Rockstar Punched Energy Drink Guava Review

Browsing the fridges at 7-11 I came across a Rockstar I haven't seen before - the purple drank one. Well, the label is purple, the drink is actually pink. I don't see many of the 650 mL bottles, just NOS, so I thought it was weird to have this different kind of Rockstar in this container, and not in the standard 473 mL can. The bottle costs $3.59 CAD, which is $0.60 more than the cans, but you do get more than 33% extra of the drink.

The first few sips of energy drink are quite refreshing, then the sweetness hits you and you wish you had a heap of salt or dirt to lick. It tastes like other guava drinks, but with more sugar, some hints of berries, and none of that generic energy drink-cough syrup taste. There is, however, a very distant ginseng taste. Don't be alarmed, it is not bad, you will taste it only if you pause swallowing, swish the remaining sip in your mouth and then really concentrate on the taste. If you haven't had a real ginseng drink, you will probably not recognize it. The aftertaste is very candy-like at first, a bit sour, very sweet and lasts for a while. Around 5 minutes after consuming the drink, you will experience a different kind of aftertaste, the same you get after chewing a bunch of gummy bears. It sounds weird, but it is probably because the same flavours, and ingredients, were used to make this Rockstar.

The bottle contains 220 mg of caffeine, but damn, it is 650 mL. I am sorry, but it will take me over an hour to drink this much of something this sweet. I would rather have something with just as much caffeine, or a bit less, that comes in a much smaller package and a lot less sweet. That way I will have enough energy at first with none of the disadvantages the sugar content carries. I can try to look at this from another point of view. Since it will take at least an hour for me to drink 650 mL, my energy boost period will be sustained for a much longer period of time.

Scores:
Cost - $3.59 CAD for the 650 mL bottle
Taste - 7.4/10
Energy - 8.3/10

Overall - 15.7/20...this drink is boring, I would much rather buy 2 Red Rains or have a NOS. It tastes a lot like a cheap, very sweet guava juice that just comes in a nice bottle.

mySmoothie Review

I went to the local IKEA to get a new desk lamp and some bookends. Well, just like every time you go to IKEA with a list of items you want to buy, you come out having spent twice what you were expecting and you have only picked up 1 or 2 items from your list. OK, that didn't quite happen to me today, but I did spend twice as much as I was expecting because I got some additional light bulbs and extra bookends (several kinds). On the way out I had to stop at the grocery store...you just have to stop at the store and get some hot dogs...that's the ritual. You shop at IKEA, and when you are done, you buy some cheap hot dogs and various Swedish snacks. I was drawn to the drinks. There were a few of these mySmoothie boxes that looked just great. I picked up a passion fruit one for $1.99 CAD.

Just look at that label!


I love the "with 1 passion fruit, 1/2 apple, 1/2 banana, 1/2 orange and 1/3 peach" diagrams on the side. At least these guys are honest and tell you straight up that there are other flavours you should be expecting, not just he passion fruit one. Turning the juice box in my hand, I read the ingredients list and it says - "crushed banana, passion fruit, apple and orange juices from concentrate, crushed peach." I wonder if they had left out the chemicals, or if this is really that pure. Another thing, I love the straw, it is extend-able. Oh, and what else do we have here? The label also says that each carton equals 2 servings of fruit.

Holy crap does this taste good!!! I was barely able to put down the drink so I can jot down my thoughts on it. It is very nice and thick... a bit too thick to be honest. It would have been better to add some more juice or a bit of water. The juice is quite sour from the orange, apple and passion fruit. The aftertaste is very clean, and a bit sour. Surprisingly I was quite refreshed after downing the juice box, it was that good.

Damn, as soon as I drank it all, I regretted it. I regretted the fact that I only bought one. I know where I will be going next weekend to buy a whole bunch of these.

Scores:
Cost - $1.99 CAD for a 250 mL carton...but it tastes like something that costs more
Taste - 9.5/10...I had to deduct half a point for it being too thick for my liking

Overall - 9.5/10

Berry Beaver Buzz Energy Drink Review

A few weeks ago I bought a Green Tea Beaver Buzz Energy Drink and thought it was a bit too sweet and the caffeine content was a bit low. Yesterday I saw one of the other Beaver Buzz Energy Drinks and I just had to buy it and try it. Why? Because this one has 188 mg of caffeine in a 355 mL can. That's almost 80 mg more than the Green Tea Beaver Buzz, 20-30 mg more than all Monster, Full Throttle, Rockstar, AMP (with the exception of Black Tea AMP) drinks and it only costs $1.99 CAD. I also love the tall, skinny can.

Unlike other berry energy drinks, this one does not taste as sweet, which is something I absolutely love. The Beaver Buzz website states that this is made with no ordinary berries, it is made with the Saskatoon Berries, which are native to Western Canada and Western and Northern United States. I have never had Saskatoon Berries so I cannot say if this drink captures the taste of the berry. It tastes a lot like sour blueberries with a tart, cranberry-like aftertaste. The only bad thing about the drink is the cough syrup undertone, which is more dominant in the initial aftertaste.

YEAAAAAH, now this is an energy drink. It has 188 mg of caffeine in a 355 mL can. I know if I don't want to drink too much I should get an energy shot, but I don't like the way they taste and I prefer to sip on something. Drinking a 473 mL can slowly, leaves the last little bit warm. I have to find the rest of the Beaver Buzz energy drinks to see if they also contain 188 mg of caffeine. The wikipedia entry states that they all do, but since the Green Tea doesn't, it leads me to believe that it may be wrong.

Scores:
Cost - $1.99 CAD
Taste - 7.8/10
Energy - 8.3/10

Overall - 16.1/20

Yoplus Review

I went to T & T yesterday for some crabs and I couldn't help picking up a few drinks you can't find elsewhere. I have tried Vilac before and liked it so I got a bottle of Yoplus for $0.79 CAD. Pretty cheap for a 350 mL bottle, isn't it? First off, there are a ton of calories in the bottle - 595 calories to be exact. On the plus side, you get 10.5 g of fiber and a colossal, amount of sugar - 108.5 g!!! Holy mother craps - that is more than 2 cans of Coke, almost 3. Good thing this product is aimed at kids, they really need the sugar and fiber.

This tastes exactly like the Vilac yogurt drink. Here is how I think you can achieve the taste - take a little bit of plain yogurt, add a bit of skim milk powder and a whole lot of water. Once it is watery enough, add several large tablespoons of sugar and a bit of citric acid, or just crush a few vitamin C tablets, and there you have it. What about the apple flavour, you ask? Fine, underneath the sugary taste, there are hints of apple, granny smith I think. So while you are mixing all the ingredients, you might want to add a tablespoon of apple juice to get that subtle apple taste. It doesn't taste bad overall. You might think it is really sweet with all the sugar, but surprisingly it is not. The aftertaste is not bad either, it is that refreshing, sour aftertaste you get from eating plain yogurt. There are also subtle apple hints.

