Full Throttle Original Citrus Energy Drink Review

"Why?" That is the question I kept asking myself after plopping this most recent remake of OG Full Throttle in my Walmart cart. Why remake it again? This is the third time as far as I can tell. Why the white can? After all, it is a color normally reserved for diet drinks. In any event, the visuals are clean, focused, and striking; this is how to do a patriotic potation right. Ol' Glory, Rip It Tribute and True Eagle take note.

"Original Citrus" reads the top of the design and my tongue confirms that declaration, and was on board for every ounce. It is bold, exciting and refreshing, utilizing sweetness and acidity in near perfect balance. Consisting of lemon mostly, it is elevated by nuances of lime and pineapple. The blend is far from creative but it does not have to be; I am a pushover for this cocktail genre, and my palate relished this light, crisp and pure experience. Utilizing high fructose corn syrup almost makes sips syrupy, but actual sugar gives imbibes a stiffer texture. We have fifty five grams between the two carbohydrates for a total of 230 calories per can. It is a lot, to be sure, which limits the commercial appeal; in a world where drinks like Bang dominate the energy drink cooler, Full Throttle needs to go on a diet.

Just 160 milligrams of caffeine can be found here, a standard amount of course, but it did not have to be. The resulting kick lasts just two hours, but despite all the sugar, there is not much of a crash. Overall, Full Throttle Original Citrus tastes just fine, but that is not always enough.

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Full Throttle Original Citrus Review

There is no reason for the Full Throttle brand to exist, a dinosaur of an energy drink that can today be found hiding in shame in the bottom corner of your local dumpy convenience store, if you are so lucky. The packaging, mind you, is appealing since its redesign, but with only two varieties available, the line is simply not competitive.

The flavor is sugar and citrus, it is as easy as that. Of course, it is more complicated, but your tongue is seized instantly by an invasion of sweetness that wipes clean any delicacy the potation was going for. If we dig deeper into the nebulous "citrus" moniker, you can pick out lemon, peach, guava and pineapple, all perfunctory excuses of more nuanced nectars. But there is depth! It is just a shame you need to spend so much energy to discover them. Acidity is also strong, a tartness that would make some sour candies blush. It is a good thing too, since the saccharinity is so needlessly potent that your palate relishes the relative relief. Overall, Full Throttle Original Citrus is no good, a canned caffeinated cocktail antique of the energy drink stone age.

160 milligrams of my namesake is all we get, a perfectly fine amount that results in a perfectly fine buzz, but that is it? Just two hours? It simply is not ambitious. To end, Full Throttle Original Citrus is drinkable, decent looking and kicks well enough. But that is not good enough.

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Full Throttle Blue Agave Energy Drink Review

This is the third time the Full Throttle brand's Blue Agave variety has graced my site, 2008's "Blue Demon" being the first, followed by 2010's drink of the same name as today's version. Its can now is the best by a long shot, filled with distinct visuals and a sharp, simple color palate.

I opened the can and took a sip. The flavor is less potent than the can's hardcore artwork suggest, but curt enough not to ever taste elegant. Blue agave is a generous description of the actual flavor here; it is more blue, black, and raspberry than anything else. Acidity is pungent and wonderful, puckering first your lips and curling all the way back to the rear of your tongue; this truly is a tart experience. High fructose corn syrup, the potables sole sweetener, does the job with the mentality of a drink in the early 2000's- saccharine, syrupy, and satisfying. Every imbibe delivers the weight only caloric sugar can, and there is a slight build up of the drink's fifty eight grams of the stuff clogging your palate. A marvelous beverage? Far from it, but it is a fun time-capsule back to when the Coca-Cola company had any chance in the energy drink market.

Each can contains: B vitamins, taurine, and 160 milligrams of caffeine. The boost lasts two hours, a completely humdrum buzz that is not as "hard working" as the text of the can suggests. In the end, Full Throttle Blue Agave is a step in the right direction for the line. A better kick would be two steps.

