Engage Original

When I reviewed Engage Blue Raspberry, I walked away impressed. While I noticed several cracks in the overall product, it was still a good introduction for me to get to know the line. Engage Original is what I believe to be the first in the line. I'm generally hasty about drinks labeled "original" because there's a chance the company means the flavours the typical FreeFall clone. Hopefully, Engage Original's flavour will turn out to be truly original, and not typical.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Like Blue Rasp before it, Engage Original has a really impressive bottle design. It's clean, intimidating, and attractive all at the same time. More companies should follow the rule "less is more," because when done right, the outcome is a success. I really liked Blue Raspberry's bottle, and Original's is just as good. The crimson really works well with the claw pattern and the logo. All in all, a flawless bottle that really gets your adrenaline pumping.

TASTE: I unscrewed the top and took a sip. Once the liquid hits your mouth, an overwhelming sensation builds, but thankfully it lasts only milliseconds. The flavour begins with a crisp and sweet zing that is proceeded by a faint blend of lemon, apple, and goji berry. The lemon is the dominate fruit, only letting the apple sneak a few notes out, and allowing the goji to finish the experience. There's a jump of artificial sweetener once the goji adds its two cents, but it's short lived. Overall, Engage Original's flavour is significantly better than Blue Raspberry, but it's not perfect and not something I'd drink on a day-to-day basis.

KICK: Each bottle contains: 300mg of caffeine anhydrous, 1000mcg of Vit. B12, geranium extract, 5-hydroxytryptophan, and dimethylaminoethanol. This overall blend gave me a super strong kick. For around five to six hours I felt wide awake, and had no jotters. Once the five or so hours ended, I sadly got hit with a crash. It wasn't as hard as in Blue Raspberry, but still enough to put a damper on any extreme sport lovers day.

FINAL WORD: Extreme energy drinks don't have a real big and lasting interest from me. While I sure love being wowed by a great kick, my home is with the standard energy drink. Not something to be used for some strenuous action like ice climbing, but instead something to help you through your day. In all honesty, I doubt Engage is intended for daily consumption, and since that's one of the things I look for in a drink, Engage is not for me. Don't get me wrong, if I was ever going wakeboarding, Engage would easily be my drink of choice, but since I'm not known for my obsession with extreme activities, it's not. My rating for Engage Original may seem high, but I'm grading it for the market it attracts, and not for the regular energy drinker...3.9/5



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Rockstar Zero Carb Review Revisited

Rockstar Zero Carb is an energy drink I reviewed when I was first starting out. I didn't know the ropes of reviewing, so they tended to be poorly written and redundant. So slowly but surely, I plan on re-reviewing some of my least favorite reviews, and Rockstar Zero Carb is one of them. Now, I do doubt that I'll walk away impressed with Zero Carb, but I don't think I'll be giving it a zero on a scale from one to ten.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can to Rockstar Zero Carb uses the same exhaust and valid design that seems to of plagued the line. While the can is slightly less cluttered than previous entries, it is still unpleasant. The large shuriken-like star slanted towards the bottom off sets the diamond plate background, and looks more like a sticker than actually part of the design. Next to the star it says, " double strength, double size," which irritates me. While I am aware that Red Bull and some other energy drinks are still eight oz., I feel it's too late to be saying that. I rarely seeing someone drink an eight oz. Red Bull(or any size for that matter), so it seems stupid and is a waste of text. Overall, other than the acceptable blue colour, the can is of poor quality.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. A grape flavour begins the experience and is rather mild. Then a rough patch of carbonation engulfs your mouth, erasing the grape. With a clean slate mouth, a intensely sour and tart blue raspberry tickles your taste buds. Once your buds are done giggling, a barely noticeable artificial sugar taste tries the run a muck in your mouth, but thankfully more blue raspberry meshes with a faint tea taste, which capture the fake sugar taste, and prevent it from ruining the flavour. There's several notes of apple and cranberry, and these hints loiter mostly around the initial grape. Being refreshing in addition to being unique, Rockstar Zero Carb is easily one of the best tasting sugar free energy drinks since Throwdown Rampage Sugar Free.

KICK: Each can contains: 2000mg of taurine, green tea extract, 240 mg of caffeine, L-carnitine, yerba mate leaf extract, and 200% of your daily intake of Vit. B3, B5, B6, and B12. Unlike in my original review, Rockstar Zero Carb really provided one great buzz. For a solid four and a half to five hours I was wide awake, had a mild case of the jitters, and a raised alertness level. Once the four-five hours ended, I didn't receive any sort of crash.

FINAL WORDY: After a couple disappointments, the Rockstar line seemed to be going in a downward spiral, but Rockstar Zero Carb turned the line in the positive direction. While the can is nothing to shake a stick at(I'd personally prefer to beat the can with a stick), the outstanding taste and powerhouse kick are more than enough to even things out. Zero Carb is easily the best drink in the line since Punched Citrus, as well as the best sugar free variety in the line. I bought Zero Carb for $1.50 on sale at Market Basket, and even if you don't find it on sale, Rockstar Zero Carb is worth a purchase...3.9/5

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Fahrenheit Green Tea Raspberry Acai

Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I figured what better drink to review than one that can burn those soon to come holiday calories away, and the only drink I know of that "can" do that is Celsius. Celsius has been around for a while, but I never really was interested in it. I really didn't even consider it to be an energy drink, until recently when I read that it is also supposed to increase your energy level. I picked "Green Tea Raspberry Acai" because the other flavours the store had were "orange" and "wild berry," and neither of which are my favorite flavour.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Like many, Celsius's can suffers from a text overload. While some of the writing is necessary, some is unnecessary. I personally feel that the problem is that the font is too big. Perhaps if it was made smaller the can wouldn't look so cluttered. I do like the funky colour scheme. It's bright and vibrant, and definitely the best part of the design. One thing that worries me is that the can says "Tastes Great." While I doubt it will taste as bad as all day energy shot, I have a feeling that the taste won't pull a Tony the Tiger and be great.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a mildly syrupy raspberry and lemon blend, that is interrupted by a sudden pierce of sweetness. A faint bitterness is present for a brief moment after the sweet spike, but luckily it doesn't last. The flavour ends in a clash between a weak green tea and a light syrup, and thankfully the green tea mostly overpowers the syrup. Both the raspberry and lemon mimic their respected fruits well enough and are bonded together in good fashion. The sucralose spike doesn't taste artificial, for the most part. I couldn't detect any acai, but it isn't the end of the world. Overall, while I wouldn't call the flavour "Great Tasting," it is very drinkable and not half bad.

KICK: Each twelve oz. can contain: ten calories, 200mg of caffeine, taurine, guarana, ginger extract, chelate, and 100% of your daily intake of niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, Vit C, B12, and B6. I find it interesting that Celsius supposedly burns calories, and yet it contains calories. Kinda ironic if you ask me. Celsius may be labeled as a calorie burner, but its real talent is with its kick. For a good four+ hours I felt wide awake and had no jitters. The kick was similar to Cranergy, only more powerful. Once the four+ hours ended I received no crash.

FINAL WORD: Celsius Green Tea Raspberry Acai is a middling energy drink. While the kick was great, the adequate taste and messy can really hurt the overall score. Celsius Tea Raspberry may appeal to those looking for a rather inexpensive way to burn some calories while getting some serious energy, and that seems like all they were going for. I doubt Celsius is intended for a hardcore Monster or Rockstar fan, but instead a weight conscious infrequent caffeine consumer. Like the initial marketing for the Wii, Celsius is trying to get everyone and their grandma to use their product. But were as the Wii helped created the casual gamer, Celsius has yet to create the casual energy drinker...2.9/5

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Java Monster Loca Moca

After a mediocre Rockstar Latte, I decided to try one of the remaining flavours in the Java Monster line, and Market Basket only had Loca Moca, so it looks like it will have to do. The term "mocha" is usually associated with chocolate flavoured coffee, so that's what I'm expecting from Loca Moca. My personal preference when it comes to coffee is vanilla, so I can't say that I'm all too excited to review Java Monster Loca Moca.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can is not up to par will Java Monster Russian, but it is still better than Big Black or Original. The design isn't at all cluttered and the wood grain texture with the clawed "M" are real intimidating. Loca Moca's lay out is clean and attractive, but at the same time threatening, which is a major improvement over the lackluster Rockstar Latte can.

TASTE: Without creating a mess, I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour begins a creamy blend of bitter coffee and sweet, smooth chocolate. A spike of sweetness appears between the shift from coffee to chocolate. It's not overwhelming and is the sweetest part of the experience. The creaminess tastes more like skim milk than actual cream, which is a little disappointing. The chocolate is stronger than the bitter coffee, and the chocolate is more of a milk than dark chocolate, which is good or bad depending on who you are. A creamy film is left in your mouth after each sip, making it the only real after taste. Overall, Loca Moca tastes great and does the line justice.

KICK: Each fifteen oz. can contains about: 200 calories, forty percent of your daily intake of calcium, four percent of your daily intake of Vit. A, 100% of your daily intake of Vit. C, twenty percent of your daily intake of Vit. D, 2000mg of Taurine, caffeine, ginseng, and 200% of your daily intake of Vit. B2, B3, B6, 12, and phosphorous. As you probably can imagine, I got one pretty impressive kick. For around four or so hours I felt jittery and awake, and the rush ended in a decently hard crash. While nothing I haven't seen before, it was more powerful than the average coffee, and come to think of it, more powerful than the average energy coffee.

FINAL WORDE: The Java Monster line was one of the first energy coffee's I remember seeing, and compared to the small selection of other energy coffee's I've reviewed, they really have stood the test of time. For the most part, the line has beat out its rivals by providing a more effective kick, more savory taste, and better executed can. Of what I've reviewed, in the Mocha coffee category, Loca Moca's only real competitor is Starbucks Mocha, and with its ho-hum can, bitter taste, and unimpressive kick, there really isn't any competition...4.2/5

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amp Sugar Free

September and October were some of the best months for me as a critic, mainly because I didn't review any dreaded amp flavours. But it seems like November will ruin that streak. amp Sugar Free is actually the last drink (excluding shots) variety in the line, which is good news and bad news. While I'm thankful to finally be getting the line over with, it means I have to suffer through yet another flavour. And to top it all off one of the few remaining variety is sugar free. Now, there has been some great sugar free energy drinks out there, but for the most part, they're poor versions of a better tasting sugared flavour, and I'm sure amp sugar free will be just that.

FIRST IMPRESSION: amp Sugar Free's can isn't the biggest offense in the line. The background pattern isn't distracting, but the white writing blends in with the mostly silver colour, so it becomes kinda hard to read. But perhaps not being able to read the text is a good thing, because once again it's too much. Why in the world does the can need to say "sugar free," "lo-cal," and then "low calorie?" Exactly, there isn't a reason. Though there's less text than previous flavours, it is still a less-than-mediocre can.

TASTE: I reluctantly opened the can and took a sip. The flavour begins sour melon that is followed by a gummy strawberry taste. The sourness of the melon isn't like a War Head candy, but instead a past its prime dairy product. There are notes of cranberry and lime wondering the flavour, but these are rather difficult to notice. The artificial sweetener taste is kept very low, making for a smooth flavour. In the end, amp Sugar Free's taste is truly unremarkable and is boarder line terrible.

KICK: The can says that amp sugar free is "hi power," but apparently the designers were just saying "hi" to another energy drink, because I got one pretty poor kick. For a trivial two hours I felt mildly focused and I had no jitters. I didn't feel like I had a great amount of energy and once the two hours ended I received not crash. Perhaps the biggest slap on the face is that each can only contains 141 mg of caffeine. That amount is criminally low. Other ingredients include: 110mg of maltodextrin, twenty mg of Taurine, ginseng, forty percent of your daily intake of riboflavin, and twenty percent of your daily intake of Niacin, patothenic acid, Vit. B6, and B12.

FINAL WORD: In perspective, the amp line is one of the most overrated, disappointing, odious, and down right worst lines to ever be blessed with the word "energy." Each drink, with a few exceptions, scored less than a 3/5, which is just wrong. The line started out okay. The original amp was nothing special, but at least it could be seen as a worth while purchase, but the line quickly took a turn for the worst. Soon the flavours became syrupy, the kicks grew pathetic, and the can cans became cluttered. It's hard to believe that Pepsi also makes the No Fear line, which are arguably better than any flavour in the amp line. Overall, amp sugar free escapes the usual syrupy flavour, but it wasn't able to avoid a crappy can and an appalling kick...2.1/5

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Cranergy cranberry lift

Other than straight up lime or lemon juice, I'd say that cranberry juice is my favorite. Sad thing is that few energy drinks utilize cranberry's wonderful flavour, so the other day when I was grocery shopping, I went to grab a bottle of cranberry juice when I caught the words " cranberry" and "energy" together on the next shelf up. It was a four pack of twelve oz. Cranergy cranberry lift. Unsure whether or not Cranergy could calm my daily juice cravings, I bought both. Now, I'm willing to bet that Cranergy doesn't wow me with a great kick, so hopefully the flavour astonishes me and evens things out.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Cranergy's bottle looks a lot more like a juice than an energy drink. It has pictures of the alleged fruit on the label, and the background colour is pink. I personally don't think the pink meshes with the dark red juice well. I would of picked a black or a silver for the colour. I also don't like the clutterness of the label. The front of the drink should only consist of the main ideas the company is trying to get across, in a way summarize the product, and Cranergy just doesn't do that. Now, I understand that Cranergy isn't marketed to the usual energy drinker, but since it is labeled as an energy drink(well, an energy juice drink) I'm going to treat it like an energy drink, and in that sense the bottle is terrible.

TASTE: I cracked off the top and took a sip. The flavour begins a subtle grape that is overthrown by a cross between mint and cranberry juice cocktail. Once the mint/cranberry blend settles, a mix of green tea and artificial sweetener rises up, but it ends rather quickly and loses strength the more you sip. One of, if not the key component of cranberry juice is tartness, and I would have to say that the tartness of Cranergy is not as strong as I would of hoped. When I first took a sip, I was sure I wasn't going to like the flavour, but the more I sipped the more it grew on me. Overall, Cranergy tastes quite good, though this may only be because I adore cranberry juice in general.

KICK: Each bottle contains: eighty three mg of caffeine, 100% of your daily intake of Vit. C, and seventy percent of your daily intake of niacin, pantothenic acid, Vit. B2, B12, and B6. Cranergy cranberry lift gave me a buzz similar to the GURU line, but not as strong. It was more like I had just waken up from a great night sleep instead of preparing for a wild party. My mental alertness was raised and I felt more focused than I previously was. These feelings lasted around three hours, and once those three hours ended I didn't feel groggy or tired, just not as alert.

FINAL WORD: Being a huge fan of cranberry juice I doubt Cranergy will ever replace my daily glass of it, but for Ocean Spray's first stab at an energy product, it is a notable attempt. Though it's obvious some serious time was spent on developing Cranergy, it sadly wasn't enough. Cranergy is a premature energy drink that, while currently decent, needs more time at R&D...2.8/5

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Jolt Orange Blast

After reviewing a small two oz. energy shot, I just had to find a large drink to even everything out, and a local convenience store had what I was looking for. Jolt Orange Blast is what I expect to be the orange flavoured variety in the popular Jolt line, and probably the one I'm the least excited to review. Orange energy drinks have never been a favorite of mine, so despite the lines great history, I doubt things will change with Jolt Orange Blast.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Like Passion Fruit before it, Jolt Orange Blast suffers from a second rate can design. The logo is much too large and the lightning is ineffective. I also don't like the near ridiculous price I paid. At $2.99, Jolt Orange costs way too much, though it isn't as bad as a recent Monster flavour. On the positive side, I do like the large quantity and I like the resealable cover. Overall, with a rather poor can things (hopefully) can only get better.

TASTE: After wrestling with the shrink wrap I eventually was able to twist the top off and take a sip. The flavour starts out a mild tangerine that is soon followed by a heavy metallic taste. Along side the metallic taste is a faint bitterness. Though the metallic flavour is strong enough to cover most of the bitterness, it is too strong to be enjoyed. The tangerine tastes pretty fake and dull, and since there isn't any other real flavour, the overall taste is uninteresting. At twenty four oz., drinking the entire can is rather monotonous. Overall, Jolt Orange Blast's flavour is too dull, too tame, and too boring to be called "Orange Blast."

KICK: Each can contains: 315 calories, HFCS, Taurine, caffeine, guarana, ginseng, riboflavin, and niacin. This potent blend of ingredients gave me a good ol' caffeine/sugar rush. For a reasonable four or so hours I was energetic and had a measurable degree of the jitters. At no surprise I received a hard crash once the four hours ended.

FINAL WORD: Jolt Orange Blast is a largely mediocre product. The can was shoddy, the taste was boring, and the kick, while strong, ended in a horrible crash. I didn't expect a great can, given the lines history, and I knew the buzz was going to end in a crash, so it was the taste that really left me in disappointing shock. Passion Fruit and Cola both had great taste, but sadly Orange Blast's taste was tacky and lifeless. I find Orange Blast to be a drink full of "ifs." If only the can was more appealing, if only the taste was more appetizing, and if only the kick didn't end in a crash. Whether for $2.99 or $.99, Jolt Orange Blast is nothing more than a "been there done that, better" product...2.2/5

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all day energy shot

If there really was an energy product that could cause you to be up all day, I'd be the first one to buy a pack. The unusual number of colds I get in a year indicates that I'm not a fan of sleeping, and if I only needed one shot to do it, I would be one happy caffeine addict. And it looks like my wish may soon be granted. Hasan Choudhry emailed me recently, wondering if I'd like some samples of all day energy. Like my typical self I agreed and the next thing I knew I had a six pack of insomnia inducing two oz. wonders. Will all day energy keep me up all day, or will it keep me asleep all night?

For the most part, the all day energy bottle looks good. The flames are nice and aren't distracting, and the name, all day energy, is a good choice for an energy shot. One problem is that the text gets a little out of hand towards the bottom. Does it really need to say that it will give you energy four times? According to SKY Nutrition(the owner), it does. Both Hasan and the website promise me a great taste, and given the poor performance of every other energy shot I've had, I doubt that statement is true.

I unscrewed the top and took a sip. The flavour starts out a sharp mango and cranberry blend. Neither of these flavours are very noticeable as a cross between an artificial sweetener and menthol dominates the experience. While this cross flavour masks any bitterness, it isn't too pleasing. Though all day energy is miles ahead in taste than any other energy shot I've had, it still requires something to cover the bad flavour, and that isn't something I'd expect from anything hailed as "great tasting."

Each two oz. bottle contains: D-ribose, L-arginine, L-carnitine, Taurine, glucuronolactone, ginseng, folic acid, caffeine, and Vit. B6, B12, and C. This highly potent blend gave me quite an impressive buzz. Instantly after drinking the shot I began to feel more alert and awake. This lasted for a good five hours and it was a steady stream of energy with no jitters. Once the five hours ended I didn't receive any crash. The kick was on par with several other energy shots, which is a disappointment given its name is "all day energy."

Was telling me that all day energy had a great taste an opinion or a clever marketing ploy? Though I'm sure we all know which one I think it was, for an energy shot all day isn't the worst you could do. All energy shot drinkers care about is a good kick, and in that sense all day energy passes. But with the hundreds of other shots out there, you could do better than all day. At around $2.60 a bottle, all day energy simply doesn't have an edge over its competition. Though the taste was superior, the bottle and the kick were nothing out of the ordinary. Unless you become a energy critic and receive a six pack for free, there really isn't any reason to pick all day energy over the other shots on the convenience store counter.

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Monster Nitrous Super Dry

As much as I'd like to be a movie or video game critic, being an energy drink critic certainly has its perks. My favorite perk is that there's not too much pressure as a drink critic to review the newest product. While it is nice to claim the first review, you can still get away with reviewing age old energy drinks. I couldn't exactly review Transporter 2 in 2009 and expect my opinion to count. Monster Nitrous Super Dry is an example of this. While it's not as old as Transporter 2, it isn't the newest drink on the block and my opinion can still influence whether or not someone purchases it. Monster Nitrous Super Dry is one of the three flavours in the Nitrous sub-line, and probably the one I'm looking forward to the most. Hearing the flavour's main focus is lime attracts my attention, and hopefully it will turn out to be a worthwhile investment.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Monster Super Drys can is impressive. The green colour nicely fits into the line and the screw top, while not as interesting as Monster Imports, is still an improvement over the old pop top. The actual name to Super Dry is debatable. It could be read as Nitrous Super Dry, Nitrous Monster Super Dry, or even Super Dry Nitrous Monster Energy. This has to be the most expensive energy drink I've ever bought per oz. At a staggering $3.49, Monster Super Dry is only twelve oz. Personally, I don't think the nitrous carbonation gimmick is worth skimping out on oz. and jacking up the price.

TASTE: I popped off the top and took a sip. The flavour starts out sour lime that blends with a light ginger ale taste and fades, leaving a subtle chalky lemon/lime mix lingering about. The chalkiness becomes less noticeable the more you sip, letting the lime/lemon become the main focus of the aftertaste. There's some mild notes of several berries through out the experience, and they are more noticeable near the transition from ginger ale to chalk. The carbonation doesn't really leave me impressed. While the liquid was rather light and bubbly, it really didn't seem like it did too much. For a drink named "Super Dry," I really didn't find it terribly dry. Nitrous Super Dry still had a measurable amount of sweetness, so a more proper name would be "Mildly Dry." Overall, while I really enjoyed the lime ginger ale concoction, it's not terribly complex and the nitrous carbonation seemed like a wasted opportunity.

KICK: Each can of Monster Nitrous Super Dry contains: caffeine, Taurine, glucose, inositol, yerba mate, ginseng, and 200% of your daily intake of Vit. B12, B2, B3, and B6. Unlike most in the line Nitrous Super Dry gave me a decent at best kick. While I did feel quite awake for a steady three hours, it all ended in a hard crash. Super Dry will definitely not my drink of choice for when I'm playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii all day Sunday.

FINAL WORD: All in all, Monster Super Dry is a disappointing energy drink. Even though I enjoyed the flavour, the can was too small and the kick was less than stellar. If your a hard core guy looking for an energy drink that fits your image, than there are many cheaper and more powerful energy drinks on the market. Maybe there's some sort of super rich hard core community I'm not aware of, but for $3.49, your not getting your moneys worth. Overall, Nitrous Super Dry seems like it should be a test market product and not a nationwide drink. While it was an interesting attempt, Monster Nitrous Super Dry seems half completed and the nitrous carbonation is a gimmick that doesn't wholly succeed...3/5

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Rockstar Roasted Latte

With nearly 240 reviews under my belt, it should come to no surprise that using the same outline each and every time I write a review gets rather boring. So today I've decided to change up my review style. I don't plan on changing my review style permanently, but who knows?

Coffee energy drinks are a great idea. Combining two overly caffeinated products seems like a match made in heaven, but as we all know, few succeed. Personally, I'm a fan of the coffee-energy drink idea, but other than the Java Monster line, few drinks succeed. Given the average at best performance of Rockstar Pomegranate, my hopes for Rockstar Latte leaving me in a wake of positive impression are not terribly high. With 260 calories Rockstar Latte better be worth its calories in gold.

With each energy coffee I find it seems that the can is attempting to mimic a completely different style. Java Monster tried to look hard core and intimidating, the Frappio line made an attempt at art deco, and the Starbuck's took a stab at elegance. None of these attempts fully succeed, and the same goes for the coffeehouse-style Rockstar Latte can. It's cluttered to the bone and rather confusing. The confusion continues as the can says to enjoy Latte chilled, where as a regular latte is supposed to be consumed warm.

