Forto Hershey's Chocolate Latte Coffee Shot Review

Forto returns in its original shot form, after first appearing on the award-winning Caffeine King site as a full blown beverage. The design remains about the same, not at all suffering from the reduced real estate, although its curious to see such a family brand like Hershey's on a caffeinated potable intended only for adults. I suppose cocktails are next.

The flavor is surprisingly potent, not in the bitter way some energy shots are, but how the explosion of dairy delight and the luxurious chocolate taste paints your palate with palatable strength. There is far from a focus on the namesake coffee, but that is OK here; what we sip is designed strictly to mask all 100 milligrams of caffeine, and it is a job well done. Oh sure, there is some astringency, but it is far from the worst any caffeine junkie has suffered through, hell, I have had full sized energy drinks with a more obnoxious harshness. It is an ever so slight acerbity, quickly dying to the continuing tide of chocolatey fattiness that each imbibe exploits. Overall, it is a good little energy shot, arguably one of the better bite-sized beverages you can buy.

I appreciate Forto's approach to energy- just caffeine. Oh sure, there are a lot of folks who swear by all the other minerals and chemicals companies pump into their consumables, but purists know that it is the well-worn caffeine that does the heavy hitting. And here, the kick is a solid one, lasting an hour and a half without a crash.

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NRG MicroShot Review

The rounded bottom of this shot's tube prevents the shot from conveniently standing like its competition, and forces a piece of plastic to wrap the drink with a text sodden card. A flat scrap of paper and a cylindrical container do not mix, as the sheet of plastic proved too loose to keep the two together, whether in my pocket or from the factory to my mailbox.

A sugar and caffeine free chaser rests in hand as taste-bud insurance. Surprisingly scented strongly of the spiced autumn-favorite, my first sip renders my former trepidation moot. The thick brown syrup explodes potently of warm apple, its almost grainy thickness thanks to the unanticipatedly coarse sweetness. Only the slightest bit tart, the seasoned savor of the ofttimes harvested fruit is robust yet uncomplicated. A concentrated solution of granular saccharinity and persuasive flavor, this is a pretty tasty energy shot.

"As much caffeine as a cup of coffee" is the official quantity of my namesake chemical, an amount too vague and generically stated. I have read "120 milligrams" on the interweb, but you should take everything you read online with a grain of salt. Other ingredients to thank for this two hour buzz include: B vitamins, taurine, n-acetyl, and l-tyrosine. On the whole, NRG MicroShot needs a revamped packaging and clearer supplement facts to match its palatable flavor.

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X-Mode Energy Shot Review

Not unlike Kymera Freakish Energy, X-Mode is a bulk energy shot in the tradition of a boxed wine. These are always interesting products to experience, and although its packaging explains its artifice succinctly, neither its name nor corrugated cardboard are exciting. Maybe "X-Mode" is the state of mind after imbibing X-Mode, but that is not a question you should be asking yourself with such a condensed caffeinated product.

The fluid has a thick smell, warm but with deep suggestions of black cherry layered over the anticipated maraschino. However its flavor is full-on candy, a super-sweet syrup with only a little bit of tartness but absolutely no bitterness. That last part should put you palate at ease, and you can sip nonchalantly without the absinthian anxiety of every early energy shot. Yet its flavor is depthless, a cursory exercise where each sip is the same as the last. That matters none with your first few gulps, but you can only plow so far through the 100 ounce carton before you yen for intricacy. The solution lies in mixing, having the transpicuous lavender liquid socialize with a variety of sodas. Two thirds a bottle goes unnoticed fused with a famous lemon-lime pop, influencing only the color of the formerly xanthous elixir, and I suppose other seltzers stir in equally anonymously. Overall, X-Mode's flavor gets a thumbs up not for its flavor, but for its absence of bitterness. With energy shots, I am afraid that is how it works.

What is my name? Caffeine King, sometimes with "the" in front, so what do I care about here? Each ounce has 150 milligrams of the aforementioned alkaloid- so forget about the taurine, B vitamins, and other stuff additionally found inside. I had two servings, crafting a nearly five hour rush of twitchy energy, a decidedly old-school buzz that crashed somewhat after. In the end, X-Mode's packaging is surprisingly plebeian, but what is inside tastes okay and is pretty damn potent. It is one of those products that progressively gets better.