Scores:
Cost - $0.79 CAD
Taste - 7.7/10

Overall - 7.5/10...for the shocking amount of calories and sugar content

Mandarin Orange NRG Energy Shot Review

It has been a while since I had another NRG shot. The last one I tried left me in the washroom with my head in the toilet attempting to make the energy shot come out of my stomach...the two finger approach. This time I got one that did not include a color in its name - Mandarin Orange. It costs $1.99 CAD and I got it from Rexall.

Wow, when I opened it and the smell hit I think I blacked out for a few seconds. That must have been the most pungent smell that has come my way in a very long time. No, wait, I drove by a landfill a couple of weeks ago. Great, I can use that landfill smell to compare this to. So, imagine you are next to a landfill. Now imagine that in your hand is a bottle of NRG Mandarin Orange,
I can guarantee that the landfill odor will be lost and you would do anything to get it back. Of course if you to throw the NRG bottle in the landfill then you might as well forget about ever sensing the garbage odor again. This energy shot will contaminate the entire landfill and then all will be able to smell until it has been remediated is NRG Mandarin Orange. I can't even bring myself to try this thing. At the moment is sitting at the corner of my desk with its lid on and all I can smell is the Mandarin Orange scent...which I allowed to escape when I first cracked open the bottle. It was only open for a second. How can it fill the air around the desk with its stench? OK, I will give it a try.

These are the different tastes/flavours you will go through: flavour one is the awful garbage-like taste, that will last for less than a second. Second, your taste buds have been completely destroyed, you will sense something resembling orange, then you will remember that the taste is awfully similar to that of chewable vitamin C tablets. And lastly, once you have gulped down whatever is in the bottle, the citric acid taste and burn will give way to the horrible hair dye-like taste. I have never tried drinking hair dye, but imagine the hair salon smell contained in your mouth. What is even worse is that the aftertaste is so strong that it stays for a very long time in your mouth. Damn, another terrible experience with the NRG Energy Shots.

I drank the bottle at exactly 1 pm and I was promised up to 8 hours of energy. The label does not list the caffeine content, but I doubt that it is higher than a Monster or, at most, NOS. It kicked in roughly 10 - 15 minutes after consuming it. It was a very weird rush - no jitters and tons of energy and I didn't feel like running up the walls in my office. Quite nice. This pleasant rush only lasted for an hour. After 2 pm I was feeling quite normal - not tired, just normal. I started to get tired around 4 pm. Three hours of energy is under the 8 hour promise, but it is that "up to" combination that bothers me. The overall energy boost is comparable to that of a 473 mL energy drink, but it is that 1 hour of calm, focused energy that gives it some extra points.

Scores:
Cost - $1.99 CAD
Taste - 1/10...I am feeling generous
Energy - 8.5/10

Overall - 9.5/20...maybe you want to buy something else, such as a gun and shoot yourself. If you are looking for just an energy rush, this might do the trick, but if you don't want your mouth to taste of garbage for an hour, you might want to get something else...did I already suggest a gun? Not in the mood for a gun? You can try the 5 hour energy shot. It tastes better.

Red Rain Cran-Orange Review

It is time to have the other flavour of Red Rain I picked up a couple of days ago. I assume this one will taste like cranberries and orange. Again, this one has a very dirty top. Why are you doing this 7-11?

I was expecting a nice light orange color with a red tint, but what I got instead was vibrant pink. The drink look like pink lemonade, odd. It smells like orange, but it tastes like cranberries, weird. Unlike the tropical mango Red Rain I had before, this one does not taste artificial. If you mix cranberry juice, regular Red Rain and a bit of orange juice, this is what you will get. The aftertaste is on the tart side due to the cranberries, but it's very refreshing.

Same as all the other 250 mL cans, this one contains 80 mg of caffeine - not enough to give you a serious kick, but just to start your day, or give you that afternoon energy burst.

Scores:
Cost - $1.99 CAD
Taste - 8.2/10
Energy - 6/10

Overall - 14.2/20...quite refreshing, but with just a standard caffeine content

Red Rain Tropical Mango Review

Last night I picked up a few more drinks for work. Today I brough in the Red Rain Tropical Mango, the 3rd Red Rain flavour. There are 2 more flavours, but I was not able to find the Acai-Blu one. I got the cans from 7-11 for $1.99 CAD each, but I am pretty sure you can find them other places for a lot less money, like at Loblaws. I got the original for $1.49 from there. I have been told that you can get Red Rain in pack of 4 from Wal-Mart for around $5 CAD, but I cannot confirm that yet.

I poured the contents of the 250 mL can in a mug because the top was dirty. I am starting to think that the 7-11 I go to has some problems in the storage room. Anyways, the drink is pale orange and clear. To be honest I was expecting it to be a bit cloudy like NOS. It tastes a lot like the original Red Rain (which tastes just like Red Bull), but with some mango flavouring. I can also detect a higher level of citric acid because it tastes a bit more sour than other similar drinks.
The mango flavouring tastes a bit artificial. I think you will get the same effect if you were to get a package of powdered juice and add a bit to a can of regular Red Rain. The aftertaste is very refreshing with hints of mango and the sting of citric acid on the tongue. Overall it tastes surprisingly good and the sweetness level is just right, at least for me.

Just like most 250 mL energy drinks, this one contains 80 mg of caffeine per can, which should be enough to wake you up if you are a caffeine addict, but not enough to get you going for several hours. I recommend seconds in 2 - 3 hours after consuming a can of this.

Scores:
Cost - $1.99 CAD, but many places sell it for less
Taste - 8.3/10...if it was a little less acidic and a bit less artificial tasting, I would have given it more
Energy - 6/10

Overall - 14.3/20

NOS Energy Drink Review

NAAAAWWWWSSS!!! This better give me an insane boost as it packs a lot more caffeine than other 473 mL cans. More about that later, now lets discuss the drink. So I got it from 7-11 for $2.99 CAD. Maybe I should stop stating the prices as it seems that all 473 mL cans are $2.99 CAD and all 250 mL ones are $1.99 CAD, with some minor exceptions. NOS came out on the Canadian market a few years ago in that awful NOS tank bottle, which looked very cheaply made. The bottle was 650 mL, if I remember correctly, and contained over 300 mg of caffeine. It disappeared for a while and then came the can. I just had to get one of these. The label looks better, the colors are more vibrant, and the back of the label is somewhat legible.

