Dunkin' Coffee Cake Muffin Iced Coffee Review

The irony of a coffee cake (muffin) flavored coffee is not lost on me, but one wishes Dunkin' played into the silliness. Instead, the can has all the personality of a half-empty store at 2:14pm in New England, which I suppose was the only way that really make sense. The fonts and colors are familiar to anyone who has ever even seen a location, but gosh is it busy, requiring more reading than the ingredient list of one of their actual coffee cake muffins.

The Caffeine King has experienced one previous cinnamon coffee before in the form of Starbucks Doubleshot Cinnamon Dulce way back in 2009, which is funny when you consider they are competitors! But like in the real world, Dunkin' ain't got nothing on its more pretentious and expensive enemy. Mouthfuls are fatty but unsatisfying, the dairy smacking your palate for all but a moment before apologizing and trying to fade into the background. As for the cinnamon, there certainly is some here but it has absolutely no spunk, tasting old and metallic like it was found in one of those nasty tins of pre-ground sawdust your grandma still has in her cabinet from the 1970's. It does not have the fire that you expect from the bark, the experience settling for simply sweet. I mean hey, it makes some sense considering this is based on a coffee cake muffin, only without the dense, moist texture of an actual baked good. As for coffee, because yeah this is a RTD coffee at the end of the day, do not go expecting much outside the occasional touch of bitterness that sometimes somehow escapes the saccharine dominance.

We have 141 milligrams of caffeine, but who cares? This is not marketed as an energy coffee, and so anything above the eighty milligram mark is just overkill. Why am I so upset at more of my namesake chemical? Because the visuals and taste (and price, honestly) do not justify such a mediocre buzz. It is the only aspect here that comes close to being fulfilling, and even then, it only just hits the mark. All in all, this is crap and I am tired of reviewing crap

Dear companies, stop producing crap.Thank you, sincerely, The Caffeine King.

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Red Bull The Winter Edition Pear Cinnamon Energy Drink Review

Red Bull must be stopped; not only is their 2023's "The Winter Edition" already on store shelves (it is not even Halloween yet), but the flavor is pear... cinnamon? And according to the can, it is artificially flavored! Yeah yeah sure I like the deep crimson coloring but I mean, what is next? Eggnog? Balsam furn?

No no no, Caffeine King, do not go and give them ideas.

With the narrow spout used for sipping cracked, my nose was excited at the highly fragranced elixir inside these aluminum walls. Pear and cinnamon may appear on the outside of the can but the scent is pure apples, specifically Red Delicious. And I do not mean those gnarly little orbs you find in the grocery store: I mean the large, hefty specimens one only finds hand-picked off the tree at an orchard mid autumn. The first sip simultaneously assuages my fears and matches my nostrils' enthusiasm: the company again knocked it out of the park. I can taste the slight earthiness of the bright red peel, rumbling just beneath the cotton-white flesh of juicy sweetness and understated acidity. This is, without question, one of the most respectful apple energy drinks I have ever had, even if it does not want to admit it. I gulped and gulped my way through the twelve ounces on offer here and I cannot detect any pear or any cinnamon, and you know what, for once I am happy with the deceit. If anything, it was a little slice of commercialism wrapped up as an early Christmas gift.

I have no idea why the company continues to push something with just 114 milligrams of caffeine, but here we are. The buzz is pretty sad if you compare to, well, anything else on the market that has cropped up since the Bang brand took the potent potable world by storm, but oh well. The two hours you get here is fine, I guess, but a blend of some vitamins and taurine is nothing special anymore. Overall, Red Bull The Winter Edition Pear Cinnamon continues the company's tradition of making surprising and exciting holiday beverages. I dunno about you, but I am looking forward to 2024.

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Awake Cinnamon Bun Energy Granola Bar Review

Sister of the wonderful energy chocolates, comes this new form of self-caffeination: energy granola bars. Its packaging is typical for the food it impersonates, however its cute owl and health-food-like wrapping, though saving it from the usual "energy" product trappings, cannot convey its, admittedly mild, caffeine-content convincingly.