The flavour isn't too complex, and rightfully so. It begins with a rich coffee that has a thick creamy milk underlying it. The milk coats your mouth, letting an aftershock of coffee mix with it. Once you swallow the liquid, a strong bitterness develops in the back of your throat, but it isn't unpleasant and seems natural with the coffee taste. When people drink coffee, they're not looking for a overly complicated flavour, they are looking for a clean coffee taste with no frills, and in that sense I think Rockstar Latte delivers.

The ingredient highlights of Rockstar Latte include: approx. 240mg of caffeine, Taurine, ginkgo, guarana, ginseng, Vit B5, B3, B6, B12, and milk thistle extract. For an energy coffee, Rockstar Latte mildly impressed me with its kick. For three and a half to four hours I felt energetic and had a slight case of the jitters. Like a true coffee Rockstar Latte didn't leave me crashed once the three-four hours passed.

Energy coffee's are interesting in theory, but sadly the idea has yet to be mastered and perfected. The closest thing to perfection in the catagory is Java Monster Big Black, and even that had some issues. The overall quality to Rockstar Latte was scattered. While the taste was enjoyable, the can was a mess and the kick was nothing worth noting. There are few great energy drinks in the world, and there are even fewer great energy coffees. With the number of energy coffees steadily increasing, I hope and expect companies to take note of what prevents Rockstar Latte from being a success.

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buzzed energy, isn't that redundant...

While shopping at my not-so-local Tedeschi food store, I noticed two similar looking energy drinks sitting next to each other in the drink cooler. They were buzzed energy and lo-carb buzzed energy. Noticing the two for $3 sale I grabbed both cans and scampered on out the door. Though the name "buzzed" fits the overall energy drink theme, I doubt that I'm going to be buzzing like a bee after all is said and done.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Though it screams FreeFall clone, I have to say that I like the can to buzzed. The text is minimal and to the point and the overall design is attractive. The purple jagged spikes work well with the green logo and black background, creating a bizarre neon-hardcore atmosphere. Impressive work by the can designers.

TASTE: I cracked open the can and took a sip. The flavour begins a gummy vanilla with notes of spearmint. Once the vanilla fades the spearmint lightly coasts your mouth, and is eventually enveloped in a thick bubble gum. Buzzed is not very sweet nor is it at all syrupy, giving it an edge over the standard FreeFall clone. All in all, buzzed energy's taste is simple and while it has been done before, it is done better than some.

KICK: Each can contains: caffeine, Taurine, HFCS, inositol, guarana, and 200% of your daily intake of Vit. C, B12, B6, Riboflavin, and Niacin. buzzed energy's decent taste was followed by a decent buzz. For around three or so hours I had a measurable amount of energy and a case of the jitters. The whole rush ended in a mild crash. For a FreeFall clone buzzed provided a pretty good kick, but when compared to other, better produced energy drinks, it is nothing but run of the mill.

FINAL WORD: My reaction to buzzed energy was split. When compared to other FreeFall clones buzzed looks like a success, but when compared to energy drinks in general, buzzed seems clichéd and routine. Though the can was great, the unexceptional kick and taste diminished any chance for a recommendation. Buzzed is one of those energy drinks that you'd find collecting dusk on a drug store shelf, that is just praying for it to be put on discount so that it might be considered by someone who doesn't know anything about energy drinks. Overall, buzzed energy is not a buzzworthy energy drink...2.7/5

Engage Blue Raspberry

For a while I've been on the look out for a little energy drink named Engage. Ever since I first saw it online I just knew I had to get one. Years passed and I slowly forgot about Engage. Then, in the middle of October, Joey Aplington of NutriVation(the company that owns Engage) sent me an email wondering if I'd like some samples to review. I instantly recognized the name and agreed. When I first heard of Engage I only knew of one flavour, but apparently there's three flavours, and I chose blue raspberry for my first review as it isn't a common flavour. Will this Engage be a successful marriage, or will it be a costly divorce?

FIRST IMPRESSION: The bottle to Engage Blue Raspberry is nothing short of greatness. Re-close-able covers are always welcome and the design itself is is simple and threatening. Though I feel that the bottle is a success, there are some things that worry me. First off, Engage is an extreme energy drink, meaning it is much more potent than the average energy drink. There's a ton of ingredients packed into the small ten oz. bottle and I doubt the flavour will be able to mask it. Second, the drink is non carbonated. Though there are great non carbonated energy drinks, I worry that the flavour will be more like an energy shot than an energy drink. Concerns aside, the bottle is impressive and is sure to attract the attention of the hard core.

TASTE: I screwed off the bottle top and took a sip. The flavour starts out a thick cotton candy and blue raspberry blend. Once both these flavours meld together, a strong artificial sugar taste surfaces, and though the previous blend of flavours do eventually reemerge, they aren't strong enough to cover the horrid taste. Engage Blue Rasp isn't very tart, which is sad as it could of helped bring some life into this otherwise dull flavour. Engage Raspberry is rather rough going down, so I'm glad it's only ten oz. Overall, Engage Blue Raspberry's flavour is boring and lifeless, but for an extreme energy drink flavour isn't everything.

KICK: Each ten oz. bottle contains: 300mg of caffeine anhydrous, potassium citrate, 1000mcg of Vit. B12, geranium extract, 5-hydroxytryptophan, and dimethylaminoethanol. People say don't consume something if you can't pronounce the ingredients, but if your looking one powerful kick then screw that epigram. For a solid five+ hours I lively and full of energy. Following the five+ hours I was hit by a sudden crash, which I found surprising. Since Engage is supposed to be used for extreme activities, I don't think that I'd like to be all the sudden listless if I was climbing a mountain.

FINAL WORD: To be honest, I haven't had all too many "extreme energy drinks" in the past, but the ones I've had were only really successful in the kick category. Thankfully, Engage swerves past some of the grips that other extreme energy drinks had, making for a considerably better product. Though the taste takes a major blow due to the overuse of artificial sweeteners, a bad flavour is not a big concern to those who this drink is marketed to. Now, I'm not someone who is known to do extreme activities, so I can't see my self drinking this often, but for those looking for extra energy while working out, then Engage Blue Raspberry is worth a look...3.7/5

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Rockstar Juiced Pomegranate

Ever since I was impressed with Rockstar Citrus I've been on the look out for other Rockstar varieties, and the one that I've probably been looking for the hardest is Rockstar Juiced Pomegranate. Rockstar Pomegranate is fifty percent juice, and while that isn't the largest percent of juice I've had in an energy drink, it is certainly enough to satisfy the average juice cocktail drinker looking for a boast. Since I'm recovering from a cold(no not the swine flu), a juice energy drink seems like a smart choice. With impressionable entries in the line, Rockstar Pomegranate has some high expectations to match.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The design is basically the same as Rockstar Citrus, but with more success. First off, the red is much more appealing to the eye, and it also makes the text seem less cluttered than the green. One thing I don't like is the cans sub name "juiced. " It seems unnecessary when there's other, smaller text that clearly says "50% juice." Despite some gripes the can is one of the most attractive in the line.

TASTE: Once I pulled the red tab towards me, I took a sip. The flavour starts out a soothing blend of pomegranate, apple, pear, and cherry, all seamlessly bonded together. The cherry launches the experience and is followed by a juicy apple flavour. A vibrant pomegranate soon follows the apple and is interwoven with the taste of a pleasant pear. The tartness level is moderate and is most notable during the pomegranate. The sweetness is slightly higher than what I imagined, but it actually fits the fruit mix quite well. Though Rockstar Pomegranate is rather similar to a fruit punch, it is great tasting and really makes my mouth water.

KICK: Each can contains: sucrose, Taurine, tartaric acid, 160mg of caffeine, L-Carnitine, inositol, Milk Thistle Extract, niacinamide, ginkgo biloba leaf extract, guarana, sucralose, ginseng, and cyanocobalamin. This blend of ingredients gave a fair to middling buzz. For around three hours I felt more mentally focused and I didn't have any jitters. Once the three hours ended I experienced no crash. I'm disappointed with the kick to Rockstar Pomegranate. With impressive kicks from most of the other Rockstar flavours I don't understand why Rock Pom wasn't as powerful. My guess is the reduced caffeine content.

FINAL WORDY: In a world full of energy drinks, few taste as good as Rockstar Pomegranate. But are energy drinks all about taste? The answer is no. It is called an energy drink for a reason, not a tasty drink. Perhaps for a newcomer to caffeine Rockstar Pom may rock your world, but to an avid energy drink guru, Rockstar Pomegranate's disappointing kick really damages its chance for a recommendation. For $2.69 Rockstar Pomegranate is an expensive investment that really isn't worth the money...3.4/5

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Power Edge Wild Berry

Years, and I mean years ago I was at Wal Mart when I picked up a ten pack of Power Edge Wild Berry. In the back of my mini fridge it sat until today when the drink I was planning on reviewing didn't show up in my mailbox. I hadn't had Power Edge in years nor did I ever review it, so I decided to review it instead. Power Edge Berry is made by Sturm Foods, and though I don't believe I've ever reviewed one of their products, I do have some of their products on the review waiting list.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The packet design to Power Edge Wild Berry is miles ahead of the design to Energy Rush. The shiny red strips fits the billed wild berry flavour quite well and the flames along with the name(Power Edge) help the mix look hard core and edgy. The colour scheme of the flames are not only red, but also black and gray, adding some "freshness" to the usual flame colour. While I do like the packet, there are some problems with it. My most obvious complaint is the cluttered text. While the text isn't the worst offense I've ever seen, it is still an issue. Another problem is the colour of the drink once it is mixed with water. Maybe I've been living under a rock but I don't think that the market this mix is intended for(the hard to the core) will risk their reputation by carrying around a pale pink beverage.

TASTE: I opened the packet, poured the contents into a sixteen.nine oz. bottle of water and shook vigorously. Once I took a sip I found that the flavour starts out a light and rather generic berry taste that is quickly interrupted by a spike of sugar free taste and ends abruptly, leaving a taste of nothing for a while until more sugar free taste builds and finishes the experience. The berry taste is boring and pretty dull, which is sad given that it is the only real flavour to speak of. The flavour to Power Wild Berry isn't to any extent tart, sweet, or really any good. Overall, Power Edge Wild Berry's taste is lifeless and for a flavour that is labeled Wild Berry it really is disappointingly bland.

KICK: Each packet contains: 160mg of caffeine, 1000mg of Taurine, ginseng, guarana, inositol, pantothenic acid, Vit. B6, and Vit. B12. As you can imagine I didn't feel that I had an "edge" after drinking the entire bottle. For around two to three hours I felt slightly more awake and had no jitters. Once the two+ hours ended I didn't notice any signs of a crash(and no bodies were found).

FINAL WORD: Power Edge Wild Berry is nothing more than a second rate energy drink mix. While the packet was good, the taste was disgraceful and the kick was poor. Nothing about this powdered drink was great and it is products like this that make me really hate my job. If there was one area that I was really displeased with it would have to be the taste. Not only was it a chore to drink but it really brought the overall score down. All in all, Power Edge Wild Berry is more dull than the drink mix colour itself...2/5

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Sport Energy Mango Cream

For the last couple of days I've tried reviewing another energy drink, but I had some creative differences and I scrapped the review. Perhaps some day I'll release it, but for now it is locked away in the vault and instead you readers get the review of Sport Energy Mango Cream. Sport Energy Mango is third drink I have in the Sport Energy line, and the one I'm the least excited to review as I've never really liked mango energy drinks. While the few mango drinks I've had in my day were at least decent, to think about a line with such potential like the Sport line being laced with a decent at best drink is depressing. I've never had anything that was "mango cream" flavoured, so I have no idea what to expect.

FIRST IMPRESSION: I don't like the can to Sport Mango, I really don't. While I enjoyed the previous Sport Energy cans, Mango's combination of orange and lightning just seems forced and unnatural. I can't say that I'm all too excited to review Sport Mango, given the name mystery and the poor can, but if it tastes half as good as the previous flavours, it will at least be decent.

TASTE: I opened the can and took as sip. The flavour starts out a fresh-tasting mango that slowly diminishes into a faint orange and tangerine blend. Neither the orange or the tangerine are very sweet nor do they taste artificial. The mango flavour doesn't feel overpowering and is joined by the perfect amount of carbonation. The overall drink isn't very sweet, just like the fruit flavours it is trying to duplicate. Sport Mango Cream isn't very creamy, but instead very refreshing and thirst quenching, which I feel was the best way to do a "mango" drink.

KICK: I found the buzz to Sport Energy Mango Cream to be underwhelming. While it was by no means terrible, it wasn't far from average. For around three hours I felt more alert and had no jitters. Once the three hours was up it began to decline. Overall, the kick was nothing to write hope about. Each can contains: 160mg of caffeine, 2000mg of Taurine, ten mg of guarana, 400% of your daily intake of Vit. B6, ten mg of ginseng, and 200% of your daily intake of Vit. B5, B12, and Niacin.

FINALL WORDE: Overall, Sport Energy Mango Cream is nothing more than a run of the mill energy drink with a great taste. If Sport Energy Inc. wants to become a real competitor in the energy drink market, they're going to have to rely on more than just taste. I usually criticize energy drinks for relying on the can or kick instead of the taste, but in Sport Mango's case it is the complete opposite. Though I can praise the taste till next morning, the can is too unattractive to gain any attention from energy drinkers and the average kick wont keep them coming back...3.2/5

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Sport Energy Fruit Punch

Along side Sport Energy Doo Drop I purchased the fruit punch variety of the Sport line, properly named Sport Energy Fruit Punch. Fruit Punch is one of the several "new" flavours in the Sport line, and probably the one that I'm most excited to review. Since energy punches are usually done quite well, and after the success of Sport Doo Drop, I'm expecting Sport Punch to be a well thought out, properly executed energy punch.

FIRST IMPRESSION: I like the can to Sport Energy Fruit Punch much more than I did the previous flavours. The red and black combo looks great and blends with the lightning well, creating a storm like atmosphere. Despite being a fan of the colour scheme itself I can't help but feel that the cursive writing towards the bottom of the can and the name "Sport Energy" are out of place and clash with the theme that I think they were going for. Name and grips aside, the red lightning effect looks great and help the can escape a state of average.

TASTE: I opened the can and once I took a sip I noticed that the flavour started out a smooth blend of cherry, passion fruit, pear, and lime extracts. The cherry and passion fruit begin the experience with a crisp burst of flavour, that slowly quiets itself down, letting a fresh pear taste evolve. The pear taste lasts quite some time and slowly is accompanied by a mild lime taste. There are several notes of apple and guava, but these notes underlie the passion fruit/cherry blend, not ruining the flavour, only adding a level of complexity. Sport Punch is not overly sweet, making it more of something found in a juice bar instead of the usual sickly sweet Hi-C. The carbonation is only present towards the initial explosion of flavour, making it easy to drink. Overall, I'm extremely impressed with how well Sport Energy Fruit Punch tastes. Each flavour blends seamlessly, almost like it was an authentic fruit.

KICK: Once I drank the entire can I slowly realized that my alertness and general awareness was raising. They stayed fully raised for about four hours until they gradually declined. During that period I experienced no jitters and once it all ended I received no crash. Each can contains: 160mg of caffeine, 2000mg of Taurine, ten mg of guarana, 400% of your daily intake of Vit. B6, sixty mg of Glucuronolactone, ten mg of ginseng, and 200% of your daily intake of Vit. B5, B12, B2, and Niacin.

FINALL WORDE: All in all, I feel that Sport Energy Fruit Punch is an above average energy drink. In every category Sport Punch either met or exceeded the standard for energy drinks. The can was stylish, the taste was sublime, and the kick was up to code. I'm overall impressed with the Sport Energy line and I feel one flavour may even end up appearing 0n my "best taste list," but it may be too early to say that. While I may prefer Doo Drop because of personal tastes, Fruit Punch is by far one of the more satisfying energy punches I've had...4/5

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Sport Energy Doo Drop

A while back I reviewed an obscure energy drink named Sport Energy Tropical. Though I found the kick to be impressive, the taste was nothing to write home about and the can was poorly done. But since then Sport Energy Inc. has revamped the line and released several, I believe, new flavours. While at a long awaited trip to Big Lots, I picked up several of the flavours, and for no particular reason I've decided to start with Doo Drop.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can design to the Sport Energy line has vastly improved since I saw it last. Instead of something in line with 5 Hour Energy the new design features a solid background colour, a slogan, and greatly improved lightning. Though the name "doo drop" is stupid and is hinting towards a certain caffeinated citrus beverage, this is not enough to ruin a pretty good can. The colour is attractive and works well with the lightning, and the "Sports Energy" isn't obnoxiously large like in the original. Since the name is suggests that the flavour will be similar to Mtn. Dew, I'm quite excited to try and review Sports Energy Doo Drop.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a refreshing lime that suddenly ends with a tart bite. There's a rather light lemon taste that emerges right after the lime. Riding aside the lemon is a mild sour sting that lasts well after the lemon but is stopped dead in its tracks by the tart bite. Doo Drop taste's similar to Rip It Lime Wreaka, but less dry and sweet. Overall, though Sports Energy Doo Drop isn't too complex, the flavour is extremely enjoyable and is miles ahead of its obvious inspiration Mtn. Dew.

KICK: Each can contains: 160mg of caffeine, 2000mg of Taurine, ten mg of guarana, 400% of your daily intake of Vit. B6, sixty mg of Glucuronolactone, ten mg of ginseng, and 200% of your daily intake of Vit. B5, B12, and Niacin. Not only was the taste superior to many other citrus energy drinks but also was the kick. For a steady four hours I had a good amount of energy and was more focused. The buzz was similar to that of a strong coffee, something to get you up in the morning and keep you up 'til your wide awake.

FINALL WORDE: All in all, Sport Energy Doo Drop is a great energy drink. While there were several things about Doo Drop that could of been improved, nothing was too major. The can was attractive, the taste was praiseworthy, and the kick was above average. Doo Drop is a significant improvement over Tropical and is a laudable attempt at creating an energy Mtn. Dew and should be commended for its success. I haven't encountered many lime-dominate products, so I feel that Sport Energy Doo Drop is the paramount of lime energy drinks and for $.60, it is a much better deal than Mtn. Dew...4/5

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Monster Imported

When Monster Imported was released I really wasn't all too excited. Despite having some great coffee varieties the regular Monster line has been rather hit or miss. And the only place that I knew of that sold them had them retail for $3.49, so I really didn't think it would be worth the money. But when I was at my local Rite Aid I noticed that Monster Import was selling at discount for $2.19, so taking advantage of this opportunity I bought one and scurried out the door. Reading the back of the can I found that Monster Import is made in Europe and has a new "super premium" flavour. Now, I doubt that the flavour is really super premium, so I can't say that I'm all to excited to review Monster Import.

FIRST IMPRESSION: I never liked the can design to Monster original so I'm glad they changed it. The can to Import is reminiscent of another Hansen's product, Hansen's Energade, but not as random and a little more thought out. Monster Imported is quite different from many other energy drinks on the market. For starters the size is slightly larger(eighteen.six oz.) and perhaps the strangest thing about the can is the top. Instead of having the standard pop top there's a weird spin top that I haven't seen before as it is apparently only available in Europe. Overall I'm impressed with the can to Monster Import, but I doubt the flavour will be as unique as the can.

TASTE: After watching a tutorial on how to open the can to Monster Import I took a sip. The flavour is similar to the American Monster, but it has several differences. It starts out a dry bubble gum taste that stays in the back of your mouth for a while slowly fading, letting a slight medicine taste build up. There are notes of cotton candy through out the whole experience, but is a little more noticeable during the change from bubble gum to medicine. Monster Import isn't very sweet and is rather rough to drink, which is a disappointment. Overall, Monster Import is not a big step above the American Monster, but anyone who likes the original Monster flavour should enjoy Import's.

KICK: Each can contains: Sucrose, Glucose, Citric acid, Taurine, ginseng, Caffeine, Sucralose, L-carnitine, Niacin, Ace-k, Inositol, Guarana, and Riboflavin. This blend gave me quite an impressive buzz. For a solid four hours I was wired and had a pretty strong case of the jitters. Once the four hours ended I did get hit with a mild crash, but nothing that would prevent me from continuing with what I'm doing.

FINAL WORD: Overall, Monster Import is a slightly above average energy drink. While I wasn't impressed with the flavour the can was fascinating and the kick was reasonably powerful. For what it is Monster Import is a novel experiment from Hansens, but in the end it really doesn't amount to much. If your a fan of the original Monster than you could consider buying Import, but for anyone else its usual steep asking price is not worth paying...3.4/5

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Cyclone Raging Berry

I love caffeine. Whether I get it from a liquid, powder, or even a meat I enjoy caffeinated products. But there is a way of getting caffeine into my bloodstream I'm not fond of. It is through the form of shots. Shots are in a sense a heavily concentrated energy drink, and because of this the flavour quality goes down, way down. Take the NOS line, while the original NOS was decent, the shot was down right horrible. Another negative effect from shots is the kick. Not many of the shots I've had(and not necessarily reviewed) have not been all too powerful. This leaves Cyclone in a bad position. Belonging to a category with disappointing and bitter members doesn't leave me terribly excited to try and review Cyclone Raging Berry.

FIRST IMPRESSION: My reaction to the bottle of Cyclone is mixed. While I find the name to be appropriate and the colour fits the billed flavour, the sheer amount of text is unholy. I understand that the company is trying to fit as much writing as they can on the small area, but lines like "maximize concentration' and "improve performance" are unnecessary. The bottle design itself is reminiscent of many of the logos exercise machines have that flood early morning TV, and as you can imagine I don't like it. I think the company was going for a workout familiar look, but it seems forced and unnatural. Overall, the bottle to Cyclone ends up suffering from a overly drawn out design that has more text than a college term paper.

TASTE: Expecting the worst, I twisted off the screw on top and took a sip. The flavour starts out a tart artificial berry blend that is overwhelming at first and then dies down only to let a blueberry taste take charge of the flavour. The berry blend consists of mainly cranberry, and raspberry. There are several strong notes of pomegranate and red grape that are more noticeable near the end of the flavour. There's a weird hint of something lingering around the flavour like a ghost in a haunted house, trying to find its place in the complex. I can't figure out what it is but it is definitely noticeable and isn't too pleasing. There's a rather strong artificial sweetener taste that is detectable throughout the whole experience, which I feel is one of the worst aspects of the flavour. While I applaud Cyclone for not being the least bit bitter, the overall taste is pretty bad and unconformable to drink.

KICK: Each bottle contains: Caffeine, Taurine, D-Ribose, ginseng, guarana, CoQ10, yerba mate, L-Carnitine , creatine, Vit. C, potassium, manganese, magnesium, Vit.B12, B9, B3, B1, B2, and B6. This long list of ingredients gave me one heck of a boost. For a steady five hours I was focused and full of energy. I at no point during the kick received any jitters, and once the five hours was up I didn't crash, but I did, however, notice that I wasn't as mentally "there" as I previously was.