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Full Throttle Twisted Fountain Energy Drink Review

Full Throttle Twisted is two complete logo designs behind the current one, and the label the emblem emblazes is a bland one. There is nothing in the form of a flavor indication, though its purple hue suggests "Tropic" would have been a better name than "Twisted."

With my size "medium" styrofoam cup filled lightly with crushed ice and pressed firmly up to the dispenser nozzle, a spray of brown slush quickly fills my sixty nine cent beverage transport. The flavor? Sugar, sourness, and super syrupy, because that is all I could taste. Hidden within the sticky slime rests the taste of apple, blueberry and vanilla, a troika cloned straight from Red Bull's book and drowned in saccharine acidity. I have no idea what actual sugars are involved here, but from as I approached my final sip, the money left after breaking a buck is going to the high fructose variety.

Digging deep into the dark world of the web, the only thing offered up was 105 calories and forty seven milligrams of caffeine. Whether any of that is true, the kick sucked, lasting an hour with all the jitters you would anticipated from a drink this sweet. To end, Full Throttle Twisted is a prime example of a bad energy drink. It will not break the bank, but your taste buds will not be so lucky.

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Full Throttle Orange Energy Drink Review

Full Throttle Orange appears to be a remake of the company's ancient "Fury" variety, though its design is a massive improvement since the last time we have heard from the company. The large bird crest provides the perfect level of detail without cluttering the can, and the lack of any superfluous text is a breath of fresh air in the market.

The flavor is a marvelously simple one, tasting like orange, plain and simple. It is powdery on the tongue, super sugary with a tartness that is bright and energetic. But there is more beneath the surface of the citrus than what meets the tongue, heavy undertones of blood orange and mandarin varieties round out an otherwise elementary flavor. It has zero influence from other fruits, remaining true to its citrus core, and its unbridled concentration is admirable and well done. Sweetness is refreshingly old-school, a gritty, slightly syrupy one, all from high fructose corn syrup and sucralose, but it never overwhelms the palate with the sweetener's usual gumminess.

Each can contains: taurine, B vitamins, and 160 milligrams of caffeine. Potency is without a doubt the biggest drawback here, a kick that settles for a mediocre resurrection of antiquated energy. In the end, Full Throttle Orange is arguably the best in the line, and an overall decent orange energy drink.

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Full Throttle Red Berry Energy Drink Review

Some regard the design utilized by Full Throttle Red Berry as sleek and sophisticated, and it's understandable, given the can's uncluttered organization and sexy colouring. But the large rounded logo is the real turn off for me, as its somber droopiness seems to soften the edginess and aggressive nature of it all. So while the intentions are certainly appreciated and noticed, they are not enjoyed.

The flavour depicts strawberry as candied as possible, and the representation is greatly akin to any such soda. The fruit is tasted initially and though it largely influences the general experience, it soon dulls and is followed by a pomegranate taste. This is when the product becomes boring, as this new focus doesn't ignite excitement, and it actually just chokes the palate with sugar that's seasoned only mildly of the fruit. The prior is syrupy but this doesn't distract, as you really just find yourself awaiting the possibility of it reconfiguring itself to its earlier and better state. It never does, but fortunately an onset of raspberry relieves the lust for mouth stimulation. This final addition is sodden of an inorganic creaminess that's far more chemically than naturally inspired. The beverage also begins to heavily sour as the former commences, which appreciatively solaces the unpleasantness of the mendacious milkiness. Overall, Full Throttle Red Berry's taste doesn't ever employ any authenticity, which does have potential to be pleasurable, but the flavour's depiction constantly feels artificially constructed instead of naturally erected.

The kick meets the solid expectations based upon previous varieties, with just under four hours of jitter free energy. Each can contains: d-ribose, caffeine(197mg), and several B vitamins. In retrospect, the deeply saccharine flavour exposes the mainstream intent that Full Throttle Red Berry doesn't wholly accomplish.