The drink smells and tastes like exotic fruits, a lot like the Rockstar Juiced, but not as sweet which is a good thing. Since the NOS label does not state what it is supposed to taste like, I will make a guess based on the Rockstar one. I think NOS tastes of passion fruit with hints of mango and citrus. The aftertaste is very pleasant, a bit cleaner than the Rockstar one with a dominant fruit taste. Overall I think NOS is a very well balanced energy drink in terms of taste.

I mentioned that the caffeine level is higher than other 473 mL cans, it is 250 mg. That's 90 more than the other ones. It's like you are getting a free Red Bull with the purchase of a Monster or AMP or Rockstar or Full Throttle. This gave me more than enough energy to get the day started. I drank the can slowly so I did not experience any jitters.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD
Taste - 9.5/10...this should be my new benchmark
Energy - 8.8/10

Overall - 18.3/20...this is one great energy drink, just too bad for that cheesy name

Lost Energy Drink Review

I have been avoiding Lost on the basis of cheesiness for the longest time. But today, when this was the last energy drink in the fridge of the local convenience store, I had to suck it up and get it. Why was I avoiding this? Just look at the label. It's like someone jumped on the non-conformity wagon a little too late. I think this would have worked like 10 years ago, but now it is all about clean, minimalistic labels. Just take a look at effect. Let me just write some of the
sayings I found on the can - "You're being lied to", "Tear down your idols", "THE system is down", "Search and destroy". Wasn't that great? What about the pin-up girls of the skater cut outs? It literally took me at least 2 minutes before I figured out all the crap on the can. Bravo Lost, bravo.

Now, I shall open the can and try it. I am a bit scared to at this point as I am half expecting this to taste like water, citric acid, some coloring and that generic cough syrup taste. Are you serious? This tastes exactly like Monster. According to wikipedia, this drink is based on Monster Energy, made by the same company for Lost Enterprises. Based on? It's more a change of clothes...label in this case. It costs the same too, so why does this even exist? The regular Monster was even on the same shelf. I am extremely disappointed. I would rather buy Monster than this poser. There is no point to discuss the caffeine content because it is the same as Monster - 160 mg.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD
Taste - 5.9/10
Energy - 7.5/10

Overall - 11/20...I had to take some points off for being screwed by the MAN pushing outdated slogans

Red Rain Mocha Cappuccino Review

I went again to the local 7-11 and got some new energy drinks. I noticed that they had the entire line of Red Rain for $1.99 CAD each. I picked up the cappuccino one for today, but I will probably go back and purchase the rest. The top of this can is just as dirty as the tops of the Inked ones, which leads me to believe that it is just the store that is dirty, not the distributor's warehouse.

When I bought this I was half expecting it to be an iced coffee with more caffeine than usual. What it is, in fact, is a coffee soda like the President's Choice ones you can get from LobLaws or Zehrs, and is just as carbonated. It smells pretty good, like sweetened, light roasted coffee and it tastes a bit like one too. Hmmmm, this is a very weird tasting drink, which I think may not find its place on the market. The immediate taste is that of extremely watered down Red Rain (or shall I say Red Bull?), the taste that comes about a second into drinking the beverage is that of watered down sweetened coffee. Since the regular Red Rain has been probably used as a base for this, the drink tastes a bit sour. The immediate aftertaste is similar to drinking both Red Rain (Red Bull) and light coffee one after the other. Wait for a few minutes after drinking the two and
this is what the Red Rain Mocha Cappuccino aftertaste is like. Again, this is a very weird drink, I don't dislike it, but I cannot say that I enjoy it.

The caffeine content is standard for a can this size - 80 mg. It gave a decent boost in the morning, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Scores:
Cost - $1.99 CAD
Taste - 6.2/10...those who enjoy coffee soda might like the taste, but I can't say that I do
Energy - 6/10

Overall - 12.2/20...meh

Xyience Xenergy Mango Guava Review

Yeaaaaah, XTREME. How about putting some more X's where possible? I don't think 2 is enough to get your message across. OK, I realize there is that huge UFC logo on the front and the back so it is only logical that you need to emphasize how extreme this drink is. But for an extreme drink, why is it "zero calories and sugar free"? That does not sound extreme to me. I expect my energy drinks to be packed full of sugar. I also like the bar code above Xyience...which does not match the actual bar code on the back, the one the cashier used to ring my purchase of $2.99 CAD. The cheesiness must have been the reason why I have never had this drink before. I am sorry, there is also that huge Xyience logo on the side, right above the third, even larger, UFC logo. Shit, this drink is extreme to the max.


For an extreme drink this sure tastes extremely bad. Nah, I am lying, it doesn't taste too bad if you are into diet drinks. Beneath all that diet pop taste I can detect a mild mango flavour and a very distant guava one. The aftertaste is similar to the one of diet pop - overwhelmingly artificial with trace amounts of mostly mango flavouring. Why didn't I read the label more closely? I really dislike diet drinks. If you are thinking of buying this, do it ONLY if you like diet coke or diet Red Bull, otherwise back away from the display with maximum caution.

This can packs a bit more caffeine than other 473 mL ones - 180 mg. Finally, something extreme...slightly. This is only 20 - 30 mg more than the regular cans, so I cannot really consider this to be so amazing. It sure gives you a nice boost though.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD
Taste - 4.8/10 if you don't like diet drinks, more if you do
Energy - 7.9/10

Overall - 12.7/20...this is a diet energy drink, what was I thinking? I repeat, if you like diet pop, then you might like the taste of this one

Bottle Green Ginger & Lemongrass Review

I went out at lunch in the search of something refreshing to drink and to counteract the negative impact my salty lunch will have on my body. While I was out I decided to get some fruits from LobLaws. On my way to the cash register I spotted the healthy drink fridge and wandered over to have a closer look. They had some Fuze drinks, which I am not ready to try again (read why here), some juices and these bottle green beverages. I picked up the ginger & lemongrass thinking it will have a clean and refreshing taste. The bottles were only $1.69 CAD each so it wasn't much money to spend on something that may turn out to be horrible...as it did (damn it, I spoiled it).

