critiques. First of all, Sentia needs to work with Amazon to make one listing page for all flavors. Jumping between product pages is not a smooth experience and it leads to more review division. Second, they need to step up their game on the logistics front. At nearly all times, at least one flavor is out of stock on Amazon, and I certainly don't care enough about this product to pay the hefty shipping cost on their own website.Third, and by far the most important part of this review... they need to clarify the serving size and do some more studies on the average effective dose. You are selling to the US market that probably includes a significant number of cocktail enthusiasts. We expect measurements in ounces, and the suggested serving size of this product is a joke -- change it to a standard 1.5 oz "shot" for simplicity. Alas, my primary issue with Sentia is that to feel *anything* close to the "buzz" I described above, I need at least 2 ounces per beverage. Okay, that's easy enough to pour, but now the serving size of this bottle just got slashed to 10 instead of 20. And I'm someone who was fairly naive to most of the "active ingredients" so I doubt I'm an outlier when it comes to dosing.So the TL;DR essentially becomes the following: Sentia is a decent product, certainly quite promising for the future and a significant step-up from typical non-alcoholic beverages that omit the alcohol yet not the carbs, yet the purchase decision boils down to the serving size (minimum effective dose, so to speak) balanced against the price tag. Is $40 worth it if you actually only get 8-10 effective servings? Only you can answer that question. For me that's an easy yes because there's not really anything similar on the market (in aperitif-style liquid format, at least)... but I'm certainly not thrilled with that price-tag.

Sentia GABA drinks are marketed as giving you that “two drink” feeling without any alcohol (or the unpleasant side effects thereof). I did not expect it to perfectly imitate the sensation of having a glass of wine or two, but I did expect *some* sensation - and there was none. While GABA red doesn’t taste particularly bad (tart cherry mixed with potpourri would be my description) it has no discernible physical or mental sensation. In short, this is just an expensive, wonky-tasting herbal tea.

The gold tastes similar to cold, chai tea - with absolutely NO "calming effects." Not disgusting, but definitely only for sipping. And, forty dollars for two 8oz cups isn't worth it for me to buy again.EDIT: After I left this review, the company emailed me, offering to refund my money. I didn't understand what accepting their email offer would entail, so I declined their offer. 🤷‍♀️