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Full Throttle Caramel Energy Coffee Review

Full Throttle Coffee Caramel uses the terrible new design of the line, and this along with a bad colour choice makes it one of the ugliest cans to the Full Throttle brand name. To tie in being caramel flavoured, the company chose to use a sickly brown colour that's highly unappetizing. I mean, of all the shades and hues of brown available why in the world did they have to chose one that's more reminiscent of fecal matter than anything? Regardless as to why, I also have some text complaints, namely the line "Coffee Energy Drink." Why it couldn't just read "Energy Coffee" is beyond me, as the line used is potentially confusing.

I've said before that most energy coffees are starting to taste vastly similar, so the thought of a caramel coffee is a breath of fresh air in terms of originality. But originality wasn't what I got upon first sip. Initially I was hit by a bland yet creamy milk taste who's texture was slimy and had a mildly strong bitter coffee undercurrent. The only caramel taste appears within the slimy texture and in an appropriately sweet aftertaste. There's actually more presence of a cross between butterscotch and mocha, which materializes most completely nestled atop the caramel. The butterscotch is predominate between the two, and the mocha mostly resides near the bitterness. The cross doesn't blend with the caramel, and the latter is actually almost entirely obscured by the prior. There's a slight lacing of nutmeg and cinnamon to the flavour overall, with the nutmeg only surfacing along side the mocha. All in all, although Full Throttle Coffee Caramel went down quickly and with total ease, the flavour isn't entirely its own, as it tastes more like a simple variation of past flavours than something unique.

Caramel's reformulated kick is not only an improvement over Full Throttle Mocha, but also slightly more potent than the Java Monster line. I had energy lasting just under four hours, during which time I had some jitters. The buzz was fairly immediate after I finished the entire can, and once the kick ended I didn't crash, but it was noticeable that I wasn't as awake. Each can contains: caffeine(185mg), D-ribose, and a couple B vitamins. In the end, Full Throttle Coffee Caramel's low point is its can; its most average point is its taste; and its highlight is its kick. This is a drink that only gets better from the first time you look at it, but sadly it never really becomes great.

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Full Throttle Blue Agave Energy Drink Review

Full Throttle Blue Agave's can uses the same terrible design Citrus did, and even the nice blue colour can't make the can any more appealing. The logo is oddly round and reminds me more of something you'd find in a gay western saloon than on an energy drink. Another thing I don't like about the can is that they changed the name from Blue Demon to Blue Agave. Personally, I feel Blue Demon was just as good description of the supposed flavour, as it, along with the colour, properly informs the consumer of it's alleged taste without flat out telling them.

I opened the can and took a sip. The flavour starts out a boring blue raspberry that is swallowed by a large amount of carbonation. It's a basic and simple flavour that's not tangled with any notes, which is sad as they could have increased the complexity. Then there's a slight agave taste that arises immediately following the prior flavour, but it's soon muddled by a suddenly emerging cranberry. The cranberry tastes fairly natural thanks to its level of tartness, but this naturalness is a bit off set thanks to the artificial amount of sweetness. The overall taste is meekly sour, which was able to counter some of the sweetness. The carbonation has since died down, and as the experience nears its finish, a sickly sweet gloss coats your mouth with a simple, compressed form of the since passed flavour. Overall, Full Throttle Blue Agave's taste is an improvement over Blue Demon, but the taste still isn't very enjoyable.

197mg of caffeine, D-ribose, and various B vitamins make up Blue Agave's energy blend, and the overall buzz was an improvement over the original. It lasted around three and a half hours in length, I felt reasonably awake, had slight jitters, and I didn't crash. Overall, while Full Throttle Blue Agave obviously had more time spend on it than Blue Demon, the formulators are just either unable to make a good overall energy drink, or they're just lazy.

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Full Throttle Mocha Energy Coffee Review

Full Throttle Mocha is one of three coffee Full Throttles available, and though they've been available for two or so years, I've never been too interested in picking up a can. Since this is an older can, it doesn't use the new line design and instead the older one, which in my opinion is much better. However, it's still not a great design. The colour, a spotted brown, isn't appealing or appetizing, despite being fitting, and the flames look completely out of place on it.

