Rockstar Sugar Free Review

I know what you are thinking: "What is this doing here?" Well, I recently noticed that I don't have reviews of many of the more mainstream energy drinks and over the next several weeks I will try get some and put out some quick reviews. I will start off with Rockstar Sugar Free, an energy drink that I have personally never tried for two reasons - it is diet and just too plain.

Rockstar Sugar Free smells and tastes exactly like the regular Rockstar, except for the subtle diet taste at the end of each sip and in the aftertaste and the light vanilla flavour. After I took a few sips of it, I was reminded why I no longer buy the regular Rockstar - it is just too sweet and tastes like cough syrup with a finish you get mostly from the regular big name energy drinks launched 7-8 years ago. The carbonation, paired with the kick from the citric acid, make this drink quite abusive on the mouth and having it first thing in the morning is not something I recommend doing. I like to start of my days with a warm cup of tea to get things going.

Like most other Rockstar energy drinks, this one contains 160 mg of caffeine, which is pretty much a standard for mainstream 473 mL cans. It is quick acting, but the caffeine does not fully kick in until 30-40 minutes later. Due to the fact that this is a diet drink, I did not experience any jitters from the sugar and the energy gradually started to kick in. First I felt awake and focused, then I felt energized for a good 2 hours and no crash at the end.
Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 2000 mg
• Ginkgo Biloba - 300 mg
• Caffeine - 160 mg
• Guarana - 50 mg
• Inositol - 50 mg
• Korean Panax Ginseng - 50 mg
• Milk Thistle Seed Extract - 40 mg
• Vitamin B3 - 20 mg
• Vitamin B5 - 20 mg
• Riboflavin - 7 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 4 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 12 mcg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: carbonated water, citric acid, vanilla and wildberry flavour, sodium citrate, caramel color, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, acesulfame potassium, sucralose

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD from 7-11
Taste - 7.4/10
Energy - 7.5/10
Overall - 14.9/20...if you like the regular Rockstar and don't mind the subtle diet taste, you will like this one

Mini Thin Rush a.m. Mocha Energy Shot Review

This has to be one of the worst designed energy shot labels I have seen. The title is not too catchy either. I got this not because I really wanted to try it, but because I thought it was time to. It costs $2.99 and I found it at one of the local 7-11's.

I don't even know where to start with this one. It feels like I am being spammed with slogans, pictures of active people and colors. Good thing the word "Rush" is so big so that my focus is easily grabbed. OK, first off, I could not open this if my life depended on it. There is no perforated tab you can rip and the label around the cap does not rip as easily as it does on the 5-hour energy shots. In came the knife.

Once I finally got it opened, I was hit by the coffee-like aroma. Surprisingly this energy shot smells just like a Mocha. But does it taste like Mocha? It kind of does. It tastes more like a sweetened coffee with chocolate and vanilla...so yeah! OK, label aside, I am quite surprised by the way this shot tastes. There is still that sugar free taste, both in the taste and the aftertaste, but strong coffee flavour manages to overpower it to some extent. There is a bit of unpleasantness in the finish from the energy ingredients, but the mocha aftertaste subdues it quickly. The taste deteriorates with each sip, but if you quickly slam it back, you will mostly taste the mocha. The aftertaste is OK and lingers for a while. It is a blend of a subtle diet taste and mocha. This is not the best tasting energy shot that I have had, but it is a surprise given the horrible label.

There are 200 mg of caffeine in the shot, which is quite a bit for something this small. I started to awaken within minutes. At first the energy came in gradually and I even felt focused for a while, but then came in the jitters. The energy kicked in around the 40th minute but did not last the promised 6 hours. It was done around the 2.5 hour mark, but luckily there was no crash and I was feeling just fine. I am not sure that this energy shot actually has 200 mg of caffeine because it just did not last very long. I had a similar experience with Slimquick, which supposedly contained as much caffeine as 2 cups of coffee, but only lasted about 1.5 hours. Overall, this is not a bad alternative to some of the other energy shots and energy drinks, but it just does not last 6 hours.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 200 mg
• Caffeine - 200 mg
• Siberian Ginseng - 50 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 50 mg
• Niacin - 38 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 500 mcg
  

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: purified water, phosphoric acid, natural and artificial flavours, sucralose, caramel color, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate.
Scores:
Cost - $2.99 from 7-11
Taste - 6/10
Energy - 8/10

Overall - 14/20...an OK mocha taste, decent energy kick, but not the promised 6 hours. Results may vary depending on how much caffeine you usually consume

Tapout Cranberry Orange Energy Drink Review

This is the the third and final flavour of the newly released TapouT energy drinks and it is another combination of fruits.