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RuckPack Energy Shot Review

This is not my favorite bottle; its confidence is clear as is its theme, but no angle is obviously the main one. The prolix shrinkwrapped plastic canister is fairly unique to hold, and is appreciatively a rather creative premise for a shot, but my pictorial praises end there.

Is it blood orange? Maybe, if you simmered it to a bubbling syrup and took a sip. A sourness where lips pucker with pleasure, its acidity would make Sour Patch Kids envious. Fructose sweetens and we love every moment of it, giving swigs fantastic weight on the tongue, even with the bitterness of Stevia in each gulp. Hell, it does not just camouflage the earthiness, it high fives it! The dual saccharinity is more mature than anticipated, far more balanced in a way Vuka Workout Zo-Cal never was. From two ounces, there is zero complexities or nuance, an experience experienced in seconds. But make this a pint, and we could have something here.

Each bottle does not contain caffeine. Let us make that clear. It is what makes the taste so tasty, but should prove to be a madly segregating decision. Actual ingredients include: B vitamins, vitamin C, D, and a slew of loquacious supplements. Its kick was different, like drinking OJ while suffering from a cold, and will not replace an average Joe's morning joe. Overall, RuckPack Energy Shot will have its fans and haters, with me leaning more towards the former.

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Hawaiian Ola Noni Energy Shot Review

The intensely clean color palate is quite something against all the tenebrous bottles on the energy shot shelves today. But what exactly does one call this? Noni Energy? Hawaiian Noni energy? How about Organic Hawaiian Ola Noni Energy? When a consumer really has to think about what the product in their palms is called, you are doing something wrong.

Though the pungent pheromones of earth pour out with an easy twist of the cap, the unappealingly brown fluid is surprisingly easy to drink. Each sip is thick with an organic personality that is such fresh air to a critic so accustomed to chemicals and artificiality. Things are a fruity cocktail, with everything from the namesake noni to mango to pineapple influencing the two and a half ounce experience. Green tea's coarse bitterness makes each sip something to ponder, a foreign tango of intricate tastes that persuades one into drinking leisurely while always confirming another. Unlike many energy shots, a chaser is entirely extraneous here, although the twelve grams of sugar may have had something to do with that.

Each bottle contains: B vitamins, yerba mate and green tea, and a caffeine content of 150 milligrams. The kick lasted three hours without a crash after. To end, Hawaiian Ola Noni Energy Shot tastes and preforms the part, but the name issues are hard to ignore or forgive.

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SportMax Energy Shot Review

In the vein (or artery?) of 5-Hour Energy, SportMax Energy is a messy shot that contains far too much text to expect any casual consumer to read. I had to though, this is my job, but I can report that it is the same gibberish that my eyes have seen a thousand times. Combined with a design that lacks pop or distinction, and here we have yet another energy shot you will never bother picking up.

The wonderful (and sarcastically so) scent of chalk and vitamins billow out of the narrow opening, honey yellow with a thinner viscosity. The taste? Grab a chaser, my choice Diet A&W Root Beer. The "Tropical Burst" flavor is a bust, banished in favor of an intense sourness, gooey thick peach notes and viscid mouthfeel. One does not drink this for its complexity on the tongue, but should be allowed to consume freely without the aid of another beverage. Eventually I could swallow without my chaser, discovering the decided lack of any aftertaste and that this experience is not that bad. It is not great by any means, heck it is far from good, but it is not that bad. There you go, SportMax, you can quote me on this. I fully expect to see something like "... it is not that bad- the Caffeine King" on your website.

There is one area the product does not exactly skimp out on: the buzz. Although we have seen more than 140 milligrams of caffeine in a two ounce shot, it is not a shabby amount, and at least they say the quantity explicitly on the bottle. Each also contains: taurine, every B vitamin, inositol, CoQ10, choline chloride, and L-arginine. The boost lasted three hours or so, hitting fast and hard, but is nothing we have not already experienced. To end, SportMax is a middling energy shot, preforming optimally only with its kick.