The svelte, one and change ounce bar smells fantastic, earthy and spicy with an edge of tender sweetness. The taste? Even better! Each bite bends off of the soft block, chewy like any worthy bar but never tires the jaw. Chewing releases the initially subtle sapors of cinnamon, the seasoning bursting with impressive balance between spicy and sweet. There is a lot of sugar but the molasses stands out, augmenting the spiciness while brining a level of depth to it, though more than one would probably prove too much. There is a bottom of real white chocolate, an attribute easy to ignore and ultimately forget, adding only additional sugariness and a bit of smoothness to the otherwise chunky mouthfeel. Overall, Awake Cinnamon Bun is most impressive for a granola bar, and even more so for a caffeinated one.

Each bar contains just fifty milligrams of caffeine, equivalent to your typical sugared citrus soda. The buzz is the same you would get from the aforementioned, but two is where it is at. However, flavor-wise, one bar is just enough; two can become overwhelming. In the end, Awake Cinnamon Bun Energy Granola Bar is the first of its kind reviewed here, and although the kick is not as potent as the word "energy" insinuates, it makes you wonder why we are just now experiencing this form of caffeinated treat.

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Zest Tea Apple Cinnamon Black Energy Tea Review

I take it this variety of Zest Tea is something of a sample, considering the wild discrepancy between the Pomegranate Mojito version's transport. They cram a ton of text in too small a real estate, but then again why not? This is probably not the packaging you are gonna pick up off of a shelf, so let me stop talking here.

After seething for a few in bubbling tap water, the once crystal rain in my Lego brand mug is stained a familiar brown of any orange pekoe tea. Right off the bat one can taste the cinnamon; a slight spice freshened with the delicacies of the weaker autumn harvest. There is something sweet with each sip, an experience notably absent of any bitterness. Your palate is cleansed and refreshed by the cascade of aquatic intricacy, a balanced play so insouciant you cannot help but take another sip.

155 milligrams of caffeine is all you get, and it is all you ever need. For energy, your kick should last up to three hours, and from a sole six ounce serving, that is pretty spectacular. In the end, Zest Tea Apple Cinnamon Black is miles ahead of the already pleasant Pomegranate Mojito portrayal.

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LiveWire Cinnamon Fire Energy Chew Review

Though only ninety nine cents, this cinnamon flavored LiveWire energy chew does not make much of an impression visually. The store bought from sells them out of a large box, cardboard that is much more of an optical treat. I would honestly not mind dropping a bit more for a tin or better transport.

The bright red sheer to the chew is surprising, and with ninety milligrams of caffeine each, the cinnamon disguises any bitterness. Instead the candy is a sweet pleasure, somewhat grainy but melts rapidly into a gooey gum that swallows easily. The taste is not as hot as the title suggests, however the spice burns just enough not to become a niche flavor. Real sugar brings great texture and saccharinity to each piece, something that was a minor criticism in Atomic Bites Cinnabomb years ago. Although not my favorite confection flavor, LiveWire easily makes the better cinnamon chew.

Each serving contains: caffeine, taurine, ginseng, and few B vitamins. The buzz from two lasts a quick hitting four hours, littered with jitters but absent of a crash. On the whole, at least concerning the store I purchased from, LiveWire Cinnamon Fire Energy Chews are a cheap alternative to energy drinks.

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Diablo Energy Strips Review

Inside the pictured pack of Diablo Energy Strips is a smaller container in the fashion of those Listerine Pocket Pack Mints, and it, unlike the sachet, adds the term "Ice" to the name. This confused me in whether or not to use it in the name, and ultimately, I chose not to. Diablo's packet looks adequate enough, but the text is abundant and needlessly busies the design. It partially succeeds in its attempt at aggressiveness, but the ample excess of words like "energy," which is stated a superfluous four times, and the large size of such are the main reason for the incomplete accomplishment.

