5-hour Energy Extra Strength Berry Flavour Review

I am not a big fan of the 5-hour energy shots mostly because they don't like to list the caffeine content of the label. The only statement included is the amount of "energy blend" added to the shot. How is the Extra Strength any different from the regular shots? It just has more of the energy blend. I paid $3.39 for the shot at 7-11, which also makes it one of the more expensive ones. I do like the solid black packaging.

This shot actually smells like berries, which is always a good start. The taste, however, is not as good as the aroma coming being given off. It is sweet and sour as well as a bit soapy. The sourness attacks the tongue right away and I felt like I was licking a lemon. There is some berry taste, but it's lost among the sweetness and sourness of the shot. The first sip is also bitter, but once the sour taste attacks the tongue, most of the bitterness goes away. The aftertaste is both sour and sweet with notes of artificial berry flavouring and some bitter soapiness. There is something rough in the shot as each sip felt like was grinding my throat. It's as if I was drinking some bourbon.

Here is where I usually say how much caffeine the product contains, but all I can say is that this shot contains 1,360 mg of the 5-hour energy blend, the ingredients of which are listed below. I started to wake up around 15 minutes after consuming the shot and I did not experience any jitters...well, not at first. A few minutes later I began to calm down and focus on the tasks I was doing. I love shots like this one, ones that help you calm and focus until the caffeine kicks in fully. This feeling lasted for about 20 minutes when the caffeine started to work its magic and I started to feel a bit jittery. The jitters didn't last long and made way for the clean energy, which was rather odd. It came and went like waves for several hours. At the end I wasn't tired, but I just didn't feel all that focused or energized. The shot worked OK, but it definitely did no provide 5 hours of energy.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Phenylalanine
• Niacin - 40 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 40 mg
• Folic Acid - 400 mcg
• Vitamin B12 - 500 mcg
• Sodium - 18 mg
• Energy Blend - 1,360 mg (Citicoline, Glucuronolactone, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, L-Phenylalanine, Taurine, Malic Acid, Caffeine)

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: purified water, natural & artificial flavours, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate and EDTA, sucralose.

Scores:
Cost - $3.39 CAD for a 60 mL shot
Taste - 5.9/10
Energy - 8/10

Overall - 13.9/20...needs more of the energy blend