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5 Hour Energy Lemon Lime Energy Shot Review

Out for years now, the omnipresent 5 Hour Energy line has finally entered my radar after many years of purposed avoiding. Why review something that people are already buying millions of? Does my opinion really matter then? Certainly not, although my criticisms start way before you take the first sip; this packaging is trite and ugly, super generic with its lack of personality almost becoming its only personality.

I am not oblivious; I know very well that this brand necessitates a chaser. With a flat, half consumed container of caffeine free diet cola in one hand and this two ounce shot in the other, there is the decided lack of anything with even the biggest whiffs. You could probably go without a chaser, surprisingly, a flavor thick and unconvincingly sweet with citrus notes frustrated and nebulous. There is some tartness here, recondite without reason but without the bitterness anticipated or preached about by my sources. This is not a shot of pleasure, but at the same time not a shot of disgust. Instead, this is a shot of mediocrity.

There is a pretty solid amount of around 200 milligrams of caffeine, with taurine, B vitamins, citicoline, and others making up the energy blend here. The kick does not last the namesake five hours, but it lasted just under four, and was of far more decent strength than anticipated. To end, 5 Hour Energy Lemon Lime is considerably better than expected, aside from its appearance, which you would have to be blind not to know sucks.

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E6 Fruit Punch Energy Drink Review

There is no reason to like this shot pictorially; the large "e" is nothing more than the lowercase letter in a common font, and its background is faded with little emphasis. The bottle is cluttered thanks to the little space two ounces offers, packed with text italicized pointlessly and written generically.

Chaser in hand as a safety precaution, this scentless shot never required my circumspection, practicing a taste a little more robust than expected. The fruit punch balances its flavors with skill, permitting no one from dominating the sip. Your tongue does decipher some citrus edge to a more centered berry taste, lime and clementine engaging playfully with blackberry. You notice a touch of black cherry there additionally, perhaps even some guava for exocticness, but all the fruits shy from the sweet primitiveness that is so common in a shot. The few ounces offered are sweet no doubt, but this is a surprisingly mature experience, at least considering its small size.

Each bottle contains: caffeine (150 milligrams), B vitamins, taurine, and some others I am too disinterested in writing here. "But Caffeine King," you interject, "I really want to know what else is in this product!" Well, person inside my head, if you want to know what else is held within, buy a bottle yourself.  "But Caffeine King," you again interrupt,"Why don't you just tell me, that is why I am reading your stupid blog!" Well, asshole inside my head, the fact that I am recommending you buy a bottle should tell ya all you need to know.

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Eternal Energy Grape Energy Shot Review

This discount brand always found at Wal Mart cannot seem to remember which packaging it now uses; sharing the same layout with the Tropical Punch flavor but not the improved Pomegranate. It is confusing to me, let alone the casual consumer, but at least the design here is competent, if not unremarkable.

After the struggle that was the unperforated cap (and the subsequent tearing of half the plastic wrapper), the flavor of grape hardly pushes through the taste of chemicals and the potent dilution of water. We get some sweetness, a surprising and nearly satisfactory saccharinity that almost gloats about its artificiality to the tongue. It is mildly tart too, a moderate sourness for the grape to falsely feel like the experience was formulated with the fruit in mind. There is vacant depth to this shot of two ounces, but you can pound this back without the fear of bitterness or any astringency. Does that makes this a good shot? No, but it is easily the brand's best.

The fantastic 222 milligrams or so of caffeine per bottle gives this shot brilliant credibility. There is a tonne else in the "energy blend," but highlights include: taurine, B vitamins, and guarana. On the whole Eternal Energy Grape is a steal at $.88, something I never thought I would be saying.

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Zombie Blast Wild Berry Energy Shot Review

Resembling a child's novelty candy more so than an energy shot, this packaging is gimmicky with a forced personality. It tries way too hard, and is impossible to take seriously, and it does not help that the guy behind the counter actually warned me about the flavor.

The cap unscrews and exposes a bottle made of plastic so cheap it would make dollar store toys jealous. Warning in mind and chaser in hand, the first sip is actually a whole heck of a lot better than expected. Granted it is nothing you would want sixteen ounces of, but there is not any bitterness and the flavor is remarkably palatable. The berry here is more mild than wild, tasting distractedly of blackberry with shallow nuances of tart cranberry. Perhaps there is some blueberry as well, even some pomegranate maybe. The argued depth is pointless in a product designed to last two sips, a refreshingly unremarkable experience to this thickly novel product.