Although initially slimy with a slight herbal bitterness, Diablo thankfully and rapidly dissolves and its flavour mutates to a strong menthol influenced cinnamon. The latter's actual taste is a refreshing cinnamon that has heavy frontal qualities to both spear and peppermint. What I described as menthol is a strong sensation that dwells mostly near your throat, if not the back of your visible tongue, and with each strip consumed in short succession of one another this feeling mellows and becomes more palatable. The aftertaste is pleasant and positively minty, with less focus on cinnamon than the initial taste. This closing mint flavour consists largely of spearmint, with the peppermint supporting it as a note, and the calmed menthol acts wholly complementing. Overall, Diablo Energy Strips taste vastly similar to most other mint strips, minus the initial herb flavour, and personally I found each strip to be enjoyable.

Each strip contains: caffeine(twenty five mg), guarana, and ginseng. Since I'm used to 200 or so mg of caffeine, I ate eight strips total, in sequence, and my energy level raised steadily, but altogether it never really peaked high or struck me hard. The buzz was moderate in strength and lasted three plus hours. It was jitter free and I didn't crash. Overall, Diablo Energy Strips are a unique way to consume caffeine, and while I feel a few tweaks could do a lot of good, it never felt or became gimmicky.

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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(I 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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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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Starbucks doubleshot Cinnamon Dulce Energy+Coffee

First off, thank you Evan Pham and Starbucks for sending me the drinks for review. I've been a fan of a few of the energy coffee's I've reviewed, and so when I was asked if I wanted some samples of Starbucks doubleshot I quickly said yes. When the package showed up at my door I noticed that one of the flavours I received won't be released til February! This flavour is Starbucks doubleshot Cinnamon Dulce. Being a fan of both coffee and cinnamon, I have to say that I'm excited to review Starbucks Cinnamon Dulce.

FIRST IMPRESSION: The can of Starbucks doubleshot Cinnamon Dulce Energy+Coffee is pretty... decent. Personally, I wouldn't have any silver, just the brown ribbons. In case that some of you don't know what "dulce" means, I'll tell you. According to Wikipedia, "Dulce de leche in Spanish or doce de leite in Portuguese ("milk sweet"), is a milk-based syrup." I think that its called "Cinnamon Dulce" because its marketed to the Latino crowd. Whether or not marketing it to Latinos will be controversial or not, I'm not Latino, so its not getting extra points for marketing to Latinos, nor am I removing points for marketing it to Latinos...3/5

TASTE: I opened the can and took a swig. I was greeted by creamy coffee taste, but then, as expected, a cinnamon taste lightly coats your mouth. There is some vanilla, though not all too noticeable. The main focus is the cinnamon. The cinnamon is not overbearing, and is very light, which actually adds some complexity to it. I really like the taste, I like it so much that its tied with Java Monster Mean Bean for being the best flavoured energy coffee. Its refreshing to finally find a good coffee after being plagued by the Frappio line. Starbucks doubleshot Cinnamon Dulce Energy+Coffee goes down smooth, making it easy to drink. Overall, Starbucks Cinnamon Dulce is a fine tasting drink and I can't wait til' it comes out in February...4.5/5

KICK: Each can contains: 100% of your daily intake of Riboflavin, Niacin, Vit. B6, 50% of your daily intake of Vit. B12, and... what? Only 1800mg of Taurine? I'm rather shocked. From a drink named doubleshot, I was expecting more dubious ingredients. The kick I got from Starbucks doubleshot Cinnamon Dulce Energy+Coffee was slightly lower than expected. Though I did feel pretty awake, it wasn't as powerful as my expectations had hoped for. While not as powerful as the Java Monster line, it is certainly stronger than others. The kick is comparable to Lucozade. Not all too powerful, but did a great job of getting me perked up...3.9/5

FINAL WERD: Overall, I think that Starbucks doubleshot Cinnamon Dulce Energy+Coffee(And yes, writing this damn long name out a lot is pissing me off) is a good energy coffee. Though the can could be improved, and the kick just wasn't as high as I had hoped, the flavour is still enough to keep this drink from being "average." The taste alone is good enough to have you drink again, though I can't recommend drinking it for hard core partying. But I can recommend this for a great tasting cold coffee anytime. I can't wait to try the other flavours of Starbucks doubleshot, though it might take me a while to review all of them, mainly because I also have the other four(4) flavours of GURU that I can't wait to try...3.8/5

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