FINAL WORD: From start to finish I feel that Cyclone Raging Berry is an average energy shot and a disappointing energy product in general. While Cyclone beat out many other energy shots with its non-bitter taste and great kick, the poorly executed taste and middling bottle design are a slap in the face to other, higher quality energy products. Despite being better than some, Cyclone does nothing to prevent itself from being left in the dust of its competitor 5 Hour Energy. I've never seen Cyclone on a store shelf, where as 5 Hour Energy is practicably breeding on the shelves across America, so despite having a measurable lead in the taste and bottle design sections, it is not enough to gain any market share. To review Cyclone as an energy drink would be incorrect and unprofessional, but even as an energy shot Cyclone fails to impress. I am aware that many drink shots for a quick buzz and not a great taste, and in that sense Cyclone is a good energy shot, but if your looking for a great overall energy product, then Cyclone Raging Berry is nothing more than a mere bump in the long road of energy products...2.7/5

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Fire Star

Let me start off by thanking Andrew Guise for sending me these. In a similar fashion to Encaff Energy Stix Fire Star is what I call a tongue powder. Being a fan of Encaff when I got the opportunity to try another tongue powder I quickly accepted and a few short days later I received a small package in the mail and low and behold it was several packs, I mean "sachets" of Fire Star. I personally don't know what to expect from Fire Star. Will it end up being a sweet success like Encaff, or a bitter mess like Buzz Bites?

FIRST IMPRESSION: The sachet to Fire Star consists of a red background, a few lines of text and several flames of fire surrounding the sachet in an oval like fashion. Personally I feel that there is too much red. While I'm usually a fan of the colour red Fire Star just goes overboard. I do like how the text is kept to a minimum. Overall the packaging is far from the worst, but the red is just too overbearing. The billed flavour to Fire Star is lemon, which while I'm in love with lemon, I highly doubt that it will be enough to mask the bitterness that is 200mg of caffeine.

TASTE: After ripping off the top of the sachet, I poured some of the contents on my tongue. The flavour starts out a sweet and tart lemon flavour that sends a tingling sensation across your mouth. The sensation isn't very strong, but it still adds some complexity to the flavour. The flavour isn't sweet, which lets the tartness shine. There's a strange plastic taste that lingers in your mouth well once you've swallowed, but since you'll probably be consuming Fire Star slowly you might not notice. Overall, I'm impressed with how well Fire Star was able to hide the horrid caffeine taste. Though not very complex Fire Star is a great tasting tongue powder that is right up with Encaff in matter of taste.

KICK: Each sachet contains, well caffeine, but unlike Encaff, Fire Star contains 200mg of the white powder. Once I finished the sachet, I noticed that I was a little more awake than usual and this feeling increased until I was wide awake. I didn't get any jitters, which was nice. This lasted for around four to five hours and once that time was up I received no crash.

FINAL WORD: Overall, I feel that Fire Star is a well-made energy product and in many ways superior to its competition. While the sachet could benefit from a different colour scheme the taste and kick were satisfying enough to make up for it. Fire Star is a great addition to the growing tongue powder category and leaves me in a great state of excitement for more flavours of Fire Star, as well as other tongue powders in general. From the time I held the sachet in my hands to when I was all hyped up on 200mg of caffeine I feel that Fire Star is a potent, great tasting energy product that is worth a purchase, or getting free...4.1/5

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Bungie

The last drink I have left to review from a recent trade is Bungie. Bungie is an energy drink made by Xtreme Beverages and... that's about all I know about it. I've only been able to find a review of the sugar free variety and no company website so I have no idea how Bungie will turn out. I can't say that I'm excited to review Bungie mainly because I get this feeling that it will be a FreeFall clone. Now you might be saying, "why would you trade for a drink your not excited for?" The answer is quite simple. Reviewing an energy drink that I haven't been able to find a review on gives me a good thrill.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can to Bungie consists of a black background, a red paint-like blotch, the logo, and some text. Personally I'm a fan of red on black, so the colour scheme passes. The name "Bungie" is written in a weird font and leaves something to be desired. I mean screw the name "Psychopathic Energy" and pick "Bungie." I do like the minimal tex, so while I'm not a big fan of the name the overall can looks good, if not generic. Like I said before I feel that Bungie will be a FreeFall clone, but hopefully it will surprise me like Who's Your Daddy did.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour has several qualities in common with the average FreeFall clone, but for the most part it is its own flavour. It starts out with a gummy lime and soon fades into a blend of sweet tarts and bubble gum. The sweet tart taste is more dominate than the bubble gum, which I feel was the best decision. The experience ends with a sweet lemon/lime bite and stays in your mouth well once your done sipping. The overall taste is rather gummy, but is never overwhelming and actually enhances the flavour. All in all, I'm surprised with the taste of Bungie. Citrus was not the overall flavour I was expecting.

KICK: Each can contains: Taurine, caffeine, 100% of your daily intake of Niacin, 250% of your daily intake of Vit. B6, eighty percent of your daily intake of Vit. B12, and fifty percent of your daily intake of Pantothenic acid. This overall blend of ingredients gave me a pretty poor buzz. For around two to three hours I felt mildly mentally improved and I had a light case of the jitters. Once the two+ hours was up I was hit by a hard crash.

FINEL WORD: Bungie is not the best energy drink I've ever had. The name is stupid, and the kick was second rate. But Bungie is also not the worst energy drink I've ever had. The can looked good and the taste was good. It's this spit reaction that really hurts Bungie. Not being the worst nor the best Bungie just ends up being an average energy drink with nothing to keep drinkers coming back for another sip...3.1/5

RootJack

One of the most popular varieties of soda pop is root beer. A favorite among kids root beer is a unique flavour that few can do it right. Being a fan of root beer it makes me wonder why there are not many root beer energy drinks. Root beer suffers the same tragic fate that lemon/lime does. After 200 something reviews I'm still in shock that I have not come across a single root beer energy drink. Well thanks to a recent trade my wish was half granted. Root Jack is a root beer and orange flavoured energy drink. Though orange isn't my favorite flavour, I'm excited to see just how Root Jack blends the two flavours together.

FIRST IMPRESSION: I have to say that the bottle to Root Jack looks great. I'm a huge fan of the glass bottle and the whole pirate theme is cool. Perhaps my favorite thing about the bottle is the "fights scurvy" patch on the logo. I don't quite understand why pirates would have a root beer and orange drink. I mean is Root Jack served at pirate A.A. meetings? Either way the bottle looks great and really makes me excited to try and review Root Jack.

TASTE: After prying the bottle top off I took a sip. The flavour starts out a light and mildly spicy root beer flavour that soon is taken over by a medium strength orange taste. More root beer flavour soon overlaps the orange taste but doesn't last long as a rather light blend of cinnamon and liquorice flavours develops and finishes the experience. There are several notes of vanilla and molasses through out each sip, but neither note is very strong. I do wish that the orange taste was weakened, as it gets pretty overwhelming in large sips. Root Jack's overall flavour is rich and well done. While I'm impressed will how well root beer and orange blend together, I doubt many will agree as the taste is not something I would expect to well received by the masses.

KICK: Each bottle contains: 120mg of caffeine, guarana, and 100% of your daily intake of Vit. C. And while Root Jack may be great at preventing me from getting scurvy, it seems it is also great at preventing me at getting a good kick. For a mere one to two hours I was slightly more alert and was slightly more awake. Overall, Root Jack is just disappointingly weak.

FINAL WORD: From start to finish I have to say that I'm pleased with Root Jacks overall performance. While the kick does the unique taste and bottle no justice, this isn't enough to keep Root Jack from failing. While I am impressed with the taste and bottle of Root Jack, for a drink labeled an "energy drink" I'm ashamed about how weak the kick was. If several aspects were blessed with another look Root Jack could of been a truly unmatchable beverage, but for now, it is just a reminder of what could of been. All in all, at $2.25 a bottle, Root Jack is tough to recommend, but for anyone looking for a unique tasting root beer spin off, then you couldn't do better than Root Jack, and personally I fall in the latter category...3.4/5

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Lightning Rods Beef Stick

I've reviewed a number of non-drink energy products, ranging from chews to tongue powders, but nothing as bizarre as an energy beef stick. Lightning Rods Beef Stick is one of the few, if not the only energy beef stick out there. Being a big fan of beef products like jerky and Slim Jim's I have to say that I'm extremely excited to try and review Lightning Rods Beef Stick.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The package to Lightning Rods is pretty bad. The mad bull guy is ugly and poorly drawn. But I guess I'd be pretty mad if I knew that I was on a package that could very well contain my dead brother. Another problem is the cluttered text. I am aware that the ingredient list takes up a lot of space, but that doesn't mean that they should of filled up the remaining space with stupid text like "synergy" and "original flavour." Overall, the horrid package is a real issue and I highly doubt these are licensed by Ben Franklin.

TASTE: I opened the package and took a bite. The flavour starts out a light smokey flavour that slowly fades and a pleasant barbecue taste emerges. The barbecue is rather light and is mildly sweet. The whole taste ends with a slight sweetness and a brief sourness. Neither the sweetness or the sourness is strong or last long, which I feel was the best way to do it. The texture is pretty smooth and is easy to chew. Overall, I'm impressed with how good Lightning Rods turned out tasting. Though I would of preferred them to of been a little bigger, it is by no means a deal breaker.

KICK: Each "rod" contains: Beef, sixty mg of caffeine, Brown Sugar, Guarana, Spices, Panax Ginseng, and Corn Syrup. This blend of ingredients, or as the package say, "ingredient statement" provided me with a far below average kick. For a mere one and a half hours I felt slightly more awake and had no jitters. Once the short hour+ passed me by I didn't feel any sort of crash.

FINAL WORD: Overall, I feel that Lightning Rods Beef Stick is a below decent energy product. While the taste was pulled off great, the poor kick and low grade package design keep Lightning Rods from reaching their full potential. I'm really disappointed, almost disgusted with how bad Lightning Rods turned out. For a product that is supposed to give you a five hour buzz it's really sad that it didn't even come close. All in all Lightning Rods are not worth their $1.49 price tag and should be skipped...2.3/5

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So this is why people do cocaine...

Back in 2006, one energy drink caused so much controversy that the name had to be changed. That drink was of course Cocaine. Cocaine is an energy drink made by Redux Beverages and is infamous for being the "legal alternative" to real cocaine. Given Cocaine's success I'm surprised that there isn't any "Crack Cocaine" flavour. Though I've never done cocaine(as prefer snorting pure caffeine), I'm interested to see how the energy drink Cocaine turns out.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can to Cocaine consists of a red background and white text. Though the text is minimal, I don't like the can. First off, I don't understand how the can is tied in with the drug cocaine. Perhaps if the can had a drug dealer or the logo was among some white powder in a small bag it would fit, but for now it just looks incomplete. Despite not being a fan of the can I am extremely excited to try and review Cocaine. With 280mg of caffeine I'm glowing with excitement.

TASTE: I opened the can and the smell of peach was unleashed. Not what I was expecting from such a hardcore drink. The flavour starts out a blend of cherry, pear and peach. None of these fruit flavours are all too noticeable as a burning sensation creeps into the back of your throat. The sensation greatly differs from Stoked Afterburn because Stoked had more of a flavour and the sensation was more of an after effect, where as in Cocaine the sensation is bold, almost fierce. This "effect" lasts quite some time after each sip, and gradually decreases in strength. There are some notes of apple and cinnamon through out the taste, but the sensation prevents them from reaching their full potential. Overall, my reaction to the flavour of Cocaine is mixed. While I really do love the burning sensation, the initial flavour isn't quite as unique.

KICK: Each can contains: Carbonated Water, Dextrose, Citric Acid, Taurine, 280mg of Caffeine, Natural Flavors, D-Ribose, Inositol, Vitamin C, L-Camitine, Guarana, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12. This blend of ingredients gave me a really great buzz. For around four hours I was wide awake and had quite a bit of energy. Once the four hours was gone I was noticeably less awake, but it wasn't sudden enough to qualify as a "crash."

FINAL WERD: All in all, Cocaine is an above average energy drink. Though the can was full of untapped potential, the taste and kick were rewarding and the overall experience was satisfying. The taste was interesting and done well and the kick delivered what was promised, a powerful kick with no crash. While Cocaine is by no means the greatest energy drink of all time, as the negatives are hard to look past, I can see it appearing in the runner up category. Though there are a few cracks in Cocaine, overall I'm impressed and it is worth a purchase...3.9/5

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Don't place you bets on this

If your a regular reader of my web log then I'm sure you know about my love affair with citrus, and one of the many drinks I got in a recent trade is All In Citrus. All In Citrus is part of the All In line of drinks, and apart from Citrus, I've never seen any flavour in the line. The All In line is rather unique as all the varieties are sugar free. Given that several sugar free only lines that I've had have been quite good(such as the Xenergy line), I'm pretty excited to try and review All In Citrus.

FIRST IMPRESSION: I should like the can to All In Citrus. There's a dragon in the black back ground, the text is minimal and a flames in the middle. All signs say that I should like the can, but I don't. I think it has the be poker theme. It's not that I have anything against poker, but I feel that All In Citrus tries too hard. Not only is there a large chip in the middle but All In is also partnered with several pro poker players. And to top it all off there's little hearts/diamonds etc. sprinkled around the can. Overall, unless your a poker fan, the can fails to leave a good impression.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a sweet lemon flavour that almost instantly turns into a blend of lime and orange. None of the fruit flavours taste natural, but it isn't a deal breaker. Following the lime/orange blend a unpleasant sugar free aftertaste emerges and lasts long past its welcome. There are some notes of grapefruit and peach, but sadly they're lost amongst the bad aftertaste. The carbonation is keep pretty low, making All In Citrus rather easy to drink. Overall, while it is not the worst sugar free energy drink I've ever had, it is far from the best.

KICK: Each eight oz. can contains: caffeine, Taurine, 200% of your daily intake of Vit. C, 350% of daily intake of Vit. B6, 3500% of your daily intake of Vit. B12, fifty percent of your daily intake of pantothenic acid, and 100% of your daily intake of niacin, and folic acid. While the kick isn't going to appeal someone looking for a wild ride, anyone looking for a decent pick me up should be satisfied with All In Citrus. For around three hours I felt mildly awake and had a slight case of the jitters. Probably the best part about the kick was that there was no crash.

FINAL WORD: Overall, don't expect All In Citrus to appear on either my best taste or best kick list. Nothing about the drink was really impressive and for the most part All In Citrus is as plain as they come. There are many truly great energy drinks available, but All In Citrus isn't one of them. All in all I wouldn't recommend placings your bets on All In Citrus...2.9/5

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HYPE MFP

One line of energy drinks that I never tried is the Hype line. While the line isn't huge, each drink for the most part is very well received by reviewers, so when I got a can of Hype MFP through a trade, naturally I was excited. Though I'm not a fan of the small eight oz. can the reviews are good enough to prevent this from ruining my excitement. Now, I have no idea what the flavour actually is, so I'm both eager and nervous.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Hype MFP went for the simple and clean look and for the most part they succeeded. There's not much text and the design isn't distracting. The can might be clean, but it still has its problems. First off, unless you read it online you would have no idea "MFP" stands for(Most Full Power). Second, the can is just boring. While I applaud Hype MFP for keeping the text down, the overall appearance is just is too bleak to gain any attention from the average drinker.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. To my surprisement MFP is a FreeFall clone. The flavour starts out a clean bubble gum taste that quickly turns into a mildly bitter vanilla. Once the vanilla does its job a smooth gummy flavour becomes noticeable and finishes of the experience. The bitterness isn't too strong but it lasts well into the aftertaste. Hype MFP is not very sweet and is relatively smooth. Overall, I'm disappointed with how unoriginal MFP's taste turned out. While it is by no means bad tasting, it is just been done before, and done better.

KICK: The full name to Hype MFP is Hype "Most Full Power," but that is far from what I got. For around two to three hours I received some decent energy and my alertness was raised briefly. This is thanks to the "potent" ingredient list: 100 calories, 100% of your daily intake of Vit. B3, fifty percent of your daily intake of Pantothenic Acid, 250% of your daily intake of Vit. B6, eighty percent of your daily intake of Vit. B12, Taurine and eighty mg of caffeine.

FINAL WORD: Overall I feel that Hype MFP is a below average energy drink. Nothing about MFP was good, more like mediocre. The can is boring, the taste was unoriginal and the kick was less than impressive. Now, if Hype MFP was released in a sixteen oz. can the kick would be better, but it would still be a disappointment. All in all, in a year when Hype MFP is at Big Lots for $.50 it might be worth a look, but since it currently retails for for $1.50 to $2.00, I have no other choice but to say avoid unless your interested in an overall unappealing disappointment of an energy drink...2.5/5

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BUMP

For awhile I've been in the process of trading drinks with a fellow critic and finally today I received my end of the trade. Out of all the drinks I received I have to say that the one I'm most excited to review is Bump. Bump is an energy drink made by BUMP Beverage Company. To my understanding Bump was made for the sole purpose of being a mixer(mixed with alcohol). Since I'm not a drinker I'm just going to review Bump with out mixing it with anything, well except stomach acid.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can to Bump is simple. The colour scheme consists of just two colours, black and yellow. Going down(or up) are two yellow strips with a raised bump towards the middle, hence the name "Bump." The text is kept to a bare minimum, which is refreshing. Personally I feel that the can is decent. Perhaps it is too simple, but I'll take a clean can design over a cluttered mess any day.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a very sour cherry/pear blend that moderately fades into a sweet and moderately sour pomegranate/lime mixture. The cherry and pear blend taste authentic with out being juice-like. The cherry is the dominate flavour of the two, as the pear is rather light. The pomegranate and lime mixture doesn't last too long and once the experience ends thick lime after taste develops. Bump is really easy to drink, which is sad because this drink is really good. Honestly my description of the flavour can't even match how good it actually is. I will say that the flavour is not for everyone, but personally I really enjoyed it. Defiantly one of the better tasting energy drinks I've had all year.

KICK: Each can contains: 240 calories, fifty three grams of sugar, 133% of your daily intake of Niacin, 1312% of your daily intake of Vit. B6, Pantothenic Acid, 5469% of your daily intake of Vit. B12, 1312 mg of Taurine, 197mg of caffeine, 131mg of green tea extract, and thirty three mg of inositol. This blend of ingredients gave me a good+ buzz. While it was by no means spectacular, it got the job done well. For around four hours I was refreshed and had a moderate amount of energy. Once the four hours was up I received a decent crash, but nothing too hard.

FINAL WORD: Overall I feel that Bump is a great overall energy drink. While the can could use some work, the satisfying taste and kick are more than enough to make up for it. I traded a can of Max Velocity for a can of Bump and I have to say that I got the better end of the deal. I have no idea what Bump retails at, but what ever the price, Bump is worth a buy...3.9/5

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24:7 Review Revisited

A while back I wrote a re-review of 24:7 but after many technical difficulties I held back on releasing it. But since I'm having trouble finding new drinks for reviews, I've decided to release the long lost 24:7 re-review. Enjoy.

A couple of years ago, I reviewed two flavours in the 24:7 line, Original and Cherry Berry. While I didn't find either of these drinks to be amazing or anything, they were at least decent. Time had past and I hadn't seen the line again. But on a recent trip to Walgreen's, imagine how big my eyes were when I found the line again. But sadly, in a rush of excitement, I grabbed and bought the first two drinks I could. I say sadly because when I looked at what I bought, I realized that I had already reviewed them. But since I don't like my earlier reviews(or later reviews for that matter), I feel that they have the right for a re-review.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can to 24:7 is simple, almost too simple. Personally, I like the Matrix-like design, but it feels uneven. While the bottom is busy, the top is a void of empty space. The colour scheme is very basic, consisting of only green and black, which while it fits the can design, it doesn't help it stand out. Overall, the can is just too boring to gain any attention.

TASTE: I opened the can and took sip. The flavour to 24:7 is a full on FreeFall clone. The initial taste is the standard FreeFall clone, with more of a bubble gum taste at first, that then transits into a syrupy vanilla flavour. The bubble gum taste is very gummy, and is the sweetest part of the drink. There's a slight bitterness towards the end, but the sweetness is rather high so it isn't too noticeable. Once you down the whole sixteen ounces a syrupy coating is left in your mouth, similar to amp Overdrive, maybe worse. Overall, while 24:7 goes down smooth and is easy to drink, it is just too uninspired and syrupy for me to call it acceptable.

KICK: Each can contains: water, 160mg of caffeine, 240 calories, 152mg of Niacin, citric acid, Taurine, riboflavin, and... carbon dioxide. You read that right, the label actually says carbon dioxide. Is that Necessary? I don't think so. This blend of ingredients gave me a less than worthy buzz. The buzz lasted around two or so hours, and once the two hours was up I got hit by a hard crash. While I did get a decent rush from the 160mg of caffeine and fifty six mg of sugar, it was nothing cheaper drinks can't do better.

FINEL WARD: All in all, I feel that 24:7 is a bottom feeder of an energy drink. Nothing about this drink is new, exciting, fresh, revolutionary, or even good. The can was boring, the taste was a blatant rip off, and the kick was lower than below average. While I'm not saying that drink is the worst, it is far from the best, heck, it's far from mediocre. Overall, 24:7 is a shameless FreeFall wannabe that isn't worth its overpriced $1.99 price tag...2/5

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All City

The year was 2006(I believe). I was on a road trip when I stopped at a small convenience store a couple of hours away from where I live. While browsing their selection of energy drinks I noticed three distinct cans sitting in a cooler. They were the three cans to All City NRG. Years passed and I never saw nor heard anything involving All City until a recent trip to Big Lots. They had all three different cans to All City, and being an energy drink can collector, I picked up two of them. In case your wondering, All City comes in three different cans despite having the same flavour. Yes it is weird, lets move on. Since the suspense has been building since 2006, I have to say that I'm excited to finally try and review All City. Being a fan of the parent company Arizona Tea I expect nothing short of greatness.

FIRST IMPRESSION: At first glance it is hard not to like the can. The bizarre graffiti-like pattern looks great and fits the image that All City is going for. But once you hold the can in your hand I'm sure that your opinion of the can will change, and not for the better. See, All City's can design isn't printed on the can, and instead the design is shrink wrapped, similar to the vitaminenergy line. Let me ask a perfectly good question, why would Arizona even consider shrink wrapping a great design? Though the shrink wrap is well shrunk, I can't get past such an idiotic move. Hey, if drinks can have shrink wrapped designs, why not other things? Imagine cereal boxes, lamp shades, video game discs, and scratch tickets all shrink wrapped? Yeah, things would suck. All in all, the can could of been great, but one major flaw prevented it.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. Surprisingly All City isn't carbonated. While it makes sense given that it is made by Arizona, it still isn't too common. The flavour starts out a smooth blend mainly consisting of blueberry, pomegranate, and orange that eventually fades, leaving a minor bitter tea taste behind. The blue berry starts the flavour but doesn't last too long as the pomegranate gains control. The pomegranate lasts a while but doesn't overstay its welcome. Once the pomegranate fades a light orange taste develops. The orange taste steadily decreases in power as the flavour goes on. None of these flavours are very sweet, which I feel is a disappointment as it could of offset the mild bitterness. There are some notes of apple and cranberry through out the flavour, but they are rather unnoticeable. There's a slight syrupy coating left in your mouth, but it is nothing compared to Black Jack Gunpowder Tea, but it is still noticeable. The overall flavour is hard to drink in large gulps, so I strongly recommend small sips. All in all, while the flavour may be interesting, it's just too syrupy, bitter and hard to drink to call good.

KICK: Each can contains: 2000mg of Taurine, 300mg of caffeine, 200mg of ginseng, inositol, guarana, glucuronolactone, 100% of your daily intake of Vit. C, and 200% of your daily intake of Vit. B12, Vit. B6, and Pantothenic acid. This blend of ingredients gave me a great buzz. For around four to five hours my mental presence was raised and I got a slight case of the jitters.