Just like yesterday's Cherry Citrus flavour, you can notice both of the fruits in the aroma. The taste is a little bit weird though. The two flavours battle it out for domination, but oddly none of them winds until the finish and resulting taste is a very unique, yet refreshing combination. In the finish, the tart taste of cranberries distinguishes itself and the resulting aftertaste becomes fairly enjoyable. Some orange flavour can be noticed in the aftertaste, but it feels artificial, a lot like chewable vitamin c tablets. The diet taste and aftertaste is quite tame due to the tart cranberries and doesn't infringe upon the taste. Overall this is a unique tasting combination, but I think the balance of flavours could have been done much better.

Like the other two TapouT energy drinks, this one contains 200 mg of caffeine. I started to feel the kick, as well as some jitters within 15 minutes of cracking this one open. I did not experience the full effect of the caffeine until about 40 minutes later. Same as before, the energy boost I got from this drink lasted for about 3 hours and I did not experience a crash at the end.

Overall these new TapouT energy drinks are very similar to Xyience Xenergy in terms of performance and even flavour combinations. I know what you are thinking, but the original Xyience drinks were fruit duos like Cherry Lime and Cran Razz, and both are sugar free.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 2,000 mg
• Glucuronolactone - 225 mg
• Caffeine - 200 mg
• Panax Ginseng Root - 100 mg
• Pantothenic Acid - 100 mg
• Inositol - 50 mg
• Niacinamide - 35 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 10 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 20 mcg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: filtered carbonated water, citric acid, sodium citrate, natural flavours, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, beta-carotine, sucralose, vegetable juice, acesulfame potassium.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD for a 473 mL can from 7-11
Taste - 7.8/10
Energy - 8.6/10

Overall - 16.4/20...decent unique taste without much of the diet taste and aftertaste, plenty of caffeine

Tapout Cherry Citrus Energy Drink Revirew

This is the second of the 3 new TapouT energy drinks. Its flavour is cherry citrus which is why it earns the red color.

The aroma is a combination of both flavours which is nice because in most energy drinks, one of the flavours dominates. The taste is a bit different though. There is an initial citric bite from the citrus followed by the taste of cherries, followed by, once again, a citrus taste. The finish is citric and heavy on the citrus. A cherries come back in the aftertaste, which also has the typical sugar free characters. I am not a huge fan of cherry drinks, but this combination with citrus is alright.

Same as the other TapouT and the black Xyience Xeneregy drinks, this can contains 200 mg of caffeine. I started to feel awake shortly after the first sip, but was not full awakened some 15 minutes later. I experienced some mild jitters before and after the caffeine kicked in around the 40th minute. The energy boost lasted for about 3 hours and I did not experience a crash at the end.

Not much I can say about this drink as it is very similar to the previous TapouT I had.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 2,000 mg
• Glucuronolactone - 225 mg
• Caffeine - 200 mg
• Panax Ginseng Root - 100 mg
• Pantothenic Acid - 100 mg
• Inositol - 50 mg
• Niacinamide - 35 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 10 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 20 mcg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: filtered carbonated water, citric acid, sodium citrate, natural flavours, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, beta-carotine, sucralose, vegetable juice, acesulfame potassium.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD for a 473 mL can from 7-11
Taste - 7.7/10
Energy - 8.6/10

Overall - 16.3/20...decent unique taste, plenty of caffeine

Tapout Peach Mango Energy Drink Review

New energy drinks at 7-11!!! Hurray. Though I am not a big fan of what TapouT represents, I cannot say no to a new energy drink. I got these for the usual $2.99.

The package is fairly well designed with a clear focus on the words TapouT Energy. The back of the label is very nicely laid out and the text is easy to read. The color on the bottom half represents the flavour of the drink. This one is golden and represents peach mango. There are 2 other flavours which I also picked up and will be reviewing shortly. I decided to start with the not-so-standard peach mango flavour.

The drinks smells amazing with the mango aroma coming on top. The peach aroma is far in the distance and you really have to focus on it to identify it. The taste is not bad, but it reveals something about itself that I failed to notice on the front label - it is sugar free. I should have expected this since Xyience is also sugar free. Never mind that, I press on. In the taste, the peach flavour wins the battle over mango, which is very odd since the aroma was mostly mango. The mango flavour becomes apparent for a brief moment in the middle and then more so in the end and in the finish. The aftertaste is sweet at first and peach-rich with a mