Ironclad Zero Maqui Berry Energy Drink Review

Nearly identical to the awful Black & Blue variety, Ironclad Zero Maqui Berry has a few cosmetic changes that are for the better. The switch from Sugar Free" to the more graffiti-like "Zero" fits the drink wonderfully, though the issue of unnecessary text still remains. There really is no reason to denote "zero calories" when it is understood what is meant by "Zero," and colouring the ingredient rundown white lamentably forces them to more attention than they need.

Unsure of what to expect, my initial sip was as unusual as imaginable. There is a rush of tartness first greeting your palate, delicately sweetened and sternly tasting of blueberry. Following is a splash of earthy hollowness, a vapid moment of medicinal uneasiness that is thoroughly inapplicable with the rather urbane antecedent, a sensation who is responsibly short lived and eventually unseen. Succeeding is a continuation of the opening flavour, only now woven with cotton candy inspired overtones of cherry and blackberry, perhaps even a touch of red grape. These additions lack robustness on the tongue, complicating the originally undefiled fruit and mutating the overall taste into a more a saccharine and mainstream adaptation. The experience is an improvement over the original, though it is still miles away from being perfect.

The kick lasts under three hours, and is as entirely unimpressive as is the supplement information: caffeine(154mg), taurine, guarana, electrolytes, and B vitamins. All in all, Zero Maqui Berry is not quite the abomination the other diet Ironclad varieties have been, but it is still far from the success of the sugared flavours.

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Ironclad Zero Cherry Lime Energy Drink Review

Ironclad Zero Cherry Lime visually does the line proud, holding true the industrial vibe that was praised about the earlier varieties. The lower half is a bit busy still, but "Ironclad" and "Zero" are the first things your eyes notice, however the supposed flavour, cherry lime, should be a bit more bold.

The colourfully excited can has you expecting something of the same nature, but instead your first sip is surprisingly unpleasant, tasting bland and uncomfortably under sweetened. Neither have much of any sourness to play with, and each of the alleged fruits choke the tongue with their artificiality, an almost bitter falseness that is followed by an equally obnoxious earthiness. Everything is pointlessly mordant, with even the effervescence feeling pungent as it harshly washing the mouth with the absurdly barbarous beverage. With misguidedly high expectations and each of the sixteen ounces being a ridiculous chore to finish, Ironclad Zero Cherry Lime is just another disappointing sugarless variety in the line.

Each can contains: caffeine(154mg), taurine, guarana, some B vitamins, and some electrolytes. This blend is not particularly potent, with the jitter free buzz lasting two and a half hours or so. In the end, Ironclad Zero Cherry Lime is an uneven frustration of an energy drink.

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ironclad Goji Berry Energy Drink Review

Instead of paying $2.99 like I did for Triple Citrus, I only paid $1.50 for ironclad Goji Berry. Though they were bought at two different convenience stores, it shows how much prices fluctuate. Goji Berry comes in a can a simple colour swap different from the lines top offering, but the blood red is not only more fitting with the black and silver, but it also leaves the same militant impression I so much liked on Citrus. The text is still fairly problematic towards the bottom of the can, but thankfully it doesn't suffer too much from its only real flaw.

ironclad Goji Berry's flavour focus isn't on goji purely, but rather focused on how it's blended with various fruits. Initially the goji, fittingly earthy, matches a partially sour pear taste. The two blend seamlessly, and the sourness then completes as it now complements the braid as a whole. As the experience moves forward, the pear is lost in a slow and steadily increasing earthiness. It doesn't grow unfitting or overwhelming, and it's then momentarily weakened as a cross between cherry and pomegranate arises. The goji isn't strong enough to equally counter the new cross, and it now becomes something of a note to it. The pomegranate is the predominate of the two, but the cherry is certainly stronger than the goji. Neither the two are heavily sweet, tart, or sour, but they do have a degree of naturalism to them. The earthiness has since returned, and it's harmonically balanced with the new fruits. As the experience nears its finish, the earthiness becomes slightly bitter, which doesn't feel genuine with the rest of the flavour. The overall taste lacks a robust or a aggressive sweetness, which gives ironclad Goji Berry a distinct sense of authenticity that, while I enjoyed, fans of hyper sweetened drinks will most certainly scorn.

ironclad Goji Berry's weakest area is easily its kick. I felt energized for just under three hours once I finished the entire can, and I had mild jitters and no crash. Each can contains: L-Valine, guarana, caffeine(154mg), several B vitamins, D-ribose, L-Leucine, and taurine. In the end, ironclad Goji Berry is a well rounded energy drink that sadly never comes full circle.