The moment I twisted the cap and the escaping air hit my nose, I regretted my purchase. It smelled exactly like pickled ginger, something I would normally shove in my mouth by the bucket. The only problem was that I wasn't eating sushi. "How bad can it be?" - I thought to myself and brought the bottle closer to my mouth and had a sip. The taste would not have been bad if I was eating pickled ginger and its juices were squirting, but damn it, I was drinking carbonated water. Who thought it would be a good idea to put ginger in? Also, why did I think it would taste refreshing? I wasn't able to taste the lemongrass much, because the taste of ginger was overpowering. The aftertaste was surprisingly fresh...if you were to breath breath through your mouth for about 5 seconds after taking a sip. That's not all, after those 5 seconds, your mouth feels as though you just had a jalapeno...OK, I am exaggerating, but the aftertaste is a bit spicy. If you don't like cinnamon gum, or mildly spicy foods, you will get diarrhea just by looking at the label of this soda.

I didn't dump the water down the sink, I drank it all. If someone offers me this flavour of bottle green, I would take it with pleasure, then proceed to beat that person to death, then I would go on a killing rampage. These are the possible consequences of people putting odd flavours in places they don't belong, such as the carbonated water I buy.

Scores:
Cost - $1.69 CAD
Taste - 5.1/10...I would give it a pass, but I would never buy one again

Overall - 4.9/10...I had to deduct 0.2 so this wouldn't pass

Inked Druidic Energy Drink Review

Time to drink the last can of Inked I had stashed away in the fridge. This one is called Druidic and is supposed to taste like euro citrus, whatever European citrus tastes like. I tangerine/orange/lemon. The, as all the other ones, was very dirty and the top had to be wiped clean before pouring the contents into a mug. I have already mentioned a couple of times that
Inked is sold 2 for 1 exclusively at 7-11 as it's made for them. That is $2.59 CAD and you get 2 cans or energy shots.

The drink does not look like a citrus one at all. The color is light brown and looks more like carbonated apple juice than a citrus drink. I thought that maybe the company has used apple juice as a base, but upon closer inspection of the ingredients list on the back it was revealed that there is not mention of the type of juices used. The drink smells a lot like candy and it tastes like Red Bull...at least it tries to. Turbo Energy Drink and Red Rain have already achieved the taste of Red Bull, but not Inked. Take a Red Bull, add some more sugar, a bit more of citric acid, bump up the carbonation level and you would have a Druidic. The aftertaste is a bit different. It is mostly clean, slightly sour and initially a bit sweet. The sweetness fades away in less than a minute and then you are left with the sour taste (probably from the citric acid) for a while. It is not a bad flavour, but not very original and not like Red Bull at all even though they have probably tried to copy the taste.

The energy content is the same as all the other Inked flavours - 80 mg per 250 mL. If you don't have a calculator or have one, but don't what numbers to put in to get the total content per can, then perhaps you should go and open up a math textbook from elementary school. I will be nice though and tell you right now that the total content is 151.36 mg per can. It gave me a nice boost early in the morning, but then again so do all the other 473 mL cans.

Scores:
Cost - $2.59 CAD per can with the 2 for 1 deal that has been going on for a while
Taste - 6.7/10...try a Turbo or a Red Rain to get that Red Bull-like taste
Energy - 7.5/10

Overall - 14.2/20...not too bad

Check out the other Inked drinks I have tried:

• Oroborus
• Chikara
• Maori
  

Rockstar Punched Acai Berry Review

Boy, am I tired this morning! Good thing I picked this up last night when I was filling up my car. I got it at the local ESSO gas station for $2.99 CAD. I have recently started noticing this flavour appearing at various locations because of the screaming green label. I know that Rockstar already has a few different labels, this looks to be the one that will most likely get your attention. Just like the Inked cans, this one also had a dirty top. Where were these cans stored? Did the distributor leave them in a warehouse and forgot about them? Well, my trust caffeine mug comes to my rescue once more.

Alright, now lets discuss the choice of flavour - acai berry. Did Rockstar fall for one of those scams and now have a truck load of acai berry extract/juice/whatever? Seriously, that is all the spam I have been getting lately - 2 e-mails per day. What happened to the good old viagra spam? The cheap meds? The enlargement spams? Acai berry must be the new "miracle" fruit, the one that will enlarge every part of your body and solve all of your financial problems. Not only that, if you just send them $20, they will somehow guarantee that you will be making 5 digits per weel selling acai juice. If that works so well, why don't they keep the tricks to themselves and make millions? SPAM - don't fall for it.

Alright, I will call this spam juice, because it did not really deliver what I was expecting (damn it, I spoiled the rest of the story). I poured it in my nice mug and look at that color.


I was honestly expecting something green. I mentioned in another post that I haven't had pure acai juice to know what it is supposed to taste like, so determining how good the flavour has been captured will be a bit hard...if not impossible. Fine, you have a yellow color, but how do you taste little green guy? Damn it spam juice, you taste like citrus fruits. Perhaps at this point I should point out that this, indeed, is citrus punch so I should not be too harsh and say I didn't get what was written on the label. But where is that exotic acai berry flavour I should be detecting? Hm, that must be that sugary taste of cough syrup. OK, this is very hard to describe, but it just tastes like a citrus drink with a bit of a cough syrup undertone. Tsk, tsk, Rockstar, trying to get on the acai bandwagon. No money for you anymore...at least for this drink. Maybe you should have signed up for another acai berry scam so you can have two truck loads of juice and you at least double the flavour intensity. It doesn't even say anywhere what the juice content of this is supposed to be. You were cool with the mango one, what happened?

The energy level here is pretty standard - 160 mg per can. It did help me wake up this morning and for this I am glad I spent the $2.99 last night. The boost lasted for a few hours just like all the other 473 mL energy drinks.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD
Taste - 6.8/10...Lifesavers, it tastes exactly like the yellow one and looks like one as well
Energy - 7.5/10

Overall - 14.3/20...you had my hopes up high, but you did not deliver

Inked Chikara Energy Drink Review

Last week I bought a few cans of Inked from 7-11 and reviewed the Oroborus one. Today I am having the Chikara one. There is one thing I need to point out. Look at that top.


It is dirty! All the cans of Inked at that particular 7-11 were like this. For my Oroborus review I had to pour the contents in my caffeine mug. I am doing the same with this one. Why the heck are all the cans so dirty? I should go to another one and investigate the conditions of the Inked cans. This is just so filthy, after opening the can I had to go wash my fingers. I can see why they cost $2.69 for 2 cans now.

Before drinking this remember to wipe the mouth piece because even if you are drinking it from a cup, the liquid will flow over the rim and a bit of the mouth piece, dragging some of the junk into the cup. The label says that this is supposed to taste like cranberry and raspberry. The color confirms the claim - it is dark red. The taste is surprisingly better than the Oroborus one. The energy drink smells like cranberry juice and it tastes like one too. The raspberry is detectable, but it gets overpowered by the cranberry. This is actually really refreshing in the morning. Just the cranberry taste can give you a nice jolt and wake you up. The aftertaste is also surprisingly good - tart from the cranberry with hints of raspberry. Bravo 7-11, or should I say Cott Beverages, bravo!