Full Throttle Mocha splashed out of its can a surprisingly thick brown colour that's more reminiscent of chocolate milk than a coffee. Taste-wise, however, it rivals Java Monster Loca Moca for best mocha energy coffee. It's initially a creamy taste with only a slight hint of coffee, but the coffee steadily grows in strength and bitterness, and growing separately and more quickly is a simple though pleasant chocolate. The chocolate tastes milky and rich, but it's not sweet and has an explicit bitterness that's equally as appropriate as that of the coffee. The coffee and the chocolate do not share the same bitterness, as each flavour has a different degree of a different style of bitterness. The coffee itself is quite flavourful and intense, though far less than what the typical coffee house guru is used to. Riding in the back of your mouth is a compressed version of the chocolate taste, and while it's just as creamy, it is a bit sweeter. Overall, Full Throttle Mocha cleverly avoided making the entire experience bitter despite the main flavours being bitter, and is easily the best, though not the most original variety in the line.

Full Throttle Mocha's energy cocktail is startling and almost depressingly weak. With a low caffeine content(131mg per can), ginseng, guarana, and vitamin B6 and B3, I had a buzz lasting less than two hours. I didn't have any jitters and there wasn't a crash, however I was inclined to reach for another caffeinated drink once the buzz ended. All in all, Full Throttle Mocha shouldn't be labeled as an energy coffee but instead just a coffee, as that's what it tasted and kicked like.

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Full Throttle Citrus

I never was severely impressed with any Full Throttle flavour, but when I heard that the line went under a reformulation, I bought in. Full Throttle Citrus is the new name for the original Full Throttle, and the only new flavour my local Market Basket carried. Being a huge citrus fan, I'm fairly excited for Full Throttle Citrus. Hopefully, it will end in more success than another recent reformulated drink.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can to Full Throttle went from mediocre to laughably bad. The logo is ugly, and a step down from the motorcycle-vibe the original gave. Another problem with the can is the name. Is it called Full Throttle Full Citrus Flavour, or just Citrus? I didn't like that the original can was pretty bare, so if there was one thing positive about the can, it would have to be that it looks more complete. The ingredients also received a change, but unlike the can design, it's for the better. The caffeine content went from 141mg to 197mg per can. Overall, the can is atrocious, but the new ingredient cocktail is nice.

TASTE: I opened the can and took a sip. The opening flavour is a blend of lemon, lime, papaya, and peach, all immersed in a light, bubbly carbonation. The papaya and lemon launch the flavour, with the lime subtly riding along under side the prior mesh. The peach appears briefly before the bubbly carbonation takes place. Each of the flavours mimic their respected fruits to a certain degree, but the overall flavour is rather mellow, not allowing them to fully shine. When compared to the original Full Throttle, Citrus has more of a focus on the fruit flavours, and lacks the minty sensation that lurked in the original. Overall, I prefer the original Full Throttle's taste over Citrus's. The removal of the minty sensation leaves the flavour feeling generic and stock.

KICK: Each can contains: 197mg of caffeine of caffeine, 200mg of D-ribose, 200% of your daily intake of Niacin, Vit. B12, B6, and fifty percent of your daily intake of Pantothenic acid. This overall buzz is an improvement over the original. I felt reasonably awake and had slight jitters. The buzz was around three and a half to four hours in length, and it didn't end in a crash.

FINAL WORD: The original Full Throttle was nothing short of mediocre, and neither is Citrus. Actually, I find Citrus to be an overall worse product than the original. Despite the kick being by far superior, the garden-variety taste and dire can design plague this unnecessary remake. Now deep into the holiday season, I doubt anyone is going to see Full Throttle Citrus at the top of any energy drink junkie's wish list...2.9/5

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Full Throttle Blue Demon

After several recommendations, I finally got my useless ass to try Full Throttle Blue Demon. Is it just me, or does Blue Demon sound like a parody of Red Devil? The Full Throttle brand has never really impressed me. For the most part, they've been mediocre or worse. Coke just can't seem to make a good energy drink. Full Throttle original, Fury, Mother, and frozen Fury have all been mediocre at best. But lest see if Blue Demon will follow the Full Throttle tradition, or stray off on its own by being good...