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ironclad Black & Blue Energy Drink Review

ironclad Black and Blue comes in a similar can to ironclad Triple Citrus, and while the silver and blue colour scheme is vastly superior to the already great silver and yellow, the excessive text tarnishes the cans appeal. Some of the text is pointless, like listing key ingredients on the front; some text is far too large, like the sugar free plate smack dab in the middle; and then some is just confusing, like the "Black & Blue Blend," and "Black Current." The last two made figuring out the official name difficult, but because several other sources say it's "ironclad Black and Blue," that's what I'm calling it.

Though billed as having a "Black Current" flavour, Black & Blue's focus is less on the black current and more on a fake blueberry taste. The blueberry begins the experience, and it's heavy on the artificial sweetener. In the background is a red grape taste and a faded tartness, and the grape suffers greatly and tastes horribly synthetic from the sweetness. Following the grape is a somewhat distinct black current flavour, but it gets lost in the the thick sweetener. There's certain sourness coexisting with the sweetness, but it's a pungent, earthy sourness that's wholly unpleasant. The carbonation level is low, and it's more fizzy than bubbly. In the end, ironclad Black & Blue is one of the worst tasting sugar free energy drinks I've had recently, and after the highly impressive ironclad Triple Citrus, it does more than just disappoint.

Several B vitamins, taurine, caffeine(154mg), guarana, L-Leucine, L-Valine, and D-ribose make up Black and Blue's ingredient cocktail, and while it contains most of the essential, it doesn't contain a high enough concentration them. The caffeine content is far from enough for a sixteen oz. drink, and in result I only received a two and half+ hour buzz that ended with no crash. Overall, there's no wonder why this drink isn't mentioned on the companies web site; it's terrible.

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ironclad Triple Citrus Energy Drink Review

ironclad Triple Citrus cost me $2.99 at a local gas station, and I think that's far too much for a sixteen oz. drink, even though the can looks great. The silver and yellow work together, surprisingly, and though I feel it's unnecessary to list several ingredients towards the bottom, it doesn't look cluttered or busy. The logo complements the aggressive and industrial vibe the rest of the design lets off with success. Though I don't quite understand why there's a group of "I's" trimming the yellow, it's an overall attractive can, though it's a shame the can itself isn't made of iron.

The liquid inside the can of ironclad Citrus is a murky yellow, similar to that of lemonade. Initially, the body of the flavour is a mild, but not light, lemon flavour, followed by an appropriate balance of sour and sweetness. There's a rather weak tartness one level below the main flavour, and it helps the lemon taste natural. Along with the tartness, there's a gentle lime peel taste that appears more towards the end of the flavour that is actually not overwhelming. As the experience goes on, along the gum of your mouth grows a slight edge of frost, but its presence doesn't last long, though it adds a bit more complexity. The overall drink is incredibly smooth, thanks to the low carbonation. It's kept low enough to prevent the flavour from tasting like a soda, but it's strong enough to prevent it from tasting like lemonade. In the end it tastes more like a hybrid of the two, which I found to be engaging, original, and fun to drink.

ironclad Citrus contains a decent enough energy blend to generate the standard three or so hour buzz: guarana, caffeine(154mg), taurine, D-ribose, several B vitamins, L-Leucine, and L-Valine. While the kick wasn't as strong as one may expect, it didn't end in a crash, nor did I feel any jitters. Overall, though ironclad Triple Citrus looked and tasted great, neither were strong enough to spend $2.99 on.

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