The energy content for this one is given in the same manner as the Oroborus one - 80 mg per 250 mL. A bit frustrating that you have to calculate the can content by yourself, but the rule of thumb is multiply it by 2. But if you have a calculator handy, you will arrive to 151.36 mg of caffeine per can of Inked, which is enough to give you a nice energy boost, similar to the one a can of Monster, AMP, Full Throttle and RockStar will give you, but at less than half the price.

Scores:
Cost - $2.69 CAD for 2 cans, or you can mix and match and buy a can and an energy shot
Taste - 8.1/10...if you like cranberries, try this as it tastes more of juice than an energy drink
Energy - 7.5/10...nothing too impressive, quite average for a can this size

Overall - 15.6/20...better than the Oroborus one

Check out the other Inked drinks I have tried:

• Oroborus
• Druidic
• Maori
  

Starbucks Frappuccino Coffee Drink Review

It has been a while since I have had an iced coffee so when I saw that the Startbucks coffee drinks are on sale at the local T & T supermarket, I had to get a few. The only time I had one was when they first came out on the market. I cannot recall if it was the mocha or the vanilla, so I picked up a couple of each. They were on sale for $1.59 CAD. The regular price depends on the location, but it is always between $2.69 CAD and $2.99 CAD. Before I even opened the bottle I noticed the nutrition facts on the back (and the front in french). There are 31 g of sugar in that 281 mL glass bottle. Hmm, I expect it to be really sweet. Each bottle also contains 7 g of protein and 20% of your daily recommended calcium intake, now that's a bonus.

OK, you have to shake these well. In the 5 minutes the bottle sat on my desk there was a brown ring at the bottom from the coffee particles. I was expecting this to be really sweet and it delivered...and I dislike sugar in my coffee. The iced coffee smells like milk and sugar and it tastes like milk with a lot of sugar. There is slight coffee taste which gets lost in the milk. The coffee is the dominant smell, but where is it when you are drinking this beverage? The aftertaste is on the ranky side. It's as if you had just finished a glass of hot milk with sugar and a bit of vanilla extract. The coffee aftertaste? Yeah, there is some, but the way it manifests itself is in the form of a bitter (not coffee bitter) undertone that you makes you wonder what you can do to get rid of it. Well, may I suggest a cup of strong black tea with no sugar or milk, or just a cup of fresh coffee, again with no milk or sugar. I have had better tasting iced coffees (or should I say coffee drinks) that cost less.

The drink tastes like milk and I expect it to be mostly milk with enough coffee thrown in so the drink can be sold in the energy drink section. I have a better idea, why not move this beverage down the aisle where all the milk beverages are, because that is where it belongs. The caffeine content is not listed on the label, but after a quick search I found out that it is 90 mg per bottle, the same as a can of Red Bull (Red Bull is 80 mg per 250 mL, you do the rest of the math). I didn't get the same energy boost I get from a can of Red Bull (or anything similar), but enough
to wake me up. Another thing, I hate how big the bottle opening is. It is very easy to spill the liquid from the sides if you are in a rush and trying to drink it all at once.

Scores:
Cost - $1.59 CAD, but most places sell is for $2.69 to $2.99 CAD
Taste - 5.8/10...I am sorry frappuccino lovers, but nothing can beat the taste of a fresh coffee drink. Even if you just HAVE to have a bottled coffee drink, there are better ones out there
Energy - 5.7/10

Overall - 11.5/20...perhaps I will like the dark chocolate mocha better. I expect it to be less sweet

AMP Energy Lightning Review

Holy yellow cans Batman...this can is YELLOOOW!!! I was going down one of the isles in 7-11, headed for the coolers, when this can just JUMPED at me. I think that Monster and AMP are trying some new tricks to get the customer's attention. I have never seen this AMP flavour before, only the 5 most common ones - regular, Overdrive, Elevate, Traction and Reignite(Relaunch). Of course there are the AMP energy with green/black tea ones, which are still not as common, but I have seen them in stores. A quick wikipedia search reveals that there are, in fact, 3 more flavours - Lightning, Defend and Sugar Free. OK, the last one isn't so much a flavour as sugar free regular AMP. Although, I am sure that he sugar free does not taste very good.

The can is not the only thing that is screaming yellow, the beverage itself is also bright yellow. It is not completely clear, it is a bit foggy, kind of like a Lifesaver or any lemon drop. It tastes a lot like a carbonated Minute Maid lemonade with a slight tangerine undertone. The immediate aftertaste is lemony-sour, which after a minute gives way to a generic, cough syrup-like taste with hints of lemon/citric acid and sugar. The taste is definitely different from other energy drinks. Having this on a hot day (like today) can have its refreshing advantages. Another thing, the taste gets better with time.

The energy content is listed at 158 mg per can, which is a bit less than the other AMPs, but not by a significant amount. Like all the other ones, this one offers a decent energy boost, both from the caffeine and the sugar, which for me lasted for several hours.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD
Taste - 7.2/10
Energy - 7.5/10

Overall - 14.7/20...it is different and refreshing

Chaotic Elixir of Tenacity Review

I finally had the opportunity to drink this can. You might want to get familiar with Chaotic Mind Strike and the Chaotic Fearocity before proceeding. OK, first, tenacity is defined as "the quality or state of being tenacious" by the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. Tenacious is defined as "not being easy to pull apart, cohesive", by the same dictionary. Unlike the other two flavours of Chaotic, this one only lists Vitamin A, E, C and green tea extract as medicinal ingredients. This flavour costs as much as all the other ones - $2.99 CAD.

Chaotic Elixir of Tenacity is supposed to taste like punch, which it really does. Unlike Monster MIXXD and AMP Traction, this one is not as sweet and doesn't have the generic energy drink undertone. I know this is labeled as a vitamin supplement rather than an energy drink, but I think it still contains a little caffeine because of the green tea extract. This one, like the Chaotic Mind Strike, has a slightly bitter undertone, which isn't too flavour intrusive, but can still be detected. The aftertaste is clean, a bit sour with the bitter undertone lasting seconds. A slight grape aftertaste is also detectable.

Since this is labeled as a vitamin supplement, the energy boost isn't much. It is a bit lower than the other Chaotic flavours.

As you can see, I ripped the label off to check whether or not this is a relabeled Awake can. It wasn't, it was just a plain, aluminum can.


Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD
Taste - 6.8/10
Energy - 5.8/10

Overall - 12.6/20...I think if slightly more citric acid and grape flavouring was added, it would have tasted much better

Check out the other Chaotic flavours:

• Mind Strike
• Fearocity

Chaotic Fearocity Review

After the big Chaotic surprise yesterday, read all about it here, I went home in a hurry, got in my car and drove to the nearest 7-11 to buy all the Chaotic flavors they had. The only other flavors the store had were fearocity (no, it doesn't taste like fear) and elixir of tenacity. I rushed back home to rip the labels off and see what was underneath. Sadly, no Awake Energy was found under the Chaotic label, just plain, aluminum, cans (check out the photo below). I can't let those ripped up cans go to waste so I will try them over the next couple of days and post my thoughts on them.

Today, as I am sure you have figured out, is time for Chaotic Fearocity, the drink that is said to taste like kiwi melon-sour. It does smell a lot like kiwi and gummy bears. Hm, it is more drinkable than Chaotic Mind Strike...a lot more drinkable. In fact, it tastes pretty good. It is not as sweet as I expected it to be, which is a great thing for me since I don't enjoy sweet drinks. On the down side, it is not as sour as I was expecting it to be. I was expecting a lot of citric acid and,
wait a minute, the back of the label says this drink contains spinach extract for natural flavour. Now hold on Chaotic, are you trying to make kids healthy? Don't be alarmed, you cannot taste the spinach at all. What other things are there in this flavor? Well, there is green tea extract, yerba mate extract, guarana seed extract, taurine, ginseng extract and some vitamins. Not bad, not bad at all. I just wish you could taste the melon a bit more and that the drink was a bit more sour. Chaotic, you promised me a sour drink...where is it? Last, but not least, the aftertaste. The aftertaste is refreshing and surprisingly clean.

Again this flavor does not list the amount of caffeine, but I expect some to be present because there is yerba mate, green tea and guarana extracts. I didn't get much of a boost and that is maybe because this drink is labelled as a vitamin suppliment rather than an energy drink.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD
Taste - 7.9/10
Energy - 6.1/10

Overall - 14/20...this one is much better tasting than the Mind Strike one

Check out the other Chaotic drinks I have tried:

• Mind Strike
• Elixir of Tenacity

Chaotic Mind Strike Review

Edit: Skip to the middle of the post to see what I discovered about this drink


I was at 7-11 again browsing the fridges. On the upper shelf, of one of the energy drink sections, tucked away in the corner of the fridge I saw a dark and familiar label. I picked up the can and read it - "Chaotic". Right away I recognized that the label was from the trading card game Chaotic, whose decks and expansion packs are usually on sale at the cash register. I cannot believe they are trying to market energy drinks now. It must be a part of an evil plan to get
kids that play the game hooked on energy drinks. I assume a Chaotic expansion pack costs the same as a pack of Magic cards and a can of the Chaotic energy drink - $2.99. "Hey kids, when you are buying another pack, why not get a drink too?" I bet that's what the execs were thinking. I also like how they have given them names - Mind Strike, Fearocity, Power Pulse,
Elixir of Tenacity. The one I picked up was Mind Strike...because that was the can I originally grabbed when I first noticed them.

It says it tastes like blood orange. It smells like Hi-C/Fanta/any carbonated orange drink. Not only does it smell like any carbonated orange drink, but it also tastes like them as well. When I say "like" I mean "worse". I really don't like orange soda because it just tastes fake. If I wanted a carbonated orange drink, I would mix club soda and orange juice or just buy an Orangina. Chaotic Mind Strike has a dull orange taste with a slightly bitter undertone. The label on the back tells me that the bitterness might be from the ginkgo biloba extract or the gotu kola. I have never heard of the second one, but I do have a pack of loose leaf ginkgo biloba tea at home so I know that it is bitter. Here is a link to the gotu kola wikipedia article. So to wrap up the taste section - I don't like it much.

The aftertaste is similar to that of the carbonated orange drinks - a bit sweet with an artificial orange taste. Yep, the aftertaste lasts for a while, but don't worry, it is not as bad as the drink itself.

I was surprisingly pepped up by the drink. The label doesn't say what the caffeine content is, but I assume it is low because I only recognized the green tea leaf extract as something that might contain caffeine. The ginkgo biloba is supposed enhance concentration and memory, but at 1.5 mg per can, I don't know if the effects would be noticed. The energy boost lasted for a couple of hours, but I don't think it's comparable to other energy drinks.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD per can, I got it from 7-11 and I haven't seen it anywhere else
Taste - 5.8/10...not the greatest taste
Energy - 6.1/10

Overall - 11.9/20...don't leave yet, read bellow

OK, so the label on the can was badly placed. The whole time I was drinking this, the edge of the label was touching my lip and scratching it. After I had the drink, I looked at the rim and noticed that the label was slightly ripped where I was drinking. I grabbed the ripped piece and pulled it. See what I discovered when I peeled the label:


WHAT IS THIS? Awake good morning energy, 100% juice + energy. How is this 100%? Right below the "100% juice" it says from concentrate. Sure concentrate was made from juices, but if this is how you defined 100% juice, then all cheap orange juices you buy at the grocery store will claim that they are 100% juice. On the back it says that there 80 mg of caffeine per can and 100 mg of taurine. Not bad, but this is a 355 mL can. OK, forget about the energy and that the label came off. It says that it is not carbonated, but guess what - IT IS CARBONATED.

Now, onto more important things - is Awake energy Chaotic energy? Did Chaotic just use the available cans to save money? Did Chaotic just bought a bunch of Awake energy cans and rebrand them to try and make a quick buck alongside the game they sell? Let me know if you have come across this before.

Check out the other Chaotic drinks I have tried:

• Fearocity
• Elixir of Tenacity

Java Monster Irish Blend Review

Monster Irish Blend is one of the Monster products that I don't see as often. In fact, this is the second time I have seen it, and as soon as I saw it, I jumped at the opportunity to try it. The reason why I didn't get it the first time is because I had already picked up AMP Energy with Black Tea and Firefly. The Irish Blend costs the same as all the other comparable drinks - $2.99 CAD. The place where I picked up mine charged only $2.97 CAD. The can certainly stands out and can be easily seen among all the other Monster energy drinks - it is green! I assume the can is green because it is called Irish Blend, but why change the color when all the other Java flavors are beige/light brown? Marketing trick, no doubt.