The caffeine content is disclosed but compared to a cup of coffee; eighty to 120 milligrams is an educated guess. There is also B vitamins, taurine, guarana, yerba mate, ginseng, and others. The kick lasted two hours or so and satisfied my lust for the bitter stimulant, but was nothing to survive a zombie apocalypse with.

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Tweaker Pink Lemonade Energy Shot Review

Everything went wrong with this label: even on the small retail space of a shot nobody wants to read vertical text. And pink on pink for the logo is too much despite decent readability, and come on, can a pink energy product be any flavor other than pink lemonade? Oh, and do not forget that this is "with calcium," because that is apparently just so important.

The sweaty stench of fake lemonade escapes from the thin bottle, warm and grossly dense with a tartness that would make Greek yogurt jealous. The sweetness is... sweet, tolerable but boring and dispassionate. Things are supposed to taste like lemon, lemonade rather, and for two ounces it does, but to sit here, sip and sit back and reflect, you expose the beverage's heavily abridged and impartial impersonation of a fruit deserving more. But for a shot, a shot strictly, this is not all that bad.

Each shot contains: caffeine, ginseng, yerba mate, and calcium of course. And there a three hour kick too, give or take, one without a crash or jitters. Overall, Tweaker Pink Lemonade kicks decently, which being the entire point of shots, makes this only a decent shot.

Eternal Energy Pomegranate Energy Shot Review

A considerable improvement over the brand's other (previous?) design, Eternal Energy Pomegranate comes to us in a clean two ounce bottle despite the bountiful lexicon at the bottom. It is more elegant, more balanced, although the mysterious photographer struggles not to appear in the reflection.

Knowing better, chaser was in hand at first sip. Fortunately, this thing does not require something strong to wash it down, at least not exactly. Things are a tad amaroidal but not specifically bitter, resembling pomegranate partially with a mossy mouthfeel and pungent tartness. It is not as sweet as it should have been, a predominantly sour experience with gross highlights of the earthy sharpness. Alright, halfway through with the bottle and ya remember that formerly unnecessary chaser? Well, it has becomes necessary, but does at least drown well under the tasteless brown sludge that is Caffeine Free Diet Coke (hey, I do not like it, but it was on sale...). With the bottle now empty, the repulsive flavor did wake me up, and I do feel great about finally finishing this shuddersome shot, although I am not so sure I will live too much longer with this battery acid in the stomach.

Each bottle contains: guarana, amino acids, vitamin C, green tea, taurine, B vitamins, and a mess of others who's names are too big for the lazy. Oh, and after a bit of fiddling on the web, we now know there is something around 222 milligrams of caffeine as well. The kick still does not push past two and a half, perhaps three hours, but it is nevertheless diligent and draconic. Overall, Eternal Energy Pomegranate preforms rather impressively, for what a shot is usually drank for, but goodness, two ounces is not small enough.

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Cruz Azul MojiGol! Energy Shot Review

I honestly have no idea what we have got here. Apparently from Mexico and apparently officiated with a professional football club, this hardly pronounceable shot is in Spanish and, well, I did not take Spanish in high school. Otherwise this is quite arid; no visuals outside from a a few limes in a corner, a label designer whom obviously was dispassionate about this one. Heck, they probably made this in Gimp.

Do ya remember that aforementioned 'lime' in the corner? As it turns out, that is not just the citrus, but also mint, and is about as bizarre a combination you could taste. The little green fruit is not particularly sour in this application, and is not actually the focal point like anticipated. Rather your head is constantly wrapped around the mint characteristic, a cross between NyQuil and spearmint candy. Considerably sweet, the faux cooling and stalwart saccharinity masks any trace of any bitterness and wandering chemical qualities. It is mild yet strong yet not overpowering, leaving behind the watery trademark of many shots for the more robust experience, even if it is one of sovereign eccentricity.

A quick glance at the ingredients reveals a troubling discovery; things are all of the sudden in English. And even more so disturbing is the manufacturer: NVE Pharmaceuticals. Yes, the name company responsible for the abominable Stacker 2 line! Can you locate the product the company's website? Of course not, because why would you want your best product featured there...