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can design works well with blue. I think its the addition of the words "Blue Demon" that makes it bearable. I don't know what "agave" is supposed to taste like, but I'm guessing berry, judging by the word "blue" and the blue can. But upon further inspection of the can, I find my favorite meter of all, the "Full Throttle Blend" meter, thing. That pisses me off. But wait, I found something, apparently, Blue Demon says how much caffeine is in the can as a whole. Finally, I will know. After much anticipation, I dropped my balls and looked... WHAT? ONLY 141 MG OF CAFFEINE? That's nothing. That's a full 59 mg less that Rip It. 200mg per 16oz should be the standard... Pisses me off...2.9/5

TASTE: I've never been the biggest fan of berry flavored drinks. I'm more of a citrus guy. But I oped the top and too a swig. At first, you notice a fake, almost generic berry flavour, with some noticeable raspberry. Then, out of no where, a grass flavour hits you. Is it just me, or is that weird? Any who, the flavour is mediocre, once again. But after a while, the berry/grass flavour gets stand-able, and is quite drinkable from then on out. But after 16 oz, you don't feel so good. It might be the heavy sweetness. I find this drink to be lower than Fury, and original. But that could just be because of my love of citrus...2.7/5

KICK: Eh, the kick was mediocre. With only high fructose corn syrup, taurine, ginseng, caffeine, carnitine, B vitamins, and guarana in the can, and ONLY 141MG OF CAFFEINE... what do you expect? I never find that Full Throttle gives a good boost. Despite the "With 3000mg of the Full Throttle Energy Blend who can stop you", claim, I still don't find the kick all to great...3/5

FINAL WORD: Overall, I feel that Full Throttle Blue Demon is a mediocre extension of the Full Throttle brand. Not, let me rephrase that. I feel that the Full Throttle brand is a mediocre line of energy drinks. There, much better. Why do companies feel like they have to rush into the market with a cheap, or under developed drink? Only several companies don't do this, such as Rip It, Ole', Full Speed, and Coolah. And most of them disappear without a trace, bearably leaving their mark. Its sad really. Really sad, its so sad, that I might, throw up...2.8/5

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Coke Goes the Extra Mile...

Now, for the first time, I got a recommendation for a drink. They recommended Full Throttle Blue Devil, so, in honor of him, I'm reviewing Full Throttle Fury... Full Throttle Fury recently got a make over from the original design, which I have to say, despite it being more misleading, a better looking can. I've had Fury before, but, it was a long time. Before they changed the ingredients. And I remember liking Fury, but, is my memory incorrect?

FIRST IMPRESSION: No, no, absolutely no... How did Coke think this was a good can design? Why didn't they stick with Burn or Relentless's can design? Its too simple. In an earlier review, I praised Ole' for its simple, yet elegant can, but Full Throttle's is simple, but they try to be bad ass, unlike Ole'. It looks like Coke was marketing this drink to bikers, judging by the can and name. But the name... eh, not to great , but not the worse...2/5

TASTE: Despite the "orange flavour" banner, you'd think that it would taste like oranges. I'd have to say its more of a papaya taste, with a minimal peach after taste. It really doesn't taste like oranges at all. There's a very mild hint of a light orange flavour subtly in the back. Its a light taste and goes down really easy, like the original did. I'm kinda surprised on the flavour, but in a good way. Its much more complex than the regular Fanta Orange flavour. Coke should get rid of the "orange" and use "Paporange", or "Paporaneach"... Other than the misleading name, its a surprisingly good flavor...3.9/5