The beverage has the same color as the other Monster Javas - whitened coffee. It smells a lot like Bailey's (minus the sharp alcohol scent) and tastes like a mix between it (Bailey's) and any Irish Cream coffee whitener/sweetener/cream. There is also a slight undertone that is not coffee or cream like, but something a clean and refreshing. After having a look at the ingredients list, I think that undertone might be due to the guarana seed extract present. Overall the taste is a bit too sweet for me, which also the main reason why I do not enjoy Bailey's too much. A coffee taste is almost not present here. This should be labeled as "Milk + Energy". The aftertaste is similar to the overall taste - very sweet, but without the presence of the guarana undertone. The sweetness lasts for a very long time after you finish drinking it and whatever coffee taste there is, it disappears within seconds.

The can is a little bit smaller than the regular 473 mL cans, it is only 444 mL.

You can't see it too well in this photo, but the top of the Monster can has been taken in a bit more than the Inked Oroborus one. At the bottom the same thing is seen. The rim around the top is also thinner. Unlike the other Monster energy drinks, this one has 186 mg of caffeine. It does give you an extra bit of boost, but it doesn't put it in a whole new category of energy boost. Like all the other
ones, the pep lasts for a few hours.

Scores:
Cost - $2.97 CAD
Taste - 7.8/10...I would have given it a bit more if it wasn't as sweet
Energy - 7.7/10

Overall - 15.5/20...some might enjoy the sweeter taste, but not me

Read about the other Monster drinks I have tried:

• Originale
• Mean Bean
• M-80
• Assault
• Khaos
• MIXXD

Inked Oroborus Energy Drink Review

I think the name is Oroborus, the first letter is a bit confusing. Anyways, I went to 7-11 to see what new and exciting energy drinks they might carry. I saw the Inked Energy Drinks, beverages made for and sold by 7-11. I have had a couple of them when they first came out, but now there are some new flavours added to the line up. I picked up Oroborus and Druidic. It seems like there is an ongoing promotion and that 7-11 is trying to get customers to buy their brand of energy drinks rather than all the other popular ones like Monster, Full Throttle, AMP and Red Bull. The promotion yesterday was the same one as when the energy drinks first came out - buy one, get one free. The price is not bad either - $2.69 CAD. There are also some Inked Energy Shots at $2.69 per shot with the same promotion - buy one, get one free. You can also mix and match - one energy shot and one energy drink.

When I was wondering which flavours to pick, I noticed that 100%, absolutely all of the cans in the fridge, were dirty. There were bits of dirt/dust covering all of the tops of the cans. There was dirt around the mouth opening and all around the rim...of every single can. Does that mean no one buys these things, or are they just from an old stock? Once I got to work I had to use my trusty ThinkGeek caffeine mug to try this energy drink. Check out how dark the beverage is, dark purple, almost black. This is much darker than the Monster Mixxd or AMP Traction.


Inked Oroborus is said to taste like pomegranate and blueberry, but I think it tastes more like sour lies. OK, bad choice of words, but it really just tastes sour (probably from the artificial pomegranate taste or the citric acid) and a bit of blueberries and grape. The scent is definitely of blueberries, but the taste is more of pomegranate. The aftertaste is a mix of sour pomegranate and a hint of blueberries. The overall taste is a bit dull and I think it could be sharpened up a little through the use of more JUICE. Some companies put juice content, this one only lists "natural flavours" in the non-medicinal ingredients list.

The caffeine content is listed at 80 mg per 250 mL. Why isn't the content given on a per can basis? Why should I have to calculate this myself? Very, very inconvenient, but oh well. Once all the numbers and formulas were entered into Excel, the caffeine content came up to 151.36 mg per can, quite the average for a 473 mL can. The drink pepped me up a bit, but not as much as I was expecting it to.

So as I kept writing this and finishing up the Inked, I started tasting the citric acid more and more. It was becoming quite dominant in the aftertaste as well. That's not a bad thing, but it is not something you get from other energy drinks. Another thing I noticed was their blank website...at least blank at this time. The title of the main page is default - blank.

Scores:
Cost - $2.69 per can, but you really get 2 for the price of one, so $1.35 CAD (had to round it up)
Taste - 6.1/10...I did say it tasted sour and a bit dull on the flavour, but I didn't mind it
Energy - 7.1/10

Overall - 13.2/20...I decided to start including the taste and energy ratings. Other drinks that didn't taste too good were getting higher ratings because of their low cost.

Check out the other Inked products I have tried:

• Chikara
• Druidic
• Maori
  

President's Choice Mocktail Raspberry Martini Review

It tastes a lot like a raspberry soda, but a bit less sweet... only at first. The aftertaste is very similar to the one you get from drinking sugary raspberry pop drinks and lasts for a while. It doesn't seem to be mixed with any other flavors like a lot of the other mocktails are. I don't understand why this flavor was turned into a "mocktail". You can already buy raspberry carbonated drinks from the LobLaws/Zehrs/Superstore chain. Although it tastes OK, this mocktail flavor is the one I would buy last - it has nothing exciting to offer. If I ever felt like drinking a carbonated raspberry drink, I would buy a 2L bottle, which will be cheaper and contain a lot more raspberry goodness.

Scores:
Cost - 10/10...same as all the other mocktails - $2.99 CAD
Taste - 6.1/10...not a big raspberry drink fan, nothing too exciting or new here

Overall - 16.1/20...meh, looks like high score, but it should be much lower when judged solely on its taste

Read about the other Mocktail flavours I have tried:

• Bay Breeze
• Mojito
  

Full Throttle Blue Demon Energy Drink Review

Full Throttle is to Coke what AMP is to Pepsi. Just like all energy drink makers, Full Throttle has released a boat load of different flavors to try and attract more buyers. The regular Full Throttle in my opinion is not much of an exciting drink. It doesn't taste too good and it gives you the same energy boost as all other energy drinks. The only reason why I used to buy Full Throttle a few years ago was because I worked in a small town for about a year and every day on my way to work, I would pass by a Mac's convenience store. For that one year there were endless Full Throttle promotions - 2 cans for the price of one, 2 for $4, buy 1, get one half off and so on. Also the store had a Subway stand so instead of horrible, overpriced fountain drink I usually bought whatever energy drink Mac's had on sale...which was Full Throttle.

Right before I left the town the Full Throttle Blue Demon was released and another boat load of promotions arrived - "buy a Full Throttle and get Full Throttle Blue Demon for free" was my favorite one. It was smart of Coke to let you try their new product for free, because oh boy did it taste great. The label says that it tastes like blue agave, but since I cannot recall ever drinking blue agave juice, other than tequila, I can't tell that it doesn't. The Full Throttle Blue Demon has the most refreshing taste of all the energy drinks I have ever had. The taste is very well balanced, not too sweet, yet it has a slight citrus, candy-like undertone. The aftertaste is very clean and refreshing which lingers for a while. The best part about the aftertaste is that it doesn't have that generic energy drink aftertaste that reminds you for at least half an hour that you had just consumed a natural health product that will likely give you a heart attack with its ungodly caffeine content.

