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.