FINAL WORD: Overall, I feel that All City is a below than great energy drink. With an underdeveloped taste and shrink wrapped can not even the great kick could save this drink from failing. Being a fan of Arizona tea I expected nothing but excellency, but what I got was a big disappointment. All the flaws in All City could of easily been avoided. If the design was printed on the can and they just added energy ingredients to a preexisting Arizona tea flavour this drink could of been terrific, but no, they chose to screw it up. All in all, All City had potential but sadly it just- "Hey Caffeine King, I'm really happy for you, and I'ma let you finish, but ED Junkie has the best review site of all time-" Hey Kanye West get the hell out of here. Anyway, like I was saying, All City had potential, but it just ended up being a calami-tea of an energy drink...2.5/5

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Atomic Bites Cinnabomb

It was not long after I reviewed Atomic Bites Orange Raspberry that I received a mysterious package in the mail. This package was a sample pack of Atomic Bites Cinnabomb. Now I hadn't ordered the chews, so how I got them is a mystery. Hopefully these chews weren't sent by a competing energy drink review site and are poisoned. Jealousy is such a cruel emotion.

FIRST IMPRESSION: I like the box to Cinnabomb much more than Orange Raspberry. While red and black are somewhat of a cliche when it comes to energy products, it still looks good. The box isn't cluttered and unlike Orange Raspberry this sample box has the nutrition and ingredient list. This is a little more easing. Personally, I'm not too excited to review Cinnabomb. While the lines history has been excellent, I can't see a cinnamon chew tasting good.

TASTE: I took out one of the chews and popped it in my mouth. The flavour really surprised me. The initial taste is a sweet cinnamon flavour that slowly turns very spicy. The texture is smooth but somehow grainy and is really easy to chew. With each chew a gush of cinnamon is unleashed but never gets overwhelming. There's a slight sugar free after taste, but thankfully it's overpowered by a lingering cinnamon flavour. Though it's not a very complex flavour, I am impressed with how good these tasted. While I may prefer Orange Raspberry, Cinnabomb is still a dang good tasting chew.

KICK: Three chews contain: 100mg of caffeine, 1000mg of Taurine, twenty five mg of guarana, L-Carnitine, ginseng, inositol, twenty mg of milk thistle extract, 200% of your daily intake of Riboflavin, and 100% of your daily intake of Niacin, Vit. B12, Vit. B6, and Pantothenic acid. This blend of ingredients gave me an above average buzz. While it was far from the strongest kick I've ever had, it was still good. For three to four hours my alertness was raised and I felt more mentally focused.

FINAL WORD: All in all I have to say that Atomic Bites Cinnabomb is a excellent energy chew. While I'm not too sure that everyone will enjoy the flavour, those who do will surely find Cinnabomb to be a near perfect product. Though I would like to see the potency raised, this mild blemish is hardly enough to ruin this product. From start to finish Atomic Bites Cinnabomb looks great, tastes great and provides a good enough kick for a recommendation...4.1/5

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Moxie, Zero Punch

The Moxie Energy line has been a bumpy experience. While it isn't the biggest line of drinks, the few in the line barely encourage me to try another flavour. Like I said in my review of Moxie Thunder, Moxie Explosion is a sugar free fruit punch energy drink. Now, despite being a fan of energy punches, I can't say that I'm excited to review Explosion simply because it probably won't be sweet enough to successfully pull off a punch flavour.

FIRST IMPRESSION: I like the can to Moxie Zero Carb Explosion. While I do feel that the font sizes should be adjusted, the overall can is pretty good looking. The core of the design is the same as previous varieties with only some cosmetic changes. The pink/purple colour fits the hypnotize swirl in the back quite well and the sub name "explosion" reminds me of fruit punch. All in all, despite some problems the overall can is nice.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a strawberry and melon blend that slowly weakens, letting a faint cherry/blue berry taste shine. The strawberry starts the flavour until the melon overlaps it early on. Towards the middle of the drink a barely detectable mint taste emerges between the cherry/blue berry blend, which doesn't last too long and actually adds some complexity of the drink. There's a mild sour bite that starts towards the straw/melon blend and lasts through the whole experience. The overall flavour isn't sweet, so there isn't any sugar free taste. All in all, despite the fact that this isn't really a punch, it is really unique and actually quite good.

KICK: Each can contains: Taurine, caffeine, 100% of your daily intake of Pantothenic Acid, 380% of your daily intake of Vit. B6, 360% of your daily intake of Vit. B12, 200% of your daily intake of Vit. C, Niacin, and twenty mg of L-Carnitine, Yerba Mate, and green tea. This intermixture gave me an above average buzz. For around three to four hours my alertness went up and I wasn't diagnosed with a case of the jitters. Once the three+ hours ended I calmly decayed.

FINAL WERD: From start to finish, I feel that Moxie Punch S/F is an above standard energy drink. While the can could use some minor tweaks, the good kick and the without equal taste more than make up for it. Now I'm not a saying that Moxie Punch will revolutionize the market, but it is an admirable attempt. All in all Moxie Zero Carb Explosion is miles ahead of its counter parts and should be bought...3.8/5

revive energy mints

The other day I received an email from Justin Biel who works for the Revive Energy Mint company wondering if I wanted some free samples to review. Since I can never pass up free caffeinated products, I said yes and the next thing I knew I had twenty something energy mints in the mail. After the success of Foosh Energy Mints I'm actually excited to review Revive Mints, but whether or not they will be any good is a question that will soon be answered.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Where as a lot of energy product's have a mean or aggressive look, Revive Energy Mints went for a more health-food store look. The packaging is colourful thanks to all the fruits on the box. The box area is rather big, where as the text size is small so even though some of the text isn't necessary, it never clutters up the box. At first, I though that the flavour was going to be some sort of mixed fruit, but apparently it just contains fruit extracts(or something along those lines) and really is a generic mint flavour. Overall, the box seems like it would look great next to a protein bar at Whole Foods Market, but not anywhere else.

TASTE: I opened the box, took out a mint, popped the mint out of the blister pack and into my mouth. The flavour is pretty standard when it comes to mints. If I had to describe the taste I would say that it consists mostly of peppermint that cools your whole mouth down. There is a mild bitter taste, but thankfully it is quickly overthrown by the peppermint. The consistency is smooth, and stays smooth throughout the whole life of the mint. Overall, Revive Mints taste just like what they are supposed to taste like, mints.

KICK: Since I'm used to around 150-200mg of caffeine, I consumed two mints. Each mint contains: eighty five mg of Caffeine, Guarana, Green Tea, Ginseng, Acai, Mangosteen and Goji. This blend of ingredients gave me a pretty good buzz. For around three and a half hours I felt mentally uplifted and had a good amount of energy. Once the three+ hours was up these feelings gradually declined. Overall while the buzz was good, it wasn't as good as Foosh.

FINAL WARD: While I am disappointed that the flavour wasn't mixed fruit, I can't say that I'm disappointed with Revive Mints. Actually, for the most part I'm impressed. While nothing was great, in each category it passed with good remarks. If I could improve one thing it would have to be the taste. While it tasted like what you would expect from a mint, it just seems like a wasted opportunity to create an original and unique flavour. That aside, at the retail price of $.99 for two mints, Revive Mints are worth every penny...3.8/5

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Moxie Zero Carb Thunder

I said in my re-review of Moxie Energy that, and I quote,

"If Cornucopia really wants to get there foot in the door in the energy drink market, there gonna have to give the flavour a change into something much more unique..."

For months it seemed that Cornucopia Beverages wanted nothing more but to make a drink with a tired and true flavour, until a recent tip to Shaws changed my mind. I saw two new zero carb Moxie flavours on sale for $1.50, Thunder(blueberry/cranberry) and Explosion(fruit punch). Now, since I don't want to review two fruit punches in a row, I'm starting with Thunder.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can to Moxie Zero Carb Thunder is a mixed bag. While I like the blue liquid rippling water effect, I don't like the large "Moxie" logo. Taking up a third+ of the can is too much and too distracting. Personally I would of preferred if Cornucopia would just rename this drink to "T Energy Thunder." Well, maybe that isn't such a good idea because people would end up calling it "Cross Energy." Either way, the can is alright as it is, but at the same time it could benefit from some work.

TASTE: I cracked open the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a tart blue berry that goes away rather quickly leaving a slight cranberry taste behind. The cranberry taste is brief, which is a disappointment as you don't see many cranberry flavoured energy drinks. The whole flavour is finished by a heavy carbonation and a sour bite, both of which make taking large gulps hard. For a drink called "Thunder" you would expect the flavour to be in your face and vibrant, but instead it is mellow to the point of being dull. One thing that amazes me about the flavour is that there is no sugar free aftertaste. This explains the lack of sweetness through out the drink. Overall, Moxie Thunder is a decent tasting zero carb energy drink that I feel would be better if it was sugared.

KICK: Each can contains: caffeine, Taurine, forty mg of exocyan cran, 100% of your daily intake of Pantothenic Acid, 380% of your daily intake of Vit. B6, 360% of your daily intake of Vit. B12, 200% of your daily intake of Vit. C, Niacin, and twenty mg of L-Carnitine, Yerba Mate, and green tea. This overall blend if ingredients gave me a pretty good buzz. For around three to four hours I felt awake and my alertness went up. After the three to four hours I didn't revive any crash, which is an improvement from the original.

FINAL WERD: Overall, I feel that Moxie Zero Carb Thunder is a decent energy drink. While the experience could of been better, it could of certainly of been worse. If there was one thing that I would like to see improved it would be the taste. While not bad, the taste was dull and didn't do the sub name "Thunder" justice. That aside Moxie Thunder Zero is still a decent choice for someone looking for a way to get some good energy with out expanding their waist line...3/5

Venom Death Adder Fruit Punch

After two energy candy reviews, I felt like going back to what I review best, energy drinks. And after receiving a coupon for a free(up to $2.29) can of Venom, I decided to go with a rather new flavour, Death Adder, which is supposed to be fruit punch. Now, in the past I've found the Venom line to be pretty mediocre, so I can't say that I'm terribly excited to review Venom Adder, but since fruit punch is a pretty easy flavour to pull off I'm not expecting the worst.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can to Venom Death Adder uses the same tired and true design that was widely praised before, but with less success. First off the colour(orange) doesn't fit the design nor the indicated flavour well. When I think of fruit punch I think of red not orange. Second, I feel that they should do away with the "Death Adder" sub name. The can is obviously inspired by snakes, so it seems unnecessary. Other than those complaints the can is still much better than most on the market.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour is hard to describe. It starts out a blend of various fruits, namely guava, orange, cherry, passion fruit, pineapple, lemon and lime. The guava and passion fruit start the flavour and moderately fades into a mixture of orange, cherry, and pineapple. Once the latter blend stays in your mouth for a while, the lemon and lime finish the flavour and are accompanied by a sweet bite. The flavour to Venom Punch isn't very sweet or tart, which I feel works well in their favor. The taste is actually great, which is surprising given the lines history.

KICK: Each sixteen.nine oz can contains: 160mg of caffeine, 240 calories, Taurine, guarana, 200% of your daily intake of Riboflavin, Niacin, Vit. B6, Vit. B12, and 200mg of ginseng. This blend of ingredients gave me a pretty standard kick. While I didn't feel like bouncing off the walls I was noticeably more awake and I was more alert. This lasted around three or so hours. All in all, the buzz could be improved.

FINAL WORDE: From start to finish I feel that Venom Death Adder is an above average energy drink. While the can could use some work and the kick is in need of a re-formulation, the taste is strong enough to save this drink from failing. Actually, I feel that Venom Punch is one of the best tasting punch energy drink I've ever had. Venom Punch overall was a smooth ride that sadly had some bumps along the way. All in all, if your looking for a great tasting energy punch and don't want to go crazy with a powerful kick, then Venom Death Adder is worth a buy...3.5/5

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Encaff Energy Stix

First off thanks to Graham Wilson for sending me a sample of Encaff Energy Stix. While Encaff Energy Stix may look like a powder drink mix, it actually is a tongue powder, similar to Pixie Stix but with caffeine. After the success of Atomic Bites Orange Raspberry, another candy-like energy product, I have high hopes for Encaff Energy Stix.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Before I start, I have to say that taking a picture of Encaff was really difficult. After many poor pictures I found that taping the packet to the back of a notebook worked quite well, but it still wasn't enough to get a good picture. Anyway, I like the packet to Encaff Energy Stix. The black background really lets the funky neon swirls stand out and do their job. The design is clean with only the logo, slogan, weight and "up to 6 hours of Power" for text. The only problem I have with the packet is that there is no flavour indication. While I know that there is only one flavour(black cherry) and that this packet isn't for individual sale, it still would of been nice to still have it. Other than this the packet is clean and attractive.

TASTE: I ripped off the top of the packet and poured some of the contents on my tongue. The flavour starts out with a heavy black cherry taste that is quickly taken over by a sweet cherry flavour. The black cherry taste is rather overbearing, but thankfully it gets overthrown by a much more pleasant candy-like cherry flavour. If you put smaller amounts of the powder on your tongue the black cherry taste isn't nearly as strong, which I recommend doing. After I finished the first packet I was so impressed that I immediately ripped open a second one, but sadly it wasn't as good as the first. Perhaps it was too much too soon. Either way Encaff Energy Stix is still delicious, but I recommend waiting a while before you have another.

KICK: This is the where Encaff starts to lose its luster. Each packet contains, well seventy five mg of caffeine. While I didn't get a powerful or long lasting buzz or, I did receive a rather quick kick. In around ten to fifteen or so minutes after consuming two packets I began to feel more alert and energized. This lasted around two and a half to three hours. Once the the two+ hours was over I gradually drifted back to my normal mentality. All in all the kick is definitely the weakest part of Encaff Energy Stix.

FINAL WORD: Overall, I'm impressed with Encaff Energy Stix. While the kick is in need of a tune up, the attractive package and great candy-like taste make up for it. I feel that Encaff Stix is a great stepping stone for the relatively new and bare energy powder category. I hope that this market will grow and use Encaff as an inspiration of what to do and what not to do. All in all, if your looking to combine your caffeine and Pixie Stix addiction, then Encaff Energy Stix is worth a buy...3.9/5

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Atomic Energy Bites Orange Raspberry

When I had the opportunity to receive some Atomic Energy Bites free to review, I was at first a little hesitant. My history with energy chews, while brief, hasn't been the best. I've only reviewed one other energy chew, and that was Buzz Bites Chocolate, and we all know how they turned out(2.7/5). Will Atomic Energy Bites turn out better than Buzz Bites Chocolate, or will it end up being a bitter old man?

FIRST IMPRESSION: Personally, I like the box to Atomic Energy Bites Orange Raspberry. The design isn't cluttered with pointless text, stating only what is important. If there was one thing I could improve upon it would have to be that there is no nutritional facts nor ingredient list on the box. This makes me a little cautious about these chews even if it is probably because of its tiny box. The only thing the box tells me is that three chews equal one energy drink, which while Buzz Bits may be more potent, I'll bet that Atomic Bites will be less bitter.

TASTE: I unwrapped(good show) one small bites and popped it in my mouth. The flavour starts out a rich orange flavour that slowly turns into a creamy raspberry taste. The consistency is very smooth if not velvety. In fact, you could dress from head to toe in this stuff and I'm sure it would be comfortable. Though Atomic Bites Orange Raspberry may not be the most original flavour, the sheer way that it is delivered makes it one of the best tasting energy product I've ever tried.

KICK: According to Atomic Bites official web site, every three chew contains: 1000mg of Taurine, fifty calories, seven grams of sugar, 100mg of caffeine, twenty mg of milk thistle, ginseng, guarana, 200% of your daily intake of Riboflavin, and 100% of your daily intake of Niacin, Vit. B12, Vit. B6, and Pantothenic acid. This blend of ingredients gave me a pretty good buzz. For around three and a half to four hours I was noticeably more perked up and I didn't get a case of the jitters. Once the three to four hours was up I drifted back to my usual state of being.

FINAL WORD: Despite initial skepticism, I feel that Atomic Energy Bites Orange Raspberry is a great overall energy product. In every category, Atomic Bites Orange Raspberry exceeded my expectations. The box was clean of unnecessary text and still looked cool, the taste was amazing, and the kick was great. If I had to pick one area to really praise, it would have to be the taste. Atomic Bites Orange Raspberry's taste is almost candy like, in fact, it could be considered the official candy for caffeine junkies. All in all, unless your jaw is broken and the only way you can get caffeine is by sucking it through a straw, buy Atomic Energy Bites Orange Raspberry...4.5/5

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Max Velocity Pomegranate Berry Sugar Free

On my most recent trek to Shaws, along with Max Velocity Pomegranate Berry, I picked up Max Velocity Pomegranate Berry Sugar Free. For the time being, this is the second last variant in the Max Velocity Line(I believe), and as a whole, I feel that the line is a surprisingly good, especially since it is generic. Now, usually I'm not all too excited to review sugar free energy drinks, but since past Max Velocity sugar free flavours have been quite good, things are different.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can to Max Velocity Pom S/F is simply ugly. There's a lot of needless text and the cheetah is unfitting. But if there is one thing that seal's the nail on the coffin, it would have to be the colour. The colour, a light, almost washed out purple, is unsightly. Why Super Value(or Albertsons) thought that this colour would help sell their drink is beyond me.

TASTE: I opened the can and poured some in a glass. The colour is a surprisingly deep purple colour. The flavour starts out a bland blend of pomegranate and some miscellaneous berry's, namely cranberry and blueberry. This mix reminds me of Trix yogurt, though not as strong as it did in Sports Energy. After the blend a light tartness stays in your mouth, but it doesn't last too long. The overall sweetness is minimal, which helps keep the sugar free sweetener taste down. Overall, while the original sugared version is by far superior, Max Velocity Pom S/F isn't half bad, especially for a sugar free one.

KICK: Each can contains: twenty calories, two grams of protein, 180% of your daily intake of Niacin, 480% of your daily intake of Vit. B6, 160% of your daily intake of Vit. B12, caffeine, Taurine, and ninety percent of your daily intake of Vit. B5. This overall blend of ingredients gave me a pretty good buzz. For around three and a half hours I felt my mentality raise and my alertness go up. After the three+ hours I didn't receive any sort of a crash, which I'm guessing is because of the lack of sugar.

FINAL WARD: Overall, I think that Max Velocity Pomegranate Berry Sugar Free is a decent to good overall energy drink. While the can is in need of some serious work, the good sugar free taste and the decent kick round things out a bit. But despite the drink being rounded out, the drink still isn't a full circle. In the quest for the perfect energy drink, I feel that Max Velocity S/F Pom is nothing more than a mere distraction from your quest, and unless you find it cheap, it should be skipped...3/5

amp Green Tea

I have reviewed several different tea based energy drinks, and most of them were decent to good, so when I reviewed amp Black Tea, despite the lines history, I had some fair expectations. But, like you can imagine, amp Black Tea failed to meet them. And because of this failure I have much lower, almost none existent expectations and hopes for the second amp tea, amp Green Tea.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can design of amp Green Tea seems to be inspired by another green tea energy drink, Hansen's Primal Tea. No really, it is almost like Pepsi took the design and changed it slightly and called it their own. But, unlike Primal Tea, amp Green Tea is cluttered. Now, I'm personally sick of saying the same thing over and over again about the amp cans, so all I'm going to say is that the can is cluttered. One disappointing thing about amp Green Tea is its low caffeine content. At only 156mg per sixteen oz. can, it is one of the least caffeinated energy drinks I've seen in quite some time.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a light sweet lemon taste that quickly fades into a slightly bitter green tea flavour. The green tea ends with a sweet bite, which offsets some of the bitterness. The lemon is sour, but not overwhelming. Unlike most amp flavours, amp Green Tea didn't leave a syrupy coating behind, which is good as it would of ruined the flavour. Overall, while it may have nothing on Arizona Green Tea, for what it is, it is a pretty good tasting energy tea.

KICK: Each can contains: 156mg of caffeine, 126mg of Maltodextrin, green tea, 248mg of Guarana, 296mg of Taurine, 700mg of Beta Alanine, and 200% of your daily intake of Niacin, vit. B6, and Pantothenic acid. This blend of ingredients gave me a slightly below average buzz. While I did feel more awake and focused, it didn't last that long(around two or three hours) and when it ended I got hit with a hard crash.

FINAL WORD: From start to finish, my reaction to amp Green Tea is mixed. While I enjoyed the flavour, its busy can and poor kick keep me from making a recommendation. For what it is, amp Green Tea is a pretty good tasting tea, but it is not worth its usual $2.20 price. If your looking for a powerful energy drink, look else where, and if you want a great tasting green tea then go to any grocery store and pick up a Arizona Green Tea for $1. Skip amp Green Tea...2.8/5

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amp Relaunch

I recently went to a Shaws Supermarket, and while I was checking out their selection of energy drinks I noticed that amp products were on sale for $1. So I picked up the last un-reviewed varieties and made my purchase. amp Relaunch was one of those varieties, and the one I'm least excited for. Though Relaunch has been given pretty good reviews, I'm just not a big fan of orange flavoured energy drinks, as they tend to be more like orange juice then orange soda.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Personally, out of all the cans in the new amp line, I have to say that this is my favorite, but that isn't saying much. The text is jumbled and for the most part useless. With an orange can, your first thought is that the flavour is going to be orange, so then why do they feel the need to write "orange citrus" on the can? I don't know.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a crisp, artificial orange that quickly fades into sweet tangerine taste. The orange flavour is pretty subtle, where as the tangerine taste is vibrant. Unlike the previous amp flavours, Relaunch doesn't leave a syrupy coating in your mouth, which is a pleasant surprise. amp Relaunch goes down very smooth, almost too smooth. Be careful or you might end up drinking the whole can before you can fully enjoy the taste. Overall, I have to say that amp Relaunch is easily one of the best tasting flavours in the line, despite it not being very complex.

KICK: Each can contains: 220 calories, 200% of your daily intake of Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, 248 mg of guarana seed extract, 160mg of caffeine, 148mg of maltodextrin, 296mg of Taurine, and thirty four mg of Ginseng. This overall blend gave me a decent buzz. For around three hours my mental alertness went up a decent amount and I didn't get a case of the jitters. After the three hours I got a mild crash, but nothing out of the ordinary.

FINAL WORD: Overall, I feel that amp Relaunch is a slightly below average overall energy drink. While the taste was great, the mediocre can and boring kick drag the overall score down. Personally, I feel that amp Relaunch is more of a highly caffeinated orange soda than an energy drink, and at $2.29, it is an expensive one at that. Though, for what I paid($1), amp Relaunch isn't the worst you could do, but it is far from the best. All in all, unless you have the ability to look past all the low points, skip amp Relaunch like a rock...2.9/5

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Max Velocity Pomegranate Berry

On a recent trip to the Boston area, I stopped at a Shaws to see if they had any new energy drinks. At first, I saw nothing, but then I looked closer and saw this "beauty," Max Velocity Pomegranate Berry. As we all know, Max Velocity is a line of generic energy drinks at Shaws, and Max Velocity Pomegranate Berry is the second spin off of the line, the first being Uncaged. Now, since the line has been surprisingly decent to good in the past, I'm rather excited to try and review Pomegranate Berry.

FIRST IMPRESSION: While the can to Max Velocity Pomegranate Berry is better than the previous ones in the line, it is still a mess. For starters, the can is cluttered. While for the most part the top is clean, the bottom is packed unnecessary text. The Cheetah seems out of place, and doesn't go well with the purple colour. Speaking of the colour purple, there is too much of it. Not only is the background purple, but so is a lot of the text. It is too much purple.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour is hard to describe. It begins a tart, rather thick pomegranate flavour, that soon fades into a blend of melon and strawberry, with strawberry being the dominate of the two tastes. There are also some notes of raspberry and blueberry, which adds some complexity to the drink. The whole flavour is finished by a sweet bite, which lasts longer than I would of expected, making it the only real after taste. Overall, Max Velocity Pomegranate Berry is a pretty good tasting drink that tastes better than some big brand drinks.

KICK: Each can contains: 240 calories, Taurine, two grams of protein, 480% of your daily intake of vit. B6, 180% of your daily intake of Niacin, 160% of your daily intake of vit. B12, caffeine, and ninety percent of your daily intake of vit. B5. This blend of ingredients gave me a fairly average buzz. For three+ hours I noticed my reaction time was up slightly and I had a mild case of the jitters. After the three or so hours I got no crash, which was good.

FINAL WARD: All in all, I have to say that Max Velocity Pomegranate Berry is a decent all around energy drink. While the taste was great, the second rate can and its lackluster kick keep this drink from being a high recommendation, or even a mild recommendation. At its cheap sale price of $1, some might say that it's worth it, but I say that a dollar is still a dollar. There are many other, higher quality, energy drinks for the same price that are miles ahead in terms of, everything. Overall, if you find it on sale for $1, then you might want to consider picking it up, but if it is any more(or there is tax), then skip Max Velocity Pomegranate Berry...3.1/5

diet Mtn Dew Ultra Violet

Since I reviewed Mtn Dew Game Fuel Blue, I feel it is only right to review the newest Mtn Dew flavour, diet Mtn Dew Ultra Violet. diet Mtn Dew Ultra Violet is the only Mtn Dew variant that is exclusively diet, which I personally find is surprising. Perhaps Pepsi finally realized that the diet soda market is rather bare. Like in my Game Fuel Blue review, I'm going to modify my reviewing style slightly because Ultra Violet isn't an energy drink.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The bottle of diet Mtn Dew Ultra Violet is a mixed bag. Though I like the shiny wrapper, there is too much text. Does Pepsi honestly think that the logo needs both "diet" and "zero calorie?" Apparently so. The back ground is also distracting. The pattern goes every-which way, making an already hard to read bottle harder to read. I'm expecting something along the lines of a grape/berry blend, given its colour, but I wouldn't be surprised if I was completely off and is something like lime and watermelon.

TASTE: I opened the bottle and took a sip. The flavour starts out a sweet green/red grape mix that quickly fades into more of a blue raspberry taste. Along with the blue raspberry, there are some rather mild hints of grapefruit and blueberry. The sweetest part is the transition between the initial flavour and the latter flavour, which while stand able, is the worst part of the flavour as it tastes artificial. There is very little sugar free after taste, which is a great surprise. Overall, Pepsi did a great job creating a sugar free drink that doesn't taste like it's sugar free.

Nutrition: Each bottle contains: 0 calories, 0 grams of sugar, 25mg of sodium, caffeine, natural and artificial flavours, and BVO. These ingredients make Ultra Violet good for those who are watching their weight. Though water is still the healthiest drink out there, for a soda, diet Ultra Violet isn't the worst.

FINAL WORD: Overall, I feel that diet Mtn Dew Ultra Violet is a good+ drink. Though the bottle design could use some work, the fact that it tastes good and is sugar free make up for it. Now, I highly doubt that Ultra Violet will win any overall soda awards, but in the sugar free category, I could see it being a top contestant. Whether your a heath nut or a soda junkie, buy diet Mtn Dew Ultra Violet...3.6/5

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NOS Fruit Punch

The end is near. No, I'm not talking about the world, I'm talking about the disappointing NOS line. Other than Fruit Punch, there is only a few varieties left(including a sugar free version), which is good news for me. And because the thought of sugar free NOS just doesn't tickle my innards, I've decided to review NOS Fruit Punch. NOS Fruit Punch is one of the few punch energy drinks that I've seen, and for the most part they have been good, so this makes the my expectations for NOS Punch the highest in the line.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Personally, I really like the can of NOS Punch. It's clean, but at the same time intimidating and unlike some drinks, I know exactly what this drink is called. The bright red colour not only implies that the flavour is most likely going to be fruit punch, but it also jumps off the shelf. Overall, the best out of all the NOS drinks.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a crisp cherry taste, that is strong upfront, and then fades, leaving some brief notes of pear and grapefruit behind. The whole drink is ended by a juice-like finish, which I think is the worst part of the drink, as it feels like it shouldn't be there. The only aftertaste seems to be this faint metallic taste, but given the lines history, I'm not surprised. Unlike Slap Juicy Punch, NOS Fruit Punch is rather sweet, which makes for a much better punch taste. Overall, while this is hands down the best tasting flavour in the NOS line, it's just may too under brewed for my tastes.

KICK: Each can contains: Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, taurine, natural fruit punch flavor with other natural flavors, d-ribose, l-carnitine, caffeine, inositol, panax ginseng root extract, vitamin B6, folic acid, and yanocobalamin. This potent blend of ingredients gave me a pretty powerful buzz. For a good four and a half hours I felt wide awake and had a mild case of the jitters. After the four+ hours I surprisingly got little to no crash. While I could tell that I wasn't as energized as I once was, I didn't feel tired or groggy.

FINAL WORD: From start to finish, I feel that NOS Fruit Punch is a slightly above average energy drink. While the punch flavour didn't seem to be fully developed, the rest of the drink was good to great. Personally, I feel that NOS Punch is definitely the best drink in the line, and could be considered the lines saving grace. While this drink isn't anything new or revolutionary, it gets the job done and is a pretty good drink on its own. All in all, if your looking for a decent tasting energy punch, than NOS Fruit Punch is worth a purchase...3.6/5

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rip it Citrus X re-review

Before Big Lots came into my life, the main place that I got energy drinks was the Dollar Tree. Though they rarely had new energy drinks, the ones they did have held me over quite well. And because I wasn't able to go to Big Lots this week, I decided to go to the Dollar Tree. Though I didn't find anything I haven't reviewed before, I did find one that was prime for a re-review. That drink was rip it Citrus X. When I first reviewed Citrus X, I was ecstatic about the drink, but since my taste's have changed, I've decided to re-review it.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Personally, I'm not a fan of the can. Though the colour really jumps off the shelf, it just doesn't look all that appetizing. When it comes to energy drinks, citrus usually means lemon or lime, and when the can colour is orange-ish, it usually means that it's going to be an orange flavoured drink. So what do you expect from a drink in an orange can that's named Citrus X? An orange and lime flavour? Who knows.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour is hard to describe. It starts out a smooth artificial orange flavour that lingerers in your mouth until it fades, leaving a slight tangerine taste behind. The tangerine is much more natural tasting, almost like they left a little peel in it. The flavour ends with a sweet orange bite, which fades rather slow, making it the only real aftertaste. While the flavour isn't at all tart, bitter, or gummy, it sure is sweet, which while I liked it, it may put off some. The drink is pretty carbonated at first, but the more you drink it, the less it is. Overall, I like the flavour of rip it Citrus X. While it is by no means one of the best tasting energy drinks I've ever had, it's still a good+ tasting drink.

KICK: Each can contains: Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, taurine, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, caffeine, inositol, maltodextrin, guarana seed extract, brominated vegetable oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, and cyanocobalamin. This blend of ingredienst gave me a good overall buzz. For around three or so hours I was full of jitters, and my alertness was up a decent amount. After the three or so hours, I was hit by a pretty hard crash, but nothing I haven't seen before.

FINAL WARD: Overall, I have to say that rip it Citrus X is a good extension to the rip it line. While I found the can to be lacking, the good+ flavour and the decent kick evened things out. Personally, I feel that this is the worst in the rip it line, but that doesn't mean the drink is terrible. For $.99, Citrus X is a decent purchase, but with better drinks available at Big Lots for less money, it's tough to recommend it. All in all, if you don't live near a Big Lots or your looking for a steadily available cheap energy drink, then buy Citrus X, but for everyone else, I'm going to have to say skip rip it Citrus X...3.4/5

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Hydrive acai berry

One line of energy drinks that I never planned on finishing is the Hydrive line. Each of the two flavours in the line were mediocre, so my hopes of the line ever picking it self up and becoming a worthy member of the energy drink society were low. But when the only un-reviewed energy drinks at Big Lots were two varieties of Hydrive, I broke down and decided to give the line a second chance. Now, I've heard some good things about Hydrive acai berry, so that's why I choose it first to review.

FIRST IMPRESSION: I like the bottle of Hydrive acai berry. It's clean, yet refine. Though there is some scattered text among the bottle, there's not enough to make things cluttered. The design is the same for all the other Hydrive drinks, and I feel that this ones the best. All in all, a great looking bottle.

TASTE: I un-capped the bottle and took a sip. The flavour is definitely the strongest in the line. The initial flavour is a mixture of raspberry and blueberry. These flavours are the most prominent. Once these flavours fade, a blend of cranberry and acai take over. These are the weakest flavours, almost like they are diluted. The whole flavour ends with a tart bite. The overall taste of Hydrive acai berry isn't very sweet, which I feel is a poor decision, as it could of countered the overall tartness of the drink. Personally, I'm not a fan of the flavour. It's too unbalanced and the larger size compared to the previous ones make this the hardest to drink in the line.

KICK: Each bottle contains: Spring water, Sucrose, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, monopotassium Phosphate, 145 mg of caffeine, Taurine, L-Carnitine, L-Arginine, Niacinamide (B3), Calcium Pantothenate, B6, and Cyanocobalamin. This blend of ingredients gave me a fair to middling buzz. For around two and a half hours I felt mentally improved and pretty awake, with no jitters. The lack of sugar seemed to of caused no crash, which was nice.

FINAL WORD: All in all, I have to say that Hydrive acai berry is an average overall energy drink. While the bottle design was spot on, and the kick was more health-y than most, the taste really disappointed me. It had much potential, but sadly it was too unbalanced for my taste. This doesn't really make me excited to try and review the others in the Hydrive line, but hopefully I will someday. Now, I personally think that the reason I'm not a fan of the Hydrive line is that I'm not a fan of flavoured water, as I prefer carbonated drinks. For people like me, I can't recommend this drink, but for people looking for a better alternative to berry Gatorade, then there is no real better choice than the Hydrive acai berry ...3/5

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Archer Farms Green Tea Infused Sugar Free Raspberry

Target has never been my favorite super store. While they may be cleaner and treat their employees better than most, they just don't have the same deals and products as their competition. But they do have one thing over some, and that's their own energy drink line. Target's Archer Farms line doesn't exclusively exist for their energy drinks, but instead for their more premium products. And apparently, a juice flavoured twelve oz. sugar free energy drink that contains no juice is premium. Now, given the line's history, I'm quite excited to try Archer Farms Sugar Free Raspberry. Though I'm not expecting wonders for the kick, I am, however, expecting wonders for the taste.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can to Archer Farms Sugar Free Raspberry is pretty bare. Other than the red/pink dazzling effect at the bottom, the can consists of just a bare silver backdrop, and is cluttered with unnecessary text towards the bottom. Not only is the cluttered text a sight for sore eyes, it also makes figuring out what to call this drink more difficult than it has to be. For a premium energy drink, I was expecting something less amateurish and more professional.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a tart raspberry flavour, that is more noticeable towards the end. The raspberry taste is really authentic, and is not too sweet. After the initial flavour, there's this strong tart/sweet bite that finishes the experience. All in all, I'm impressed with the taste of Archer Farms Sugar Free Raspberry. While it's not overly complex, it's at least refreshing, and at only fifteen calories it's not a guilty pleasure.

KICK: Each can contains: fifteen calories, one gram of sugar, thirty% of your daily intake of Vit. C, twenty% of your daily intake of calcium, guarana, fifty seven mg of EGCG, and only seventy mg of caffeine. This less than average blend gave me a pretty weak kick. For only around an hour or so I felt mild aware of my surroundings, and had no jitters. But on the plus side, there was no crash.

FINAL WORD: After all is said and done, I have to say that Archer Farms Green Tea Infused Sugar Free Raspberry is a below average energy drink. While I really enjoyed the flavour, the poor can and kick just bring the overall score down. It's a shame that Archer Farms Raspberry had such a bad can and kick. With a drink with so much potential, it just disappoints. I was promised 100% satisfaction, and I have to say, I want a refund. All in all, for $1.49, the drink is simply not worth it. Unless all you care about is great taste with low sugar, you should skip Archer Farms Sugar Free Raspberry...2.9/5

Monster Mixxd eight oz.

The same acquaintance who recommended Monster M-80 recently recommended another Monster drink, this time Monster Mixxd eight oz. Now, I have a strange feeling that Mixxd will be grape flavoured(it couldn't be that it's purple...), and after such catastrophes like amp Traction, I can't say that I'm excited to review this.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can design of Mixxd is identical to that of some of the previous Monsters(namely M-80 and Khaos), except with a simple colour change. Personally, I think that the purple works really well with the already great design. The purple isn't as deep as I would of thought from Monster, but it's still the best in the line. One thing that bothers me is that all the "Monster Minis" have the same writing on the side. Though this is relatively common among energy drinks, it's still annoying.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a surprisingly authentic grape flavour, not like grape juice, but what you taste when you bite into a fresh red grape. The grape flavour lasts a little while, only to fade, leaving a blend of Maraschino cherry and Macintosh apple behind. The apple is more noticeable than the cherry, and isn't as sweet. All three fruits taste very fresh and are blended well together. Mixxd is not very sweet overall, nor is it really tart. Mixxd drinks really smooth, and is a little overwhelming in big gulps, so I recommend small sips. Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised on how well Monster Mixxd turned out tasting.

KICK: Each can contains: caffeine, 1000mg of Taurine, 200mg of Ginseng, guarana, L-Carnitine, and 100% of your daily intake of Vit. B2, B3, B6, and B12. This blend gave me a pretty weak kick, but it was understandable given its small size. For only around two or so hours I had no jitters and my metal alertness went up briefly.

FINAL WORD: All in all, I have to say that Monster Mixxd eight oz. is one of, if not the best Monster drink. After my failed experiences with grape flavoured energy drinks, I thought that Mixxd would be nothing but a mess, but it turned out to be a great overall drink. Though the kick was poor, I can forgive it because larger sizes are made. When it comes down to whether or not I can recommend Monster Mixxd eight oz., I have to say yes, I recommend you buy it. The way I look at it, if it was sixteen oz. and $2.20, I'd recommend it, so for eight oz.'s and $.50, I have no other choice but to say buy it...4/5

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Boo Koo Citrus

Because Boo Koo Wild Berry is one of the highest rated drinks on my site, I was extremely excited to find another variety of Boo Koo, this time Boo Koo Citrus. Boo Koo Citrus is made by the Boo Koo company, that according to Wikipedia, filed for bankruptcy on December 19, 2008. Though this means that it's probably expired, I can't help but feel excited and lucky to finally get another Boo Koo flavour.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can uses a basic black backdrop, with the Boo Koo logo side ways through it. There is some faint flames through the logo and minimal text next to it. The design of Boo Koo Citrus is clean and at the same time cool. Overall, though the can is much better than Boo Koo Punch, it's still not as good as Boo Koo Wild Berry.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour is very light. It starts out a mildly carbonated, tart orange/tangerine blend, that lingers in your mouth for a little while before completely vanishing, leaving a faint lemon taste behind. After the orange/tangerine blend, a pleasant mix of sweet grapefruit and lime begins to develop, only to be taken over by the lemon. The lemon has a sweet sting to it, which I find quite pleasing. Boo Koo Citrus is rather sweet, but it works well with the flavour. Overall, Boo Koo Citrus tastes very good and deserves to be a member of the Boo Koo family.

KICK: Each can contains: 240mg caffeine, 2000mg of Taurine, 200% of your daily intake of Niacin, 102% of your daily intake of Pantothenic Acid, 510% of your daily intake of Vit. B6, and 170% of your daily intake of Vit. B12. This blend of ingredients gave me a pretty strong buzz. For around four hours or so I felt wide awake and was full of jitters. After the four+ hours I got hit by a mild, yet sudden crash. While I didn't feel groggy, I did notice that I wasn't as awake as I once was.

FINAL WORD: After all is said and done, I feel that Boo Koo Citrus is a truly great overall energy drink. Boo Koo really took their time when crafting this drink, and the result is an all around fine energy drink. It's a real shame that Boo Koo is discontinued, but that just makes every Boo Koo variety that I find that more special. Whether it's $.60 or $2.60, Boo Koo Citrus deserves the right to be in your fridge and should be bought...4.4/5

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eblast energy drink

While on vacation to Pennsylvania, I looked high and low for a unique, bizarre energy drink to review, but originally I had no luck. Most grocery stores and pharmacy's just had the same old drinks that are available everywhere(Namely the amp line), and this crushed my hopes of finding one. But then, in a last hope for desperation, I checked a small convenience store called God Bless America, and it shinned a light on my thought to be crushed dreams. That light, was eblast. eblast is made by Turkey Hill Dairy, and is one of the few generic energy drinks I've seen. Though I'm willing to bet my web log and all its assets that it is going to be a freefall clone, I have to say that I'm kind of excited to review eblast. It's not every day do I get to review an energy drink made by a ice cream company.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can of eblast consists of just a bare silver backdrop, a yellow/orange and red colour splat and the eblast logo. Though I like that the can isn't cluttered, I have to say that the can looks pretty generic. Maybe if they changed the background colour it would look a little better, but for now, it's just too generic to gain the attention of the average energy drinker.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a light, subtle citrus, and then fades into a mild mint flavour. The citrus flavour is sweet, and mainly consists of lime, melon and lemon. The lemon starts the flavour, but soon fades, leaving a nice blend of lime and melon. The lemon is the sweetest of the three flavours, with melon in close second. eblast is rather thick, and though it gets thicker the more you drink it, it never ruins the flavour. Overall, eblast is one of, if not the best tasting generic energy drink I've had.

KICK: Each can contains: 180 calories, caffeine, forty six grams of sugar, 100% of your daily intake of Pantothenic acid, Taurine, and 200% of your daily intake of Niacin, Vit. B12, and Vit B6. This blend of ingredients gave me a pretty decent buzz. For around three or so hours I felt aware of my surroundings, and had no jitters. After the three or so hours, I did get a mild crash, but nothing major. A decent kick overall.

FINAL WORD: All in all, I feel that eblast is a decent energy drink. Though eblast wasn't revolutionary, or innovative, it still did its job. I wasn't expecting much from eblast, but I have to say that for a generic energy drink, I'm quite impressed. Even if the can was lackluster, the taste and kick were better than some high end, big brand energy drinks. For a generic energy drink, you can't do much better than eblast, but at the current price of $1.99, it's best to either wait for a discount or avoid all together...3.3/5

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Energy Rush Orange Mix

As my stalker already knows, I'm going on vacation tomorrow for a week, so while the chance of me seeing some new energy drinks is high, I won't be able to update as much as I'd like. Since my reviews for next week are likely to be scattered, I've decided to put off packing and do a review. Energy Rush Orange is the third and finale flavour in the Energy Rush line, and the one I'm least excited for. Because the line has been rather mediocre in the past, and that orange flavoured energy drinks aren't my favorite, I doubt that it will be any good.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The packet to Energy Rush Orange uses the same design that the previous Energy Rush flavours did, but with some mild changes. One of the changes is the colour, which is now orange, which makes sense given that that's the flavour. Perhaps the least noticeable change is the biggest one. While I still think the packet design is cluttered, it is less cluttered due to the removal of the "Splenda" logo. This makes the packet just that much better than the other packet in the line.

TASTE: I opened the packet, poured it in a sixteen.nine oz. bottle of water and shook. The flavour starts out a barely carbonated, light orange/tangerine blend, with the tangerine being the most noticeable of the two flavours, that then slowly fades away, leaving behind a faint sugar free aftertaste. The tangerine starts the flavour, then quickly fades, letting a orange taste develop, and then is over thrown by some more tangerine. The tangerine tastes fresh and sweet, where as the orange tastes bland and dull. Overall, while Energy Rush Orange is by far the best in the line, it's still not as good Helix Orange.

KICK: Each packet contains: caffeine, Taurine, 100% of Vit. B5, twenty % of Vit. B9, 160% of Vit. B12, and 200% of Vit. B6, and niacin. This blend of ingredients gave me a pretty good buzz. For around three+ hours I felt more mentally alert, and had some mild twitches. After the three+ hours I slowly began to fade back to my normal state of being.

FINAL WORD: After all is said and done, I feel that Energy Rush Orange is undoubtedly the best in the line, and the second best energy powder I've ever had. While the packet could of definitely been better, the good taste and kick made up for it. Now, I'm not saying that Energy Rush Orange is great or anything, but I am saying for an energy powder, it's a good overall product. All in all, if your looking for a good, cheap alternative to energy drinks that won't break your belt, then buy Energy Rush Orange...3.4/5

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Slap Juicy Cherry Punch

My most recent trek to Big Lots was pretty mediocre, as most of the drinks were ones I had already reviewed, or ones that I can't yet bring my self to buy(Red Devil Light comes to mind). After I had grabbed several drinks for my own consumption, I noticed two red cans sitting on the shelf. They were Slap Juicy Cherry Punch. Remembering that I had not yet reviewed it, I grabbed one, made my purchase, and scampered out the door. Now, after the disappointment that was Slap Juicy Tropical, you'd think that I wouldn't be looking forward to reviewing Slap Cherry, but surprising, I am.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can to Slap Juicy Cherry Punch uses the same failed design that Tropical did before it, but with more success. The red is much more pleasant than the green, and the flavour "cherry punch" leaves less of a mystery of what the flavour is than Tropical. Though the can is much better looking, there's still one big problem with the can, it's a cluttered mess. There is just too much going on. There's some weird red swirl in the background, the Slap logo, writing at the top, middle, and bottom of the can, and a large "Juicy" logo through the middle of it all. This one mistake make's the can of Slap Juicy Cherry Punch below average.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour is hard to describe. It starts out light blend of various fruits, mainly pear, peach, cherry, and apple. The cherry and pear start the flavour, with the cherry being more noticeable than the pear. After the initial flavour fades, a light apple flavour begins to build, but is quickly overt taken by a stronger and more noticeable peach flavour. Slap Punch is not very sweet, which is rather disappointing given that it's supposed to be a "punch." Overall, I feel that Slap Juicy Cherry Punch is a decent tasting energy drink and while it may not be mouth watering-ly great, it is certainly worth $.60.

KICK: Each can contains: 100% of your daily intake of Vit. B3, B6, B12, forty two grams of sugar, pear juice concentrate, isomaltulose, maltodextrin, fructose, citric acid, Taurine, 200mg of caffeine, and guarana. This blend of ingredients gave me a pretty solid buzz. For around four+ hours I felt awake, refreshed, and full of energy. After the four+ hours, I began to drift back to normality. All in all, a great kick from Slap Cherry.

FINAL WARD: Overall, I feel that Slap Juicy Cherry Punch is a slightly above average energy drink. While the can failed to impress, the decent taste and great kick made up for it. Though it's far from the worst energy drink I've ever had, I'd have to say that I'm a disappointed with Slap Cherry Punch, and now that I think about it, the line as a whole. None of the drinks have been revolutionary, new, or innovative, just more like, fair to average. But to look on the bright side, at least they've all been drinkable. All in all, for $.60, Slap Juicy Cherry Punch is worth a purchase, but at $1.99, you should skip it...3.2/5

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amp Traction

My philosophy is to do what you don't want to do before you do something you want to do, and that is exactly what I am doing with the amp line. As my ultimate goal is to review every energy drink available, I've decided to get the amp line out of the way. amp Traction is supposedly grape flavoured, and since my past experience with grape flavoured energy drinks have been decent at best, I'm not too excited for this review.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can to amp Traction is a mixed bag. While I think the purple fits the can design quite well, the can is simply too cluttered. And while the top of the can looks good, the bottom of the can seems to have been bit by the clutter bug, heck, it ate it. Six total lines of mostly useless text under the logo really makes it hard to figure out what to call it. All in all, not even the misplaced Mountain Dew logo on the bottom right corner can't help the can escape its shortcomings.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a fake grape-like flavour, reminiscent of a melted purple Popsicle, that gradually gets lighter, letting a light blend of various citrus, namely lemon and lime, take over. The grape flavour isn't as overwhelmingly strong as NOS Grape, which improves drink-ability. The lemon and lime are balanced and are relatively sweet. The fake grape flavour underlies the whole flavour and lasts well after you've stopped drinking. Though the overall flavour isn't very sweet, there is still a slight syrupy residue that coats your mouth, which was disappointing. Overall, the flavour to amp Traction is decent, not good, not bad, just decent.

KICK: Each can contains: 160mg of caffeine, 200% of your daily intake of Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, 296mg of Taurine, thirty four mg of Ginseng, 144 mg of d-Ribose, and 292 mg of Maltodextrin. This decent at best blend of ingredients gave me a kick lasting around two and a half to three hours. During this period I felt mildly awake, and had some mild jitters, but nothing exceptional. After the two+ hours I got no real crash, which seems to be the only good thing about the buzz.

FINAL WORD: All in all, I have to say that amp Traction is a below average energy drink. While the taste had its moments, nothing about Traction that is new, unique, or even good. Everything thing down to the kick has been done before, and usually done better. It's a shame that Pepsi doesn't put time into making their energy drinks instead of releasing them half completed. Maybe if they took their time I'd be able to pass their drinks, but since they don't, I can't. Overall, if your looking for a great tasting, powerful energy drink all housed in a good looking can, then skip amp Traction...2.6/5

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Venom Cold Blast Bite

Two energy products that have disappointed me are energy shots, and Venom Energy, so when I heard that there was a Venom energy shot going to be released soon, you can be sure that I didn't care. But when I heard that they were giving two shots away for free, I couldn't help but order them. But now that I have them, are they going to turn out to be worth my time, or are they going to fall into a deep state of average like his bothers?

FIRST IMPRESSION: The bottle to Venom Bite uses the same great design that the past Venom drinks did, but with some mild changes. The most noticeable is the ice theme. The colour is a icy blue, which I think works well with the addition of ice pillars on the top. The sub name "Cold Blast" and the flavour "arctic punch" also help. Overall, despite the bottle looking similar to a certain body gel, I still think that Venom Cold Blast has the best design in the whole line up, and believe me, that is saying a lot.

TASTE: I opened the bottle and took a sip. The flavour starts out a strong blend of several fruits, namely strawberry, cranberry, and blue raspberry, that then fades into a strange mix of mint, tartness and bitterness. The strawberry is the most noticeable of the three flavours, with the cranberry in close second, as the blue raspberry is rather unnoticeable. The bitterness lasts longer than the tartness, and is the only real after taste, which is a disappointment. The mint isn't very strong, which I think wasn't a good decision on Dr Pepper/Snapples part, because it could of help counter act the bitterness. Other than the strong bitterness, perhaps the most disappointing thing about the flavour is that for an "arctic punch" flavour, it is just not sweet enough. When I think of punch, I think of rotting my teeth, but apparently Dr Pepper/Snapple is a little more heath conscious. Overall, the negatives just don't outweigh the positives on the flavour to Venom Cold Blast Bite.

KICK: Each three oz. bottle contains: 160 mg of caffeine, taurine, guarana, nine grams of sugar, and 200% your daily intake of Vit. B12, B6, Niacin, and riboflavin. This blend of ingredients gave me one pretty good kick. For around four or so hours I felt awake, "there," and fulling aware of my surroundings. After the four hours I got a small crash, but nothing major enough to interfere with my busy schedule. Overall, a solid kick from Venom Cold Blast.

FINAL WORDE: From start to finish, I have to say that Venom Cold Blast Bite is the best energy shot I've ever tried. Though the taste wasn't good, the great can and potent kick make up for it. Despite the lines history, I was a little disappointed by the taste, and I was impressed with the kick. I have to say that Venom Cold Blast Bite is one of the hardest energy products I've ever had to review. Here you've got this great looking, powerful energy shot, but the taste just doesn't do them justice. All in all, if your looking for a powerful energy shot that comes in a great looking bottle and don't mind having to down the shot with another drink, than buy Venom Cold Blast Bite...3.5/5

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amp Elevate Re-review

As much as I hate re-reviewing energy drinks, the monthly energy drink drought is here and in full swing, so all I could find at my local stores was amp Elevate. Like I said in my recent amp Rebuild review, the amp line and me have had a pretty bad history, but it hasn't always been like that. When I first reviewed amp Elevate, I was generally impressed with the amp line, it had potential, but when I re-reviewed amp Overdrive, the line started to become a disappointment. Because I originally like amp Elevate, my expectations for it are higher than any other amp variety in recent memory.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can to amp Elevate uses the same basic design that Overdrive and Lightning did, with the only changes being some of the text and the colour. And because Elevate uses the same design that the previous amps did, it has the same problems. Most notably, the can is way too cluttered. Under the sub name "Elevate" there are five total lines of unnecessary text. Only two of the five lines are necessary, one being the flavour and the other being the weight. Does Pepsi really think is it necessary for the can to say that it is an energy supplement, when the name is clearly amp Energy or think that I care that Elevate has "L-Theanine?" Apparently so.

TASTE: I opened the can and poured it in my frosty energy drink mug. The colour of Elevate is surprisingly dark purple with subtle hints of blue. Not what I was expecting. The flavour starts out a deep cranberry, and raspberry flavour, with the cranberry starting the taste and the raspberry ending it. The cranberry isn't very sweet or tart, unlike the raspberry, which is. Towards the middle of the flavour, there are notes of fake blue raspberry and apple, with the blue raspberry being more noticeable and sweet and the apple being much more faint. The blue raspberry lasts much longer than the apple, and continues on past the cranberry, making it the only real after taste in Elevate. Overall, I'm impressed with amp Elevate's flavour. It is surprisingly complex and generally fun to drink.

KICK: Each can contains: fifty eight grams of sugar, 296 mg of Taurine, 160 mg of caffeine, 148 mg of maltodextrin, thirty four mg of ginseng, twenty four mg of L-Theanine, and 200% of your daily intake of Niacin, Patothenic acid, and phosphorous. This rather un-potent blend of ingredients gave me a less than Ben Stellar kick. For only around three or so hours I felt mildly aware of my surroundings and my reaction time went up just enough so that I could win at Mario Party Seven.

FINAL WORD: As much as it kills me saying this, I have to say that overall I'm impressed with amp Elevate. Though the can and kick were decent to average, it was the taste that really hit it out of the ball park. The flavour was one of the best in the amp line and definitely the most complex and original. Though the flavour was great, the can and kick will drag the overall score down. All in all, if your looking for a great looking power house of an energy drink, skip amp Elevate, but if you prefer flavour over power, and amp products are only three for $5, then pick up amp Elevate, along with amp Original and Lightning...3.3/5

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Monster M-80 eight oz.

When a close acquaintance and fellow caffeine junkie strongly recommended I try and review Monster M-80, I did my best to track one down. But a decent amount of time had past 'til I saw the eight oz. can variety at Big Lots for $.50. I quickly grabbed one or two(or three or four or...), along with several other drinks and made my way out the door. That was earlier this week, and now it is time to finally see what he had urged me to try. Now, the Monster line and me have had a pretty good history, and if it is anything like Khaos I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can for M-80 uses the same design that Khaos did, and I think it was for the better. The yellow fits the metal panel quite well and along with the name M-80, helps give the can an edgy look. I am impressed about how clean the can looks. A lot of energy drinks now a days are riddled with cluttered cans, so it is refreshingly clean. I'm not a fan of the size of the can, but I can't really complain as they do make larger ones. Overall, the clean yet industrial look to M-80 make it one of the better looking cans I've seen in quite some time.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a sweet and fresh pineapple taste, that then fades away, leaving behind a tart and gummy mix of several other citrus fruits, mainly lime, berry and some more pineapple. Through out the whole flavour experience the drink is pretty sweet, most noticeably in the initial flavour and the aftertaste. Overall, if the sweetness was turned down just a tad it could of been great, but for now, just good.

KICK: Each can contains: carbonated water, several fruit juice concentrates, natural flavor, glucose, guava puree, Taurine, citric acid, panax ginseng root extract, caffeine, niacinamide, guarana seed extract, and riboflavin. This blend of ingredients might of given me a good kick if it was sixteen oz., but since it is only eight or so oz., it gave me a pretty weak kick. For only around two or so hours I felt mildly mentally improved and jittery. Overall, if you want to get a good kick out of M-80, either buy two eight oz. cans or find the sixteen oz.

FINAL WORD: Overall, I feel that Monster M-80 is a decent energy drink. Nothing about the drink is anything I haven't seen before, which was a mild disappointment. If Monster improved the taste a little, and if I could find a sixteen oz. version, Monster M-80 could of been great, but for now, it is just decent. For fifty cents, some might say its worth a purchase, but because you can buy a much better energy drink for only ten more cents, its almost criminally insane to stick with M-80. All in all, Monster M-80 is just not good enough to justify a purchase at $.50, and should be skipped...3/5

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amp Rebuild (Black Tea with Lemon)

The amp line and me don't have the best history. Though only a few amp varieties have been good, Pepsi still feels the need to release more flavours, and one of the newest is amp Black Tea with Lemon. amp Black Tea is one of the two tea flavours in the amp line(the other being green tea), and supposedly the best of the two. Now, since I'm a fan of tea energy drinks, I'm rather curious to see how amp Black Tea turns out. But judging by amp's previous efforts, I'm expecting nothing over mediocre.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can to amp Black Tea with Lemon is a mixed bag. While I like the gold colour and the bizarre background, the can is just too cluttered. Not only is there writing at the very top of the can, but there is a lot of writing at the bottom as well. Under its sub name "rebuild," there are five lines of text. This makes the can hard to enjoy and makes figuring out what to call it more difficult than it has to.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a mildly bitter yerba mate-like tea flavour, only to be quickly overthrown by a sweet lemon flavour. The bitter taste is brief, and gets briefer the more you sip it, where as the sweetness gets sweeter, to the point where it is too sweet for my tastes. Like all amp varieties, amp Black Tea leaves a slippery syrup coating in your mouth, which is a disappointment. Overall, the flavour to amp Black Tea with Lemon isn't terrible, just more like mediocre.

KICK: Each can contains: 180 mg of Caffeine, fifty g of carbs, 296 mg of Taurine, 248 mg of Guarana, thirty four mg of Ginseng, 126 mg of Maltodextrin, 700 mg of Beta Alanine, 200 calories, fifty g of sugars, brominated vegetable oil, and two hundred percent of your daily intake of Vit. B6 and Niacin. This blend of ingredients gave me a fairly decent kick, which is surprising considering it is an amp. For around three or so hours I felt more alert and aware of my surroundings, but nothing I haven't seen before. After the three hours I got a pretty hard crash, but again nothing I haven't seen before.

FINAL WORD: All in all, I feel that amp Black Tea with Lemon is a fair energy drink. Nothing about the drink is revolutionary, new, or even good, just average. The can was a mixed bag, the taste was mediocre, and the kick was standard. Every time I review another amp drink, the wonder of why the line is so popular builds. I know people who are huge fans of the amp line, but I just don't know why. I guess I just find it hard to like a run of the mill, syrupy mess of an energy drink all housed in a cluttered yet otherwise interesting can. Overall, I feel that amp Black Tea is an average energy drink that doesn't bring anything new to the shelf and unless you have the amazing ability to look past its shortcomings, skip amp Black Tea with Lemon...2.8/5

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No Fear Bloodshot

When you think of the fourth of July, the one beverage that is on your mind is beer, but since I have no interest in alcoholic beverages, and because ZMikeSner requested this, it looks like I have no choice but to have energy drinks on my mind. No Fear Bloodshot is the newest extension of the popular No Fear line, and is the first No Fear to contain juice. Now, the No Fear line and I have had a pretty good relationship in the past. While non of the drinks were revolutionary or life changing, they were all still decent or better, so my expectations for No Fear Bloodshot are in the middle.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can of No Fear Bloodshot uses the same basic can design that Motherload and original used, but uses a different colour(this time orange), and has some mild cosmetic changes. The first difference is the "bloodshot" logo, and the second is, wait for it, a flavour indication. Finally, after three No Fears, not one of them had a flavour indication. Why is a flavour indication such a taboo thing for energy drinks? Is it wrong to what to know what an energy drink is going to taste like? Either way, the can is a mild improvement over No Fear and No Fear Motherload, but still not as good as Gold.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a rich orange flavour, that then fades into a pleasant blend of papaya and peach, with the papaya starting the blend and the peach finishes it. The papaya is not very sweet and is pretty mild, where as the peach is stronger and has a sweet sting to it. The orange flavour is not very all too sweet, similar to a real orange. There is a weird orange peel taste that is over woven with the peach flavour, but surprisingly it doesn't ruin the whole experience. No Fear Bloodshot goes down smooth. Overall, No Fear Bloodshot is one of the more unique and best tasting juice energy drinks I've ever had.

KICK: Each can contains: 174 mg of caffeine, 2000mg of taurine, ginseng, guarana, twenty% of your daily intake of Zinc, selenium, folic acid, 300% of your daily intake of Vit. C, B6, and B12. This blend of ingredients gave me a pretty decent buzz. For around three and a half hours I felt mildly awake and jittery, but after the three+ hours I got hit by a hard and sudden crash. I felt groggy and slow. Overall, a fair to middling kick from No Fear Bloodshot.

FINOL WORD: From start to finish, I have to say that No Fear Bloodshot is the best tasting drink in the No Fear line, and is an all around good energy drink. While the can was fair at best, the great flavour averages it out. With some tweaks here and there, No Fear Bloodshot could go on to become a great energy drink, but right now, it is just a good energy drink. All in all, if you prefer taste over appeal and kick, definitely pick up No Fear Bloodshot, but if your more style and power over taste, it is best to put the can back on the shelf and avoid...3.6/5

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Oh it is a sin all right

First off, I have to say that Stacker 2 YJ Sinful Citrus has got to be one of the hardest energy drinks I've ever had to name. Some call it Stacker 2 YJ Stinger Sinful Citrus, some call it Stinger Sinful Citrus, and some just call it Sinful Citrus, and it is not the reviews fault for the lack of consistency for the name, it's the can. The can has so many different logo's that it is confusing. Name aside, the Stacker 2 line and me haven't had the prettiest of histories. With each Stacker 2 energy drink I try, the more I want to make a "Worst Overall Energy Drink" section on my site. This means that I have absolutely no good expectations for Sinful Citrus, only bad ones.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can of Stacker 2 YJ Sinful Citrus is far below decent. While I like the fact that the can is green, as green isn't the most common colour for a energy drink, Sinful Citrus somehow finds away to make it look horrible. First of all, there is too much going on. There's multiple layers of designs, scrambled text and a creepy yellow jacket. Second, why the hell would someone put a yellow jacket on an energy drink? Either way, there is little to say good about the can other than that it jumps off the shelf thanks to it being quite bright.

TASTE: Expecting the worst I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a sharp, bitter lime, that then fades away with a sweet lemon taste. There is a mild metallic taste in the beginning of the flavour, which while weird doesn't destroy the flavour mainly because it is not too noticeable. The flavour isn't tart, which is surprisingly considering that it is a citrus drink. Overall, while the taste of Sinful Citrus is definitely the best in the line, it just isn't that good compared to other citrus drinks such as Rockstar Punched Citrus.

KICK: Each can contains: Carbonated water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Citric acid, Caffeine, Taurine, Ascorbic Acid, Pantothenic acid, Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamine, Biotin, Folic Acid, Yerba Matte, Guarana, Ginseng, Natural and Artificial Flavors. This potent-for-an-eight oz.-can blend of ingredients gave me a rather surprisingly weak kick. For around only an hour or two I felt mildly awake, with some noticeable jitters. I have to say I'm shocked that I received such a weak kick. The ingredients were there, but apparently they don't know how to work together yet.

FINAL WERD: Though Stacker 2 Sinful Citrus is the best in the Stacker 2 line, that is not saying much. The can was down right hideous, the buzz was mediocre, and the taste was below average. If I said this about a GURU or Stoked flavour, I and many would consider it a major disappointment, but since it is in the Stacker 2 line, I and many consider it a major accomplishment. All in all, if you've got $.60 to blow and can somehow look past its bad can, taste and kick, then by all means buy it, but for anyone else, avoid...2.6/5

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Wired X505

Earlier this week when I was at my local Big Lots, I was looking at their growing selection of energy drinks, when one caught my eye, Wired X505. Wired X505 is part of the Wired line of energy drinks, and comes in the same twenty four oz. can that Berry Rush did before it, but with one major difference, Wired X505 has 505 mg of caffeine. That is right, 505 mg of caffeine. The moment I saw this I new I had to review it. Not only does Wired X505 contain 505 mg of caffeine, but also 4400 mg of Taurine. So, I have to say that I am extremely excited to try Wired X505, even if I think the flavour will be mediocre.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can of Wired X505 uses the same design that Berry Rush, which I think is a bad decision on Wireds part. Though the flames don't add much for the can, I feel that the orange fits the design better than purple did. I'm guessing the flavour will be of the orange variety, on a count of the orange can. Though orange has never been my favorite flavour in energy drinks, it is far from my least.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a thick vanilla and syrupy mixture, that quickly fades, leaving some mild bubble gum and citrus hints behind. The vanilla only lasts for a short time, where as the syrup lasts through out the whole flavour. Surprisingly Wired X505 is not all too sweet, which helps given its large twenty four oz. size. Though Wired X505 won't be winning any awards for its flavour, it is still a pretty good FreeFall clone.

KICK: As I stated in the introductory paragraph, Wired X505 contains a whole heck of a lot of ingredients. Each can contains: 505mg of caffeine, 4400 mg of Taurine, 300% of your daily intake of Vit. B3, 150% of your daily intake of Vit. B5, 375 mg of Guarana, 750% of your daily intake of Vit. B6, and 240% of your daily intake of VIt. B12. This really potent blend of ingredients gave me one, freakin', wild, kick. For over six hours I felt jittery, jumpy and was full of energy, but let me tell you, after the six+ hours I got hit with such a crash. I felt groggy, and tired. But I expected as much from an energy drink with 505mg of caffeine. Overall, definitely one of the most powerful kicks I've ever got from an energy drink.

FINAL WARD: From beginning to end, Wired X505 is an above average energy drink. Though the can was pretty bad, the taste was decent and the kick was impressive enough to save it from failing. I can't say that Wired X505 is the best looking or best tasting energy drink I've ever had, but I can say that it is definitely one of the most powerful energy drinks I've ever had. Though the kick was really impressive, I feel that Wired X505 is kinda a one trick pony, as all it can do is deliver a great kick. I have to say that from an overall perspective that I'm disappointed with Wired X505. It seems that the company only cared about was delivering a powerful kick, and that the can and taste were more of an after thought. All in all, if your looking for a cheap way to get a long and powerful buzz, definitely pick up Wired X505, but if your looking for really anything else, I say save your money and avoid...3.2/5

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Syzmo Prickly Pear

It is always sad for a line of great energy drinks to end, and that is exactly the case with Syzmo. The Syzmo line has been one success after another, but despite that, I can't say that I'm all too existed to review the last flavour in the line, Syzmo Prickly Pear. Now, I'm no stranger to weird and bizzare flavours. I've had apple, chocolate, strawberry, dragon fruit, and even banana, but never would I of thought that pear would even be considered by a company. Despite this, I'm still gonna review Syzmo Prickly Pear, just for you, because I like you a lot.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can of Syzmo Prickly Pear is only a colour change different from the other two Syzmos before it. The green I think fits the can better than the blue, but not as well as the crimson did. One thing that I didn't notice on the previous Syzmo cans is a faint floral design in the background. Kinda reminds me of a pillow, and that is not something an energy drink should remind someone of.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour is hard to describe. It starts out a light sparkling blend of various citrus, mainly pineapple, apple, lime, and lemon. The pineapple and apple flavours dominate the initial flavour, with the lime underling them. The flavour soon fades away, leaving a faint lemon sting in your mouth. There's a mild hint of bitterness in the aftertaste, but thankfully it is not overbearing. Though I feel that the flavour of Syzmo Prickly Pear is the worst of the three in the Syzmo brand, it is at least a drinkable citrus energy drink.

KICK: Each can contains: twenty grams of sugar, 125mg of coffee fruit concentrate, twenty four grams of carbs, 100% of your daily intake of Biotin, eighty mg of caffeine, five mcg of Folate, 1000% of your daily intake of Vit. B12, twelve mg of Vit. B 6, and 100% of your daily intake of Vit. B2, B3, and C. This blend of ingredients gave me a subtle, heath-like boost of energy, but nothing spectacular. For around two or so hours my mental alertness was up and I felt mildly refreshed. All in all, if your looking for a health-like buzz, go with a GURU instead.

FINAL WORD: Overall, Syzmo Prickly Pear is a pretty standard energy drink. Nothing really stood out from the crowded fridge. The can was good, the taste was acceptable, and the kick was run of the mill, and these factors makes Syzmo Prickly Pear hard to recommend. All in all, if your looking for an energy drink that will help you stay up as you await Michael Jackson's autopsy results, look else where, but Syzmo Prickly Pear is still a decent way to spend $.60, just as long as you don't expect anything groundbreaking...3.4/5

Monster Khaos

When someone says the word "energy drink," chances are your first thought will be either Red Bull, or Monster. That is saying a lot. With a name so big, you'd expect nothing but greatness, but as we all know, that is not what we usually get. Other than the side line of coffee flavoured drinks, Java Monster, the Monster line has been sub par with mediocre. None of the drinks really stand out and are usually "been there done that" varieties, and it looks like that won't change with Monster Khaos. Monster Khaos is one of the three juice extension of the Monster line, with the others being Mixxed and M-80. Since Kaos is made by Hansen's(or Baron K. Roolenstein), I think it is safe to guess that it will taste similar to Unbound Juice, or Joker Juice.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can of Khaos uses a modified Monster can design, and the results I think are quite good. The large orange M fits the black background and industrial panel nicely. Other than the pathetically bad and cliche' writing on the back of the can, I really don't have any complaints on the can of Monster Khaos. Overall, a good can from Monster.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a sweet blend of fresh tangerine and peach, with the peach taking over the beginning, fading out towards the middle to let the tangerine shine, then it finishes with more peach. The initial peach flavour is less sweet and and a little more bitter than the tangerine or the later peach flavour, which are sweet and tangy. Monster Khaos is surprisingly smooth and has a clean finish, which is something to be said about carbonated juice-like energy drink.

KICK: Each can contains: thirty four g of sugar, thirty four g of carbs, eighty percent of vit. A, forty percent of vit. C, 2000mg of taurine, 5000mg of Monster's energy blend, and 200% of Vit. B1, B2, B3, B6, and B12. Though the ingredients were there, I just didn't receive a good kick from Monster Khaos. For around three hours I felt mildly awake, but nothing to pay $2.30 on.

FINAL WORD: In the end, Monster Khaos is a pretty good overall energy drink and the best in the Monster line(excluding the Java Monsters). While the kick was disappointing for a Monster drink, and for energy drinks in general, the kick is not the most important thing for me in an energy drink. Personally, I think that the taste is the most important part of an energy drink, because if people didn't want to enjoy the flavour, they would just buy energy shots or pills. Rant and kick aside, Monster Khaos is a pretty good overall energy drink. All in all, if your looking for a good juice-like energy drink that won't have you bouncing off the wall, buy Monster Khaos...3.8/5

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Slap Crisp Apple

Back in December of last year I reviewed Xenergy Big Apple and was overall impressed with it. But is wasn't until recently that I saw yet another apple flavoured energy drink, this time Slap Crisp Apple. Slap Crisp Apple is one of the few Slap energy drinks I have left to review, and probably the one I'm least excited for. The Slap line, as a whole, has been mediocre to good, so I can't see them making a true apple flavour.

FIRST IMPRESSION: I don't like the can, simple and put. The green doesn't work well with the overall can design, but it does make it jump off the shelves. One thing that doesn't excite me is that Slap Crisp Apple is a green tea. Why the hell would someone do that. A green tea apple energy drink? Now that is just bizarre.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip, the flavour starts out a a light Granny Smith apple flavour, with all the juices you get when eating the fruit it is trying to mimic. The apple isn't very sweet or tart, which I think really works well with the flavour. After the most of the apple flavour is over and gone, there is a slight green tea aftertaste, that instead of being on its own, mixes with a faint apple flavour. Overall, Slap Crisp Apple is right on par with Xenergy Big Apple and is definitely the best tasting and most unique flavour in the Slap line.

KICK: Each can contains: Carbonated water, Fructose, Citric Acid, Taurine, Natural Flavors, Potassium Citrate, Caffeine, Malic Acid, Green Tea Solids, Sucralose, Niacin, Guarana Extract, Yerba Mate, and Pyridoxine Hydrochloride. This potent blend gave me what the Slap line is know for, a great, health-like buzz. For around five or so hours I felt very refreshed, like I had just got a great night sleep. After the five hours I began to fade back to my normal state of being. Overall, a great kick from Slap Crisp Apple.

FINAL WARD: Overall, I feel that Slap Crisp Apple is the most original and best energy drink in the Slap line. Everything except for the can was great. If the can was better, Slap Crisp Apple could of been an all over great energy drink. All in all, if your looking for an energy drink with a great taste and great kick and don't mind carrying around a lackluster can, pick up Slap Crisp Apple...3.9/5

official site

Syzmo Original

Earlier this week I reviewed Syzmo Passion, and it was such a success that I decided why not review another Syzmo this week, so I chose Syzmo Original. Syzmo Original is what I assume to be the first in the Syzmo line, and the second of the three Syzmo energy drinks I know of. Since Syzmo Passion was impressive, I have unfairly high expectations for Syzmo Original.

FIRST IMPRESSION: While the can uses the same design that Passion used, I think that the blue doesn't do the design justice like the crimson did. Other than a colour change and the removal of "Passion" and the insertion of "Original," there is not really any difference from Passion. Syzmo Original has the same GI ranking(30) and the same basic ingredients, so overall, the can is pretty much the same as Passion before it. The name Syzmo Original makes me wonder if the flavour will be the standard FreeFall clone, or its the "original" flavour in the line. Either way, I'm excited to find out.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour of Syzmo Original is a FreeFall clone, but a very interesting one. The flavour starts out with a thick, rich and creamy vanilla flavour, then a dull blue berry flavour develops which lingers in your mouth for a while and then ends with a light apple taste. The apple is more noticeable in the aftertaste. The flavour is not at all sour or gummy, which results in an unexpectedly smooth FreeFall clone. The flavour is very complex and pretty different from other FreeFall clones, and this Syzmo Original arguably the best tasting FreeFall clone I've had to date.

KICK: There is one thing that Syzmo Original does that most other FreeFall clones do, and that is provide me with a weak kick. Though each can contains an acceptable amount of ingredients, it simply just wasn't enough to really give drinkers a desired kick. For around two hours I felt mildly awake, but nothing spectacular. Each can contains: 125mg of coffee fruit concentrate, 100% of your daily intake of Biotin, eighty mg of caffeine, five mcg of Folate, 1000% of your daily intake of Vit. B12, twelve mg of Vit. B 6, and 100% of your daily intake of Vit. B2, B3, and C.

FINAL WORD: From beginning to end, I feel that Syzmo Original is one of the most original FreeFall clones I've had to date. Though it uses FreeFall as a base, it is how it uses the base that makes this drink so great. I'm truly and thoroughly impressed with Syzmo Original, but there is just one thing that disappoints me, the line has been discontinued according to Bevnet. With such great potential, I'm sad to know that there wont be any new flavours or varieties. Still, I can see myself drinking Syzmo Original until a new line catches my eye. Overall, Syzmo Original deserves the right to have the word "Original" in its name...4/5

Syzmo Passion

One of the more interesting drinks I found at Big Lots yesterday is Syzmo Passion. Syzmo Passion is made by the Organic Beverage Company, which I have never heard of. The drink is supposedly "blue agave" flavoured, but since my past experience with blue agave flavoured energy drinks hasn't been the best, I'm a little concerned.

FIRST IMPRESSION: I like the can. The crimson background is quite attractive and though there might be a lot going on, for some reason I don't think it is very cluttered. I don't, however, like that its a small eight oz. can. Most energy drinks now a days are sixteen oz.'s, so I don't see any reason why Syzmo Passion isn't. One weird thing is that Syzmo Passion has a GI of 30(low). According to the can, a GI is the effect of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels. Yeah, its just weird.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a faint cherry/berry hybrid, with the cherry tasting like a fresh Maraschino cherry, similar to that found in 180 Red. The berry is not like the standard blue raspberry, but instead a pleasant cran and blue berry blend. Syzmo Passion is not very sweet, sour or bitter, but instead rather tart, but not too tart. Overall, the taste to Syzmo Passion is one of the more interesting flavours to drink I've had in a while.

KICK: Unsurprisingly, the kick is the weakest part of the whole Syzmo Passion experience. Each can contains: 125mg of coffee fruit concentrate, eighty mg of caffeine, 1000% of your daily intake of Vit. B12, twelve mg of Vit. B 6, and 100% of your daily intake of Vit. B2, B3, and C. Though this blend of ingredients isn't too far off the standard amount, it is the small eight oz. can destroys any chance of Syzmo Passion giving anyone a "good" kick. For around two or so hours, I felt mildly awake, with only my mental state being raised.

FINAL WORD: All in all, I feel that Syzmo Passion is a truly unique energy drink. Everything except the kick was refreshing and as a whole, a fun experience. Though I can't say that this drink will revolutionize the energy drink market(or sell well), but I can say that it is one of the few eight oz. energy drinks that I can recommend buying at full retail price...4/5

Slap Juicy Tropical

First of all, I'm sorry for the scattered reviews lately, and as usual, I blame the common energy drink drought. But today I guess it must of down poured, because Big Lots was stocked with a bunch of new energy drinks, and one of them is Slap Juicy Tropical. Slap Juicy Tropical is one of the two flavours in the Slap Juicy line, the other being Cherry Punch. Now, the Slap line has been pretty average the past, but I'm curious to see how they executed the labeled "tropical" flavour. Personally, I hope that the flavour will be mostly citrus, as I have a love affair with citrus, but will Slap fulfill my hopes and expectations, or will they, like some, fail to meet them?

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can design is different from the design of the previous Slap drinks, and that's not for the better. The large "Juicy" is off-putting and would be more fitting on a Juicy Juice bottle than an energy drink. I also don't like the green background because green reminds me more of a forest than a tropical island. Overall, the can can't decide whether its an energy drink or a juice box.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour is hard to describe. It starts out a light, seltzer-like pineapple juice flavour than lingers in your mouth for a brief while, then quickly fades away. I couldn't taste any other flavour than pineapple, which I have to say is rather disappointing. The flavour as a whole is not very sweet, bitter or sour, but instead very juice like, which I guess is only fitting given the whole "juicy" gimmick. Overall, I'm not too impressed with the flavour of Slap Juicy Tropical. I was hoping for more than just a pineapple flavour.

KICK: Each can contains: carbonated water, pear juice, sugar, taurine, peach juice, caffeine, malic acid, and vitamins B6, B3, and B12. This potent blend of ingredients gave me a long, health-like buzz. While I wasn't all hyped up or full of jitters, I did feel my alertness and mental being go up for a good four to five hours. After the four+ hours, I gently drifted back to normality. Overall, a solid kick from Slap Juicy Tropical.

FINAL WARD: From beginning to end, I have to say that I'm disappointed with Slap Juicy Tropical. While the kick was great, the can and taste were nothing to write home about. The can was definitely the weakest part of the whole drink, and the flavour was in the middle. Though the flavour was by no means bad, it wasn't any thing exceptional and was more like generic or mediocre. All in all, unless your only concern is getting health-like kick, I say either buy Slap Juicy Tropical at discount or skip entirely...2.9/5

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Mtn Dew Game Fuel Wild Fruit flavored Alliance Blue

Though I've never considered Mtn Dew an energy drink(nor do I consider amp an energy drink), but since I reviewed the original Mtn Dew Game Fuel back in 2007, I figured it was only fair to review the new Game Fuel flavours, starting with Mtn Dew Game Fuel Wild Fruit flavored Alliance Blue. Mtn Dew Alliance Blue is one of the two new limited edition flavours, the other being Citrus Cherry flavored Horde Red, and if its different from the original Mtn Dew Game Fuel, I'll hopefully get around to reviewing. Now since Mtn Dew Alliance Blue is not labeled as an energy drink, I'm going to modify my regular review style.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can is obviously influenced by WoW, which is great for fans(cough* addicts* cough), but for every one else, you feel embarrassed holding it in general. But the good side of things, I like the blue/black background. It fits the Mtn Dew logo surprisingly well. Overall, the can, while it may have many fan boys sold on its fan service, for any one else(and arguably any one will any sense), the can is just an ugly cluttered mess...2/5

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a light berry/grape hybrid, that soon fades, leaving an almost cold feeling in my mouth. The berry flavour is mostly dull blue raspberry, while the grape flavour is well, grape. The berry is definitely the dominant flavour, as the grape isn't too noticeable. There's a slight sweet sting towards the end, but nothing major. Overall, I like the flavour of Mtn Dew Wild Fruit, and surprisingly its better tasting than most in the amp line...3.9/5

Nutrition: Each can contains: forty six grams of sugar, 170 calories, forty six total carbs, sixty mg of sodium, citric acid, natural flavouring, red forty, BVO, and seventy three mg of caffeine. Though the caffeine content is quite impressive over most sodas, Mtn Dew Alliance Blue is pretty bad for you. The sugar content is pretty high, as forty six grams of sugar is more than a third a cup of sugar(or over three table spoons), so anyone concerned with their health should probably avoid picking up Mtn Dew Alliance Blue...1.7/5

FINAL WORD: Overall Mtn Dew Alliance Blue is a pretty good extension to the popular Mtn Dew line. I can't see myself drinking this everyday, but just on the taste alone I can see myself drinking this once a week or so. If your health conscious, I can't recommend Mtn Dew Alliance Blue, but if your one of those people just out there to enjoy life, I say buy, if cheap, Mtn Dew Alliance Blue...3.4/5

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Rockstar Punched Citrus

Rockstar is one of the more popular lines of energy drinks, and given my experience with the line, I say they deserve it to an extent. While none of the drinks are hugely innovative, none of them are a disgrace to energy drinks or energy drinkers. Rockstar Punched Citrus is one of the two energy drinks in the Rockstar Punched line, the other being Rockstar Punched Energy+Punch. I've been looking for Rockstar Punched Citrus for a decent amount of time, and I'm rather excited to finally get to try/review it, however, will it meet my expectations?

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can uses the same background that Guava used, but unlike Guava, the colour is a bright green. I like the fact that its green, as there's not too many green energy drink cans out there, but that's about all the good I can say about it. There's simply too much stuff going on at once. There is a large star on the bottom left, there is three lines of writing towards the top, and as that's not enough text, there's also some small writing towards the very top, and some more next to the star. Overall, while the can's colour may help the drink jump off the shelves, it's simply too cluttered for its own good.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour is hard to describe. It starts out a thick lemon/lime flavour, followed by a tart berry taste that finishes it. The lemon/lime is thick, almost to the point of being grainy, ruining any chance of it ever being a thirst quencher. The lemon is slightly stronger than the lime flavour, and the berry flavour tastes more natural than I expected. Rockstar Citrus is decently sweet and pretty sour. Overall, I like the flavour of Rockstar Punched Citrus, and would go even as far as to saying its my favorite Rockstar flavour so far.

KICK: Each can contains: 240mg of caffeine, B vitamins, ginseng, ginkgo, gaurana, taurine, and milk thistle. This blend gave me a pretty powerful buzz, lasting around four hours or so. My alertness went up, but surprisingly, I didn't get any jitters or twitches. Once the four hours were up, I gently drifted back to my normal sense of being. Overall, the kick is one of the better I've had in a while and definitely one of the best in the Rockstar line.

FINAL WORDY: In the end, I feel that Rockstar Punched Citrus is a great overall energy drink. The can, while mediocre at best, the kick and taste make up for it and are among the best in the Rockstar line. I've been trying hard to find this drink, and after all the trouble I went through to find it, I have to say can aside, that it exceeded my expectations. All in all, if your looking for a great tasting potent citrus energy drink in the vein of Mtn Dew or Vault, I say buy Rockstar Punched Citrus...4.3/5

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Max Velocity Uncaged Sugar Free Re-review

Shaws has a surprisingly good amount of energy drinks, so on the rare occasion that I go to Shaws, I try to pick up several energy drinks, and on my most recent voyage, one of them is Max Velocity Uncaged Sugar Free. Max Velocity Uncaged Sugar Free is distributed by the Albertson company exclusively through Shaws super markets. I've already reviewed Max Velocity Uncaged Sugar Free before and was impressed with it, but since my tastes have changed(and because that review sucked), I've decided to re-review it.

FIRST IMPRESSION: While I think the yellow fits the can design better than orange of the original, I still don't like the can as a whole. The cheetah is out of place and the text is rather cluttered. I also don't like how the writing is written sideways. This makes reading the can more difficult than it has to be. Overall, The can, while an improvement over the original, is unappealing.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a light lemon flavour that's closely followed with a mild grapefruit flavour. Unlike the original, there's no ginger ale or lime flavour. There's a sugar-free aftertaste that's more strong towards the beginning, but as you take more sips you can't notice it as much. The sweetness is kept it to a low, which I think helps keep the sugar free aftertaste to a low. The flavour is not tart, sour, or bitter, which is something to be said for energy drinks in general. Overall, the flavour or Max Velocity Uncaged Sugar Free is quite enjoyable and right on par with its sugared counter part.

KICK: The highlights of the ingredients are: Taurne, caffeine, Niacin, inositol, Vit, B5, B6, and B12. This blend gave me a decent kick. For three or so hours I felt mildly awake and had some mild jitters. After the three hours my alertness went down, but since it wasn't raised much in the first place, it wasn't too noticeable.

FINAL WARD: Overall, I have to say that Max Velocity Uncaged Sugar Free is a fairly decent stab at a sugar free energy drink. Though the can is terrible, the surprisingly good sugar free flavour and middling kick make up for it. I can't say that I'm gonna buy Max Velocity Uncaged Sugar Free all the time, I can see myself buying this occasionally. All in all, if your looking for a decent energy drink that is not going to break your budget or belt, give Max Velocity Uncaged Sugar Free a try, but if your looking for something truly special, its best to save your money and avoid...3.4/5

Wired X Berry Rush

On my latest trek to Big Lots, I wasn't expecting much, as it has been rather slow lately, so seeing Wired X Berry Rush was surprising. Wired X Berry Rush is made by Unique Beverage Company, who also makes Twisted Chopper energy drink. The Wired line of energy drinks has been around a decent amount of time, and one look at there website reveals that they have one whole lot of varieties. And that means I've got a lot of drinks to review. I haven't had any drinks in the Wired line, so I'm rather excited to see how the first in the long line that I'm gonna review, Wired X Berry Rush, turns out.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can of Wired X Berry Rush looks like it took five minutes to make by a slacker in a high school graphic arts class. The purple would of been more fitting for a grape energy drink than a berry drink. The weird flame things don't add much to the already boring can. I do like the twenty four oz. size of it though, as I've only reviewed energy drinks in six teen oz. cans lately. Overall, other than the size, the can just looks like an afterthought and doesn't leave me with high expectation for the taste and kick.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a tart fake blue raspberry flavour, that sits in your mouth for a little while then fades away leaving a slight syrupy feel in your mouth. The tartness comes in more towards the end of the blue raspberry flavour, which I thought was kinda unique, as you'd expect if to be more towards the beginning. There really wasn't anything else to the flavour other than the blue raspeberry flavour. Overall, Wired X Berry Rush's flavour is pretty generic and doesn't bring anything new to the table of energy drinks.

KICK: Each can contains: high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, citric acid, natural and artificial flavor, inositol, caffeine, niacin, taurine. At first, as any energy guru would, I thought I was in for a wild ride. But then I found that the entire 23.5 oz. can contained only 150 mg of caffeine and only eighty mg of taurine. My mouth dropped to the floor. Only fifty mg of caffeine per eight oz.? This really disappointed me. amp has more caffeine per eight oz. than this. Moving on, the kick I got from Wired X Berry Rush was pretty decent, giving me a good three and a half hour buzz. During the three+ hours, I felt some mild jitters and twitches, but once the three+ hours was done I was hit by a hard and sudden crash. I felt groggy and just moped around the house til I went to bed.

FINAL WARD: Overall, I feel that Wired X Berry Rush is a below average energy drink. The can was poor, the flavour was mediocre and the kick was fair to middling. I didn't have the highest hopes for Wired X Berry Rush, so while I can't that I'm disappointed, I can say that it doesn't encourage me to try the other thousands of energy drinks in the Wired line. All in all, if your looking for a cheap, run of the mill blue raspberry energy drink, give Wired X Berry Rush a try, but if your looking for anything else, its best to only buy at discount or avoid completley...3.1/5

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amp Trading Spaces

The amp line as a whole has been mediocre. None of the drinks have really been exceptional, and only a couple of the drinks have redeemable qualities. But for some reason they continue to sell well enough to encourage Pepsi to make more extensions, and the latest is amp Trading Paint. amp Trading Paint is a limited edition variety of amp that instead of focusing on one flavour, is a blend of three flavours, lime, orange and berry. Personally, I think that a berry, orange and lime mix is a good idea for a drink, but I have a feeling that amp will find a way to it screw up.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can of amp Trading Paint is what you get when you put an original amp in a Nascar koozie. And as you can imagine, I don't like the can. Its cluttered by the large "88," scrambled text, and the weird "a" above the amp logo. I guess Nascar fans will like the Dale Earnhardt Jr sponsorship, but for everyone else, the can fails to impress.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour is hard to describe. It starts out with heavy focus on the berry, which then fades away, leaving behind a sweet lime flavour. The berry flavour is pretty tart, and is mainly blue raspberry, with a hint of cotton candy. There's no orange at all through out the drink, which I can't say is a disappointment, as orange flavoured energy drinks are not my favourite. After the lime, there's a syrupy aftertaste, which by no means is as bad as Black Jack Energy Tea, but is just as bad or worse than amp Overdrive. Overall, the flavour of amp Trading Paint had potential, but sadly it just turned into a disappointing, syrupy mess of berry and lime.

KICK: Each can contains: 160mg of caffeine, 296mg of Taurine, thirty four mg of Ginseng, 148mg of Maltodextrin, and 100% of Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, and niacin. And just like the other amps before it, I got a weak buzz. For around two or three hours I had mild jitters and my mental alertness was raised briefly. Though it was weak, it was still better than amp original.

FINAL WORD: Overall, I feel that amp Trading Paint is a poor attempt at making an unique energy drink. The can was a cluttered mess, the flavour was syrupy and the kick was weak. I can't say that I'm surprised that amp Trading Paint was a disappointment, mainly because most of the other amp energy drinks were pretty bad. This drink had a lot of potential. A blend of orange, berry and lime is interesting, but just like I thought, they some how screwed it up. Being that its an amp energy drink pretty much assures you a weak kick, and for a Nascar licenced product, I wasn't expecting a good can. Its the flavour that really disappointed me. It seems that amp original and amp Lightning are the only good energy drink in the line, and I really don't see that ever changing. Do not get suckered in to buying this disgrace of an energy drink, whether your a Nascar freak, an amp fan(Darwin forbid), or just a caffeine junkie. Skip amp Trading Paint...2/5

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Unbound Energy

Back in March I reviewed the run of the mill juice energy drink Unbound Juice, and at my most recent Big Lots run I found one of the three varieties of Unbound, Unbound Original. Unbound Energy is what I expect to be the FreeFall clone in the line, because of the lack of flavour indication. Though I can't say that I'm terribly excited to review Unbound, I can't say that I'm dreading the thought of reviewing it.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can of Unbound uses the same design as Unbound Juice did before it, but uses gray instead of orange rust, which I feel suits the design better. The gray also makes the can looks more hardcore. Though not the most impressive energy drink cans I've ever seen, its certainly a vast improvement over its juice counter part.

TASTE: I cracked open the can and took a sip. The flavour surprised me. It starts out light with a mild mango flavour. The mango is sweet and doesn't last long, as a stronger peach flavour takes over. The peach doesn't taste seltzer-y like in rip it Power, but instead clean and crisp. Both the peach and the mango imitate there respected fruit quite well. Unbound goes down very smooth and there's no tartness, sourness, or bitterness to account for. Overall, an unexpectedly good to great flavour from Unbound.

KICK: Each can contains: Carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, citric acid, taurine, caffeine, natural and artificial flavors, inositol, panax ginseng root extract, niacinamide, sucralose, and artificial colors. This seemingly average blend, for some reason, gave me one hell of a kick. Five, count them five hours I had all jitters, and twitches I could want from an energy drink. After the five hours or so, my alertness went down and though it wasn't a hard or sudden crash, it was still noticeable enough to make note of.

FINAL WORD: Overall, I feel that Unbound Original Energy is not only an improvement over Unbound Juice, but also one of the better energy drinks I've reviewed lately. I was expecting a FreeFall clone, judging by the lack of flavour indication, but instead it was an unique blend of mango and peach. Though I'm surprised on the flavour, I can't say that I was surprised by the kick. Being that it's made by Hansen's pretty much guaranteed a good, powerful kick. All in all, in the case of Unbound Energy, the positives out weight the negatives, so whether it's $.60, or $2.50, I say buy it...4.3/5

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Hooters Energy Drink

Big Lots is widely know for distributing rare and bizarre energy drinks, but I don't think any of them is as bizarre as Hooters Energy Drink. Hooters Energy Drink is made by the Pennington Beverage Company, which I can't seem to find any information on. They don't even have a web site, so I don't know if there is any other varieties, other than a sugar free version. Judging by the can, I can't say that I'm excited at all to try Hooters Energy. My guess is that its gonna be a FreeFall clone laced with a weak kick, becuase if Pennington Beverage were to put any real time and money on an energy drink, using a Hooters license doesn't seem like a smart choice opposed to creating a whole new brand.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can of Hooters Energy is every bit as tacky as the Hooters restaurant itself, right down to the slogan which is "Delightfully Unrefined Energy." On the good side, I like the owl, as I think she's cute, and the can has a good amount of fan service. But that's about all the good that I can say about the can. The design is basic and boring, and the Hooters girl is well, ugly, hell, if the owl was wearing the tank top and short shorts it would be hotter. Either way, the can's unappealing and relies too much on fan service.

TASTE: I opened the can and was hit by a bright orange colour. It starts out a sweet orange soda like flavour, not natural like awake good morning. There's a mild Sweet Tart flavour towards the end, similar, Ole', but not as strong. The carbonation is kept to a medium, which I think works well with the flavour. Its very tangy and not bitter, tart, or vitamin-y. There's as light orange aftertaste which while not the best, is not nothing offensive. Overall, I'm impressed with the flavour Hooters Energy.

KICK: Each can contains: 220 calories, fifty four grams of sugar, 1900 mg of taurine, 220 mg caffeine, guarana, ginseng, inositol, taurine, B Vitamins, and Calcium. Though this blend isn't too far off the average tired and true energy blend, I got a pretty wicked buzz. For four hours I felt full of energy, and my mental alertness was up. But the bigger they come, the harder they fall, and Hooters Energy Drink is no exception. After the four hours I was hit with a horrible crash, but this is nothing an another energy drink couldn't solve.

FINAL WORD: Overall, Hooters Energy is an above average energy drink. Though the can will go down in infamy for beginning one of the worst energy drink cans ever to be held by my hands, the great taste and kick make up for my tarnished hands. Hooters Energy really surprised me with its pleasing taste, its great kick, and the fact that it wasn't a FreeFall clone. More companies should do what Pennington Beverage did by creating an unique energy drink, instead of rehashing an old tired and true flavour and weak kick. A good to great licensed energy drink is rare now a days, as most companies use there license to make a quick buck and don't put any heart or soul into the product. But every once in a while, a company will spend time and money on there license, and it usually pays off. All in all, if your a woman rights activist looking for a great energy drinks, avoid, but if your an average Joe, and caffeine nut, a perv, or just think the owls cute, give Hooters Energy Drink a try, even if its full price...4/5

amp Overdrive re-review

Back when I was first getting started, I reviewed the first extension of the popular amp line, amp overdrive, and as we all know that when I first started reviewing energy drinks that, well my reviews sucked, and amp overdrive is no exception. So that's why I've decided to re-review it. amp Overdrive, along with several other amp varieties, is based off a previous Mtn. Dew flavour, and in this case, its Mtn. Dew Code Red. Now, I've never been a been a big Mtn. Dew fan, so an energy drink based off a Mtn. Dew flavour doesn't get me pupped up for this review.

FIRST IMPRESSION: Sorry for the bad picture, my camera's old so taking a good picture isn't always an option. The can uses the same design that Lightning used and I think that the design goes better with the red and black opposed to yellow. Though I like the can, I don't like the name. Overdrive, what does that mean? It doesn't fit cherry as well as lightning did for lemonade. The can is also cluttered with text, making it hard to focus on the pleasing can. Either way, the pros slightly outweigh the cons.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out with a sweet fake cherry taste, unlike in 180 Red. After the cherry, a mildly sweet lemon/lime flavour develops and finishes the flavour. Then some artificial orange hints are left in your mouth of a while. Overdrive is very syrupy and thick, which while not nearly as bad as Black Jack Green Tea, it's still a turn off. Overall, Overdrive is very syrupy and tastes artificial.

KICK: Each can contains only: 160mg of caffeine, 148mg of Matodextrin, sixteen mg of Yerba Mate, 296mg of Taurine, 248mg of Guarana, and 200% of Niacin, Riboflavin, and Pantothenic Acid. This blend, while more potent than original amp, still failed to stand and deliver a decent kick. For around two to three hours I felt mildly jittery and my alertness went up only slightly.

FINAL WORD: Overall, amp Overdrive fails to impress me. Overdrive's poor kick, syrupy taste, and cluttered can makes it hard to recommend because as a whole, the cons outweigh the pros. Overdrive could of been a great extension off the decent at best amp line, but instead its nothing above mediocre. All in all, unless your looking for a syrupy weak energy drink held in a cluttered but otherwise good can, skip amp Overdrive...2.8/5

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Buzz Bites Chocolate Energy Chews

I woke up today ready, but not excited, to review Sol mate Lemon-Lime, when I noticed a plastic wrapped tin sitting next to my wallet. It was Buzz Bites Chocolate Chews. My eye's opened wide. How could I've not reviewed them, as I got them around two months ago. In a panic, I threw the bottle of Sol mate Lemon/Lime at the wall, grabbed the tin, and rushed down the stairs. As I log in to my computer, I remember I have to go to Portland to see my sister's graduation. Frustrated, I got dressed and headed off. Now that I'm home some several hours later, there's nothing left to do but review Buzz Bites, well, except maybe put off the review in favor of playing some Wario Land: Shake It.

FIRST IMPRESSION: I like the tin of Buzz Bites, though not as much as Foosh Mints. The tin is clean and has minimal text, which leaves focus of the fact that each chew contains 100mg of caffeine, just like Foosh Mints before it. 100mg of caffeine in a small chew is a pretty impressive feat by a rather small and unknown company. I don't, however, like the fact that the front of the tin doesn't say that each chew contains 100mg of caffeine. I think just saying "contains 100mg of caffeine" is better than the equation that the tin has. Either way, I'm excited to see how Buzz Bites turns out, maybe because of my love of chocolate, or because of getting 100mg of caffeine in a small chew is the ultimate caffeine-gasm.

TASTE: I unwrapped the chew and popped it in my mouth. Initially, the flavour was a sweet chocolate, similar to Tootsie Rolls, but then a strong bitterness took over, completely destroying the initial flavour. The bitterness really builds up over time and becomes too much for me, to the point that I divided it up in small pieces and downed them with water like I do with No-Doz. There's a mild bitter aftertaste, which makes drinking water afterwords important.

KICK: Each chew contains: 100mg of caffeine, ten% of Thiamin, Niacin, Panto. Acid, twenty% of Vit. B6, Taurine, ginseng, and seventy five% of Vit. B12. This potent mix gave me a powerful kick that lasted around three or so hours, and was filled with jitters and a raised alertness. One surprising thing is that I began feeling jittery about fifthteen or so minutes after shoving one of these down my throat. After the three hours I collapsed from exhaustion and just felt like sleeping. Though this is not the most powerful kick I've ever gotten, nor is it the longest lasting, it sure is one of the fastest.

FINAL WARD: Overall, my reaction to Buzz Bites Chocolate Energy Chews is a mixed bag. Here you got a chocolate energy chew in an good tin, and has one hell of a quick buzz, but the taste is so bitter that I couldn't eat with out washing it down with water. These factors make Buzz Bites Chocolate one of the hardest energy products I've ever had to review. I can't say that the kick and tin make up for the horrid taste, but at the same time I can't say that the bitter taste is bad enough to keep me from recommending the chew as a whole. All in all, if you don't mind strong bitterness and are looking for a convenient and quick form of energy, pick up Buzz Bites, but if your in it more for the taste than the kick, avoid Buzz Bites...2.7/5

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NOS Powershit

Now, two of my least favorite things in the energy market are energy shots and the NOS line, so when all I had in my fridge was NOS Powershot, you can imagine that I wasn't a happy camper. Putting one of the most disappointing energy drink lines in shot form isn't exactly what I call a good idea. I've tried NOS Grape, NOS in the can and NOS in the bottle, and they all came out with similar results, below average, so my hopes for NOS Powershit- I mean Powershot, aren't too high.

FIRST IMPRESSION: NOS Powershot comes in a tiny two oz. bottle with a similar label to its older brothers NOS Grape and NOS in Bottle. Now while I think the blue bottle matches the orange label quite well, I don't like how the label is cluttered. I also don't like how most if not all energy shots come in resealable bottles, while many large energy drinks come in the conventional pop top soda can design that can't reseal. Why the hell would you put something that your supposed to drink in a sip in a resealable can, and put something your supposed to drink moderately like juice or tea comes in a non-close able bottle. Either way, the bottles too cluttered and doesn't do much to stand off the shelf compared to some shots.

TASTE: I opened the bottle and took a sip. The flavours best described as strong passion fruit upfront, but then a strong bitterness kick in. The passion fruit, while too strong for my taste, is sadly the best part of the flavour. There's a slight orange flavour that rides along side the passion fruit, but sadly gets overrun by the bitterness. Overall, NOS Powershot's flavour is one of the worst I've had in my near three years of reviewing.

KICK: Each bottle contains: high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, taurine, natural passion fruit flavor with other natural flavors, 125mg of caffeine, Vitamin C, inositol, ginseng, vitamin B6, beta carotene, and vitamin B 12. Now while most of the drinks in the NOS line has been disappointing on taste, but impressed me in the kick department, NOS Powershot provided me with a measly two hour buzz, filled with twitches and ended with no crash. NOS Powershot's weak kick surprised me, as the bottle said, "This is not NOS Energy Drink... and is much more powerful." You'd think after two powerful energy drinks that the concentrated form would be more powerful, but NOS somehow made that little bit of sense, nonsense.

FINAL WORD: Overall, NOS Powershot is not only a disgrace the NOS line, but to energy products in general. This could of been the saving grace to the poor NOS line, but it instead turned out to be a badly dressed, bitter weak disappointment. The Whole NOS line in general has been pretty bad, but at least they all had something to keep them from completely failing, but not NOS Powershot. Avoid NOS Powershot at all cost. I got mine from Big Lots for $1, and I have to say I paid too much...1.6/5

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Energy Rush Berry Mix

A while back I reviewed Energy Rush Citrus and found that it was a decent attempt at an energy mix, so I've decided to try another flavour in the line, berry. Energy Rush is made by the 4C company, who is known for there grated cheese and bread crumbs, so naturally, making an energy mix was a logical choice. Note,*In my review for Energy Rush Citrus, I said that there were only two flavours in the line, berry and citrus, but I was wrong. There is also an orange variety, which if Energy Rush Berry Mix turns out good, I might consider trying.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The packet, while slightly more attractive than its citrus counterpart because of the soft blue, still falls into the same traps that Citrus did before it. The packet is too cluttered and the company's logo is too big. I do, however, like the large "with taurine" text below "Energy Rush." This tells me that at least they tried to put some energy ingredients instead of just caffeine, like some other energy products I've had.

TASTE: I opened the packet and poured it into a sixteen.nine oz. bottle of water. The bottle turned a light purple colour, indicating that its gonna be more of a grape drink and a berry drink. The flavours best described as a light mix of berry and grape, with the grape trailing the berry and adding a little zing towards the end. The berry flavour consists of mostly blue raspberry, but there is some açaí in there as well. The drink isn't tart, which I think is a little disappointing. There's also no sugar free aftertaste, which is surprising. Overall, the flavour's is not as good as Energy Rush Citrus, but it is still drinkable and is a pretty good tasting energy mix.

KICK: Each packet contains: caffeine, Taurine, 200% of Vit. B6, B3, 100% of Vit. B5, twenty % of Vit. B9, and 160% of Vit. B12. This mix of ingredients gave me a decent buzz, but nothing great. My alertness was noticeably up and only slight jitters were experienced. This lasted a good three hours or so.

FINAL WORD: All in all, Energy Rush Berry Mix is a slightly lower than decent energy mix. While the taste was antiqued, the packet was unimpressive and the buzz was nothing I have never seen before. While its still a good deal(fourteen packets for $3.99), Energy Rush Berry just doesn't have an edge over other energy mixes such as Helix Orange. Unless looking for a decent berry flavoured energy mix that won't have you going crazy, I say skip Energy Rush Berry Mix...2.9/5

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Euphoric Energy Raspberry/Strawberry

One of the most interesting line of energy drinks I've encountered lately is the Euphoric Energy line. Each flavour has been something totally unique and different from any other energy drink out there, and to no surprise, they released a raspberry flavour. Raspberry, to me, has always been an unappreciated flavour in energy drinks, so its a great surprise to finally find one, even if it's paired with strawberry.

FIRST IMPRESSION: While the can design of Euphoric Energy has been a mixed bag, I feel that Euphoric Rasp/Straw is the best out of all of them. The dark red on the velvet-like pattern behind the still weird "e" thing really work well together, even if the name still bothers me. Overall, the can looks great and unlike Banana/Strawberry, leaves me wanting to crack open the can and chug.

TASTE: I opened the can and the smell of Stoked After Burn filled my nose with a curtain sweetness that makes the back of your throat stiff. The flavour is best described as light strawberry that is only there briefly before it leaves your mouth completely. Its mildly sweet and goes down smoothly. There is no raspberry flavour to account for, which despite being a huge disappointment, doesn't necessarily mean the flavours bad. The flavour is actually quite good. Though I can't see the flavour winning any awards, its still a good flavour and makes a great thirst quencher.

KICK: Each can contains: 140mg of Caffeine, 1200mg of Taurine, fifty mg of Ginseng, eighty mg of Damiana, sixty mg of Maca Root Extract, and 100mg Suma Root Extract. This combination of ingredients gave me an unimpressive kick. For only about three or so hours, I had a mildly raised alertness, and mental lift. No crash though, which seems to be a a reoccurring theme with the Euphoric line.

FINAL WORD: Overall, I feel that Euphoric Energy Raspberry/Strawberry is one of the best Euphoric energy drinks so far. While the kick is a disappointment, the can and taste make up for it. The whole Euphoric line has been good to great, in terms of taste. But in the can and kick category, they tend to fail, and they tend to fail miserably. Though I can't say that I'd recommend Euphoric Energy Raspberry/Strawberry to somebody looking for a powerful drink housed in a urban can, but if your looking for a good tasting energy drink in an attractive can, give Euphoric Raspberry/Strawberry a try, hell, try it even if its full price...3.8/5

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Black Jack Gunpowder Energy Tea

Black Jack Gunpowder Energy Tea is an energy drink that I have seen everywhere, but never picked up. Market Basket, Big Lots, Hannafords all sell it, but I never really was motivated to buy one. But after several boring trips to Big Lots, I had little left there to review. Black Jack Energy Tea is made by the Polar Beverage Company, who are known for making bizarre flavoured seltzer waters. While I'm not too excited to try Black Jack Energy Tea, I am interested to see how Polar Beverage's first energy product turns out.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can features a generic pirate hovering over the drinks logo, an eighty eighty cents flag, and a green back round, which while appropriate, I don't like. The green doesn't really jump off the shelf as much as it could, and a little more emphasis on the pirate would of been nice. The slogan, "Treasure the Taste," I think fits the pirate image, but I don't think it fits an energy drink too well. Usually companies say how powerful there drink is or how much energy it has, but never really focused on the taste, so, in that form Polar Beverage gets kudos points from me for being unique, even if its not really all too fitting.

TASTE: I opened the can and a gold non-carbonated liquid comes out. The flavour is best described as light citrus flavour that's not too sweet or tart. The citrus flavour then ends rather quickly and a faint tea taste takes over. The tea taste isn't overbearing, but isn't the best tasting. The citrus taste consists of mostly lemon, but there is some mild lime hints as well. While my initial thoughts were that the flavour was pretty good, the flavour soon grew very syrupy almost to the point of it being undrinkable.

KICK: Each can contains: caffeine, 100% of Niacin, Vit. B12, 240% of Vit. B6, and eighty% of Vit. B2. The blend is seriously lacking some key ingredients and because of this a near pathetic kick was received on my part. A sad one hour buzz that was filled with a briefly raised alertness and no twitches.

FINAL WORD: Though I doubt that Polar made Black Jack Energy Tea with caffeine guru's in mind, that doesn't excuse it from being one of the worst drinks ever to be graced by the word "energy." The can, the taste, and the kick have all been bad, which still amazes me. There is nothing redeemable through out the whole experience of the drink, except maybe reaching the end of the drink. Though it's Polar Bev.'s first stab in the energy drink market, some might think I should go easy on them, you know, by saying, "its there first energy product, let them learn from there mistakes"- no, they should learn from others mistakes. If a boys father beats his wife and then goes to jail, do you think that boy is gonna beat his wife? Hell no, he's gonna treat her like royalty. Plus, if there gonna label the drink as an "energy" drink, I'm gonna treat it like an energy drink. I don't do babying. Overall, Black Jack Energy Tea is a drink that could of been good, but in the end it was all just a syrupy mess...1.8/5

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Sol mate' Sparkling Yerba Mate' Original

Shopping through my local Big Lots brought me a surprise, Sol mate Sparkling Yerba Mate' Original. Sol mate Original is made by the, Sol Mate' Beverage company and is the first energy drink that I've reviewed that comes in a glass bottle, the way all carbonated drinks should come in. Sol mate' Original, the name, leaves me to believe that its going to be a FreeFall clone, but for some reason, I feel that Sol mate is too premium to use such an over used flavour. On other note, the check out lady at Big Lots recommended me this and told me not to consume any other caffeinated drinks afterwards. Now, while I did buy the drink after her recommendation, I WILL drink more caffeinated drinks through out the day because no body tells the Caffeine King what to do-"Sonny, dinners ready." "All right mom. Wow, dinners late tonight..."

FIRST IMPRESSION: The bottle of Sol mate' Original is very basic, with only a sun, and some writing. The colour of the drink is piss yellow, which is not a very appealing colour. And the slogan, "Just Energy No Jitters" doesn't really excite me. Overall, I don't like the bottle. If Sol mate wants to sell more drinks, they're gonna have to change the colour to something less piss-like(or tint the bottle), and spice up the bottle a little bit. But I do like the fact that it comes in a glass bottle, but the positives don't outweigh the negatives.

TASTE: After struggling to pop the cap off, I finally opened the bottle and took a sip. The flavour really surprised me. It starts off with a light tea flavour, lightly sweetened, then it fades away with a milk-diluted coffee taste similar to coffee ice cream. There is some underlying bitterness to the drink that I think comes from the coffee flavour. Overall, I don't like the taste of Sol mate' Original, as it try's and it try's hard, but it never really succeeds. It try's to be two completely different flavours at once, which should come to no surprise that it doesn't do well. Its also a real chore to finish drinking. I haven't had a drink that's so difficult to finish since Vital Lifestyle Water Energize Dragon Fruit.

KICK: Each bottle contains: sixty mg of caffeine, Mate' extract, organic can sugar, and citric acid. This "blend" of ingredients gave me one of the weakest kicks since the debut of this web log. Just like the slogan claimed, I got no jitters, but I also got no energy. The caffeine content is similar to a twelve oz. can of Vault, and so is the kick. Overall, a weak buzz that makes even FreeFall seem like Jolt.

FINAL WORD: Overall, I feel that Sol mate' Sparkling Yerba Mate' Original is one of the most disappointing energy drinks I've had in quite some time. Though my expectations where pretty low, what is disappointing is that the drink didn't even meet them. Though I like the fact that more companies are releasing premium energy drinks, with real sugar, glass bottles, and more vitamins, but Sol mate' is not a good example of these. In fact, Sol mate' is a perfect example of how not to make an all-natural energy drink...2/5

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Venom Low Carb Mojave Rattler

First of all, I apologize for the lack of constant reviews lately. Not only has my computer been shutting off unexpectedly, but I recently got hit by a horrible cold. So, reviewing time has been spotty. Anyway, on to the review. Back in '08 I reviewed Venom Black Mamba and was really disappointed. The can really impressed me, but the flavour and kick left something to be desired. I never planned on reviewing the lo-cal version, but after a request, I grew some balls and bought it.

FIRST IMPRESSION: I feel that the can to Mojave Rattler is better than the can of Black Mamba. Though the design is the same, I feel that the purple colour fits it better than the red. The design is still kick ass and really pops off the shelf among the red and black energy drinks. I wouldn't say that I'm terribly excited to try Mojave Rattler, mainly because the sugar free version is usually worse than the sugared version, and I really didn't like the original. Overall, the can is one of, if not the best energy drink can I've ever seen, but should I judge a book by its cover?

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour is hard to describe. It starts out with a dull FreeFall flavour, that soon fades away and ends with a citrus bite. The sugar substitute works well by not leaving any sugar free after taste. I can't say that I'm impressed with the flavour, but I'd have to say that it is better tasting than Black Mamba. Black Mamba was too sweet, but in Mojave, the sweetness is drastically reduced, making a much better tasting drink. Overall, Mojave Rattler is a decent at best tasting energy drink.

KICK: Each can contains: Carbonated Water, sugar, glucose, citric acid, taurine, natural and artificial flavors, ginseng extract, caffeine, sucralose, vitmin b3, guarana, vitamin b6, riboflavin, and vitamin b12. This blend gave me a decent bump, but nothing great. For around three or so hours I had some jitters and a mildly raised alertness.

FINAL WORDE: Overall, I feel that Venom Mojave Rattler is a decent overall energy drink. While the can is amazing, the flavour and kick just fail to meet expectations set by the can. I really wish that companies would stop making energy drinks that just rely on one thing. Some only rely on the can, some only rely on the taste, when will this trend end? If Dr Pepper wants Venom to sell, there gonna have to do better than this. Why don't they just add an energy blend to Dr Pepper and bottle that? It would sure taste better. It amazes me why companies are so money hungry that they would trick people with a great can and give them a flavour that they have had dozens of times. Overall, while the can is impressive, the taste and kick are just not as strong as the can...3/5

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Slap White Tea Energy Lemon Ice

One of the last Slap energy drinks I have currently is Slap White Tea Energy. The Slap line, so far, has been slightly above average, and I don't think its gonna change with Slap White Tea Energy. Slap White Tea Energy is one of the three tea varieties in the line, along with Slap Red Tea Citrus and Slap Green Tea Energy Crisp Apple. I've never had "white tea," but I'm guessing its a lighter type of tea than black or green.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can made up mostly by silver with a solid strip of yellow on the bottom and the top, and a large hand giving off a yellow glow and a head on the palm of the hand. There is also a good amount of text, which I feel only clutters the can. Overall, I think that the can of Slap White Tea is the worst in the line so far. I don't the colour yellow for a energy drink can, as I think yellow is more of a crayon colour than a energy drink can colour. The design of the can I also don't like. The design looks like it took five minutes or so to make and the text makes figuring out what the actual flavour is difficult.

TASTE: I opened the can and I smelt the clear liquid. The scent is similar to Sprite or 7-Up. The flavour starts out as a light lemon lime mix with a low amount of carbonation, then fades away leaving a slight tea taste in your mouth. Its not very sweet and is very light. Overall, I feel that Slap White Tea Lemon Ice is a decent tasting energy drink. While the flavour isn't anything special, its at least drinkable and is a decent energy tea.

KICK: Each can contains: Carbonated water, Fructose, Citric Acid, Taurine, Natural Flavors, Caffeine, Green Tea Solids, Sucralose, Niacin, Guarana Extract, and Yerba Mate. This blend of ingredients gave me a pretty good kick. While I didn't feel jittery, I felt full of energy and had a raised mental alertness. While it wasn't as strong as some, it certainly woke me up, and kept me up for a good five hours.

FINAL WORD: Overall, Slap White Tea Energy Lemon Ice is a decent energy drink, just like the rest in the line. Though no drink in the line was down right terrible, I'm disappointed by the line as a whole. The Slap line could of been great and revolutionary, but somewhere they got lost in the average side of town. Though there have been greater disappointments in life(such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), but for an energy drink line with so much potential, it just disappoints...3.4/5

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