The caffeine content is a bit lower than its competition with 141 mg per can, but it still provides a sufficient boost that lasts for a few hours.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD for a can
Taste - 9.5/10
Energy - 7.4/10

Overall - 16.9/20

Read about the other Full Throttle drinks I have tried:

• Original

Tonino Lamborghini Energy Drink Review

This must be the cheapest energy drink I have bought, not because I only paid $5 for 2 cans, but because I paid $5 for 2 cans, I got a free glass full of it and a free t-shirt. Maybe it was a promotion, but I don't care, I got a free t-shirt. And I was going to buy this to try it even before I approached the stand and saw the "free t-shirt" sign.

It is called Tonino Lamborghini, which is probably Italian for Red Bull, because that is exactly how it tastes. I think this is where I should stop writing how this tastes like because it tastes exactly like a Red Bull. It almost even has the same medicinal ingredients - 80 mg of caffeine, but only 100 mg of taurine. So, to sum up - it tastes like a Red Bull, gives you the same energy boost and costs the same.

Scores:
Cost - 8.5/10
Taste - 8.9/10
Energy - 6.5/10

Overall - 23.9/30...yep, Red Bull

Rockstar Juiced Review

This is it, my new favorite energy drink. It tastes like a fruit juice with no traceable Rockstar aftertaste. It is not as sweet as the Rockstar Punched, which makes it even easier to drink and enjoy. The label says it is supposed to taste like mango, orange and passion fruit, but all I really detect is the overpowering taste of mango with some citrus hints. I cannot really taste the passionfruit, but that doesn't ruin the overall experience. The label also states 50% of the drink is 50% juice, which I doubt a little because beverages that contain a lot of juice usually cost more than $2.50 CAD per can. Even if the 50% juice content is not all that true, I would still buy this again as it tastes excellent.

The energy content is the same as all the other Rockstar drinks - 160 mg per can. It pepped me up enough and maintained that high for several hours.

Scores:
Cost - 8.5/10
Taste - 9.1/10
Energy - 7.5/10

Overall - 25.1/30...it's good

Rockstar Punched Review

Rockstar fruit drinks in my opinion are better tasting than the other big guys - Monster and amp. You really don't get the taste of the regular Rockstar when you buy one of their Juiced flavors, which might mean that each flavor is developed separately and not based on the regular one...absolutely no fact checking was done here.

Rockstar Punched is a bit different - it is very, very sweet. Too sweet for my taste but I appreciate the lack of the typical Rockstar taste and aftertaste. For that I would give it some bonus points. OK, onto the taste - if you have ever had fruit punch that has been sweetened
to ungodly heights then you have pretty much sampled Rockstar Punched. If you haven't had sweet fruit punch, then I suggest you go get some , add some sugar to it and have a sip. It would be much cheaper to try it that way before you commit to Rockstar Punched. Sure you will not get the energy rush, but I am focusing on the taste at the moment. I will be addressing the energy boost real soon...reaaaaal soon.

OK, time to address the energy boost. You get the standard caffeine dose of 160 mg per can plus whatever else from the sugar. Nothing else to say here.

Scores:
Cost - 8.5/10...cost only $2.49 CAD
Taste - 8.2/10...a bit too sweet for me, but some might enjoy the fruit punch taste
Energy - 7.5/10...pretty standard for a 473 mL can

Overall - 24.2/30...very good, but the Rockstar Juiced drinks are a bit better tasting

Effect energy drink review

Effect - the imported, high quality energy drink available at your local Canadian Tire gas station for the price of $1.99 CAD. The can looks absolutely great, very minimalistic...with the exception of the bunch of labels on the back, which also look quite nice.

Effect is a straight up Red Bull copy for 50 cents less. It has the same taste, color, aftertaste and caffeine content for that same energy boost as a good old can of Red Bull. Need I say more?

Scores:
Cost - 9/10
Taste - 8.9/10
Energy - 6.5/10

Overall - 24.4/30...this is how much I would probably give Red Bull, or maybe a bit less due to the 50 cent price increase

Zola Immunity Smoothie Review

I will give this a 2, perhaps a 3 out of 10 for presentation. I only took a photo of the front of the label, because the back was just cluttered with text and nutrition information. The text color, font and background also did not look good. However, it tastes expensive and it is expensive. Yes I stole that from Maker's Mark, but it is perfectly applicable. It costs $3.99 CAD...that is if you can find it in stores.

First off, it's 80% juice. That right there justifies the price somewhat. If you look at the ingredients list you will see puree this, puree that. But how does it taste? It tastes like a million bucks...ok, like $4. It tastes like something you had freshly made from scratch. It is tangy and tartary because it has not been sweetened much. It is thick, almost like puree. I am guessing a bit of water/juice has been added to make it more liquid. Every sip is a fruit explosion. There are so many different fruits blended together. The immediate aftertaste is of tangy tropical fruits, which soon fades and the taste of berries replaces it. Absolutely great, I cannot describe how good this was.

Scores:
Cost - 6.5/10
Taste - 9.9/10...I am saving the 10 for the future

Overall - 16.5/20...probably the best store bought juice I have ever had. I only wish it was cheaper

Fuze Shape Review

I decided to try out one of the Fuze drinks I have been seeing so much of lately. I have seen my friends drink these, co-workers, family and people passing me on the streets. When I was at the local LobLaws I picked up a bottle of Fuze Shape Strawberry Melon for $1.99.

At 20 calories per bottle you don't get much of course. Clearly defined strawberry and melon tastes have been sacrificed for the low level of calories. The aftertaste is very similar to the one you get from drinking Nestle/Aquafina/Dasani flavoured water, very artificial. Anothe problem with the aftertaste is how long it lasts. I really don't want to be reminded constantly for 20-30 minutes that I had a sip of a low calorie drink, which did not taste very good. OK, maybe it is the

strawberry/melon combination which is not good and not the drink. I shall see by buying another flavour in the near future. I highly doubt that this is the case because Snapple makes some great tasting drinks...with a lot more calories of course.

Scores:

Cost - 9/10...to be fair, this should be lower, perhaps 8/10 because you can buy quite a lot of drinks for around the same price that are better tasting - like Jones Soda

Taste - 5.5/10

Overall - 14.5/20...tastes like flavoured water and there are other better tasting drinks for the money