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Eternal Energy Tropical Shot Review

For eighty eighty cents at the local Wally World, this little Eternal Energy Shot certainly could have turned out optically worse. The color scheme is good but basic, with rather generic graphics and glaringly empty space above the lowercase logo. The text is probably more undistinguished (cue the "Wake Up: Feel Great: Live Healthy" slogan), and there is not any real reason why the flavor, 'Tropical Punch,' is listed both at the top and bottom.

Fragrantly chalky, the flavor is not a whole lot better. Unexpectedly bitter with a moldy texture and indistinct taste, rough notes of cherry is about how tropical things gets here. You do gradually become accustomed to the astringency, with raspberry, cranberry, and perhaps guava poking into the experience. But it is hardly premium, and even the required chaser struggled to disguise the harrowing flavor, especially as more sips were sipped. Tartness is absent and sweetness only scarcely does its job, artificial with coarse flavor its own. Overall, you will not enjoy these two ounces, plain and simple.

Aside from the usual suspects; caffeine, taurine, guarana, there are also rare faces like; quercetin, green tea, yerba mate, several fruit extracts (obviously no flavor was extracted), and a slew of long worded ingredients. The taste obviously was affected by the twenty five plus long cocktail, but it helped the kick clock in at just above two hours. It was strong and steady, without crash but far from the most potent. In the end, you do at least reap some rewards if you can stomach this.

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Rip It Tribute Energy Shot Review

Although available in your standard sixteen ounce can, the Tribute variety comes regardless in a camouflage canister, but only as a shot does the well-reading text thicken and look messy. At least the camo is the usual Army grade green clutter, rather than resemble your common energy shot shelf (... it is a bad joke, trust me that it makes sense).

I am never sure to chill or shake shots; I surmise so, considering they are the lollipop-guild of non-carbonated energy drinks. Flavor-wise, the aforementioned full sized variety is probably a whole heck of a lot better. The mandarin is preset but is missing full or robust mouth presence, unwisely undersweetened with a tauntingly torpid sourness that taunts at every sip. It does at least actually taste like mandarin, different enough from ordinary orange or typical tangerine tastes. Then there is some lime, not nearly as 'live' or 'wild' as promised, instead more dead and tame. It is a bit more tart than the former but who's taste is tons weaker, and drinks less like its own flavor and more like the nuanced acidity of the mandarin. Only worse than it sounds.

Supplement facts looks something like: taurine, glutamine, glucuronolactone, a slew of B vitamins, and 135 milligrams of caffeine. There is a decent little kick here, lasting two hours with jitters noticeable. In the end, it is not that Tribute is terrible, but for the same price as its whole sixteen ounce family, you might as well enjoy your purchase.

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Rip It Java Mite Energy Shot Review

A rather refreshing departure from the brand's usual visual monotony, Java-Mite's packaging is aggressive and dynamic. It is easy to read despite its indiscriminate texture, although things are not exactly overtly coffee related to the eyes.

Pungent with chocolate artificiality, this brown beverage is thin but packed with fantastic mocha nuance in an ocean of fake coffee greatness. Sweetness is sharp without much disingenuity, complementing this stout two ounces of complete falseness. There is no bitterness, from neither the condensing or from the coffee extract, however the texture is thin and watery; the lack of creaminess, apocryphal or authentic, is sadly missed. But this swift sipping shot finishes too soon to truly care or notice, an experience billowing with personality and creativity.

Some taurine, caffeine (100mg), B vitamins, glutamine and glucuronolactone are the sources for a stock two hour buzz. I had jitters and crashed somewhat after, surprising considering the soft strength. Energy shots have looked, tasted, and preformed better, but as a budget, coffee shot, it is not half bad.

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Rip It Sting-eR-Mo Energy Shot Review

The original Sting-eR-Mo had a striking can when I reviewed it in 2010, but it struggles with such an acute abbreviation. Shapes shoot in all directions without purpose, cluttering text that otherwise would read easy, considering it all reads one direction (save for the awkwardly placed "sugar free"). The logically sized lexicon provides even the briefest glance with power to find out what is important, what is written the largest. But the color scheme, admittedly intriguing, forces a usually humdrum design into a busy mess of distraction.

Tropical fruit my ass; I know better than to falsely pipe dream about the flavor being anything but a Red Bull clone. It is nothing new but entirely drinkable, and is almost enjoyable. Fat with rich and saccharine vanilla and gummy sour apple, a touch of bubble gum masquerades as depth to two tastes unoriginal. The texture is sticky with sweetness, a decent replication considering being complete fabrications, but a bit of a bitter aftertaste still remains.

Caffeine (100 mg), glucuronolactone, taurine, B vitamins and glutamine make up the blend here. The kick is a substandard two hour buzz without jitters or crash. To end, a bad energy drink actually translates into a slightly better shot, if only for the lack of disappointment.

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Rip It G-Force Extra Strength Energy Shot Review

Although rip it is a great budget brand, there packaging certainly makes it feel budget. The undistinguished "X" is hardly stimulating, an otherwise visually vacant shot packed with text. The "sugar free" is uneducatedly placed, and with everything around the same size font, it is too difficult to decipher what points are most important.

It has been three years since the original G-Force was reviewed, but even with almost 1095 days in the lab, the flavor does not condense well. It is not bitter or abhorrent or anything, but the opaque purple potation is watery with less emphasis on grape than there should be. Instead the sweetness, in the shape of sucralose and ace-k, is exaggerated with marginal success. It halts all development of the fruit, keeping nuance and tartness out of each sip. It introduces its own flavors however, cheap artificiality and slight aftertaste that only poorly managed synthetic sweeteners can produce. The experience overall is like knock-off Kool-Aid Burst, only without the childhood nostalgia.

What makes this shot "extra strength" is twenty milligrams more of caffeine and taurine, and even more minor increases of glutamine and glucuronolactone. The kick lasted two and a half, perhaps three hours, but even with B vitamins also, the buzz was less "extra" and more "ordinary."

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Built Ford Tough Haulin' Super Duty Power Shot Grape Review

Why this is an energy shot- oh, sorry, I meant power shot (a super duty one too), is beyond any sane person. No, my vehicle is not a truck, or a Ford, but even if so that would not make me part of the (extremely limited) target audience. Only someone who just loves Ford trucks would ever be like "finally, an energy shot for me!"

For the two something bucks paid, this blandly sweet and tedious tasting shot only resembles grape if you have never had one. It burns with a chemical passion and homages the bitter shots of years ago with an archaic astringency. There is an overabundance of water to each of the few sips two ounces offer, a distracting characteristic to a distracted experience. It is drinkable, but perhaps only to an individual just shy of 1000 reviews.

Other than varied amounts of B vitamins, there is the lamented energy blend, unspecific with quantities of: caffeine, taurine, and other elements. The kick lasted something under three hours, leaving jitters and expiring with a bit of a crash. Altogether, this frustrating energy shot shares a shelf with products with both a market and a chance; it is built Ford weak and, well, the jokes write themselves.

Tweaker Mango Peach Energy Shot Review

The first "extra strength" Tweaker shot seen, this Mango-Peach flavor has a '3' hovering towards the top (whereas previous varieties had a '2'). There is no indication as to what it means; there are "two" servings, not three, and this certainly is not their third such flavor. The rest of the bottle is not much better, a messy salad of bland backgrounds and useless text, nothing worth the extra fifty cents paid over the former variety's ninety-nine cent price tag.

The first sip reveals a surprisingly authentic mango taste, thanks to its conservative sweetness, although not as robust or deep as the actual fruit. Equally strong is a peach flavor, tantamountly sweet but is far duller a mimicking. It feels hollow on the tongue, benefiting nothing being so small and from simulating the Chinese export without any actual juice. The shot is initially only slightly sour, but the acidity thickens quickly by the time that sip reaches the back of the tongue. By the last drop the tartness is sharp and piercing, still somewhat appropriate for the fruits but does diminish some of their opening realism. It is a bit of an underdeveloped flavor, but is a bit more complex an experience than expected.

Each bottle contains: B vitamins, caffeine, ginseng, yerba mate, green tea, and some other words too long or convoluted to type. There is a solid three plus hours of energy here, a satisfying buzz to a fairly satisfying shot.

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