KICK: The kick I'd say is right on par with the original Full Throttle. Its not the strongest kick out there, but a pretty decent one. Its not like I wasn't expecting a major kick, judging by the original Full Throttle's kick anyway. I really hate how they don't how much caffeine, guarana, taurine, carnitine, ginseng, and sucrose it has. They just list it as "a 3000mg Blend of Energy". It's like they know they try to piss guru's like me off. They do however say what percent vitamin B6(200%),B12(200%) and Niacin(100%) is in it(based on a 2000 calorie diet). They go through all the work of saying the "3000mg Energy Blend" when saying the amounts individually would of taken just as long. I also hate how companies(cough Coke cough) will say how powerful their drink is, when they'll obviously lacking on ingredients...3/5

FINAL WORDE: Personally, I feel that Full Throttle wasn't just some get rich quick entry into the seemingly endless list of energy drinks. They really spent some time making a good, unique flavour, instead of using the ever-so-popular Red Bull Fall flavour. My biggest complaints would be the lack of mg of ingredients, bad can design, and generic name. Overall, I think with some work, Full Throttle could seem so much more appealing...3/5

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Full Throttle Energy Drink

Now, have you ever been off your caffeine, and when something that you could usually stand just makes you want to go ape-shit crazy? Well, I was feeling just like that today. So I decided to walk to the local Cumberland's Farms for some energy drinks. So after walking to Cumby's, I picked up two Amps, one Overdrive and one Elevate(for friends), and was deciding between Full Throttle and Jolt Cola. They were both the same price, but I decided to buy a Full Throttle, providing I haven't had it in a while. So, I grabbed the can, got a NRG Kick(just so I could find the energy to walk back) and left. I got back to my friends house, gave my friend their drink and went in to my friends bed room and started playing Donkey Kong Country 3. Mid way through I felt like I needed some energy so I grabbed the can, opened it and took a swig, but did I strike gold or did I find another major disappointment...

FIRST IMPRESSION: Well, let me start out by saying the can is pretty under impressive. Its just a black back round, "Full Throttle" with flames under it(as if you didn't know this by looking at the can). And the name, Full Throttle, isn't the best. Despite the name working well with the energy theme, its just not the best. I don't understand why they don't just stick with Burn Energy Drink, like they do in other countries... 2.4/5

TASTE: Well, the can says its "citrus flavor"so, I'm guessing its a berr-citrus flavor. I took a sip, and guess what, I found a lite lemon flavor, similar to Sobe Adrenaline Rush. Since its a pretty lite flavor, it goes down very quickly and its a pretty enjoyable taste, so I really wish it didn't go down so quickly. The taste doesn't really have any sourness, bitterness, or gumminess. Its got a mild tart. Overall, a pretty refreshing drink, and plus you get this weird after taste, its pretty hard to describe, but, I like it...3.9/5

KICK:QUICK, you only have ten seconds to guess whether Full Throttle provided a decent buzz for me, and the ingredients are the following: Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sucrose, citric acid, taurine, natural and artificial flavors, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate (to protect taste), ginseng extract, caffeine, carnitine fumarate, maltodextrin, niacinamide (vitamin B3), yellow 5, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), guarana extract, cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12). If you guessed yes, it DID provide me with a decent buzz, you are correct. And if you guessed no, it didn't provide me a decent buzz, you obviously touch yourself at night. The ingredients surprisingly worked well together. Though it doesn't go over kill on your ass, its better than most energy drinks on the market...3/5


FINAL WERD: Overall, this was a pretty decently average drink. The taste was a little over par, the can and kick just scream generic. I can't say I'd drink it every day, but It was pretty okay and the only reason I'd consider drinking it again would be for the taste. While not something to grab for some quick energy, its still something to drink if there out of Sobe Adrenaline Rush is out, or Full Throttle is on sale...3.3/5

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brain freeze

Full Throttle Fury slush from 7-11 I had on my trip to Boston. It was a lighter color than Fury but stronger orange taste. Too sweet for my taste, but that's just me. The kick, was less than par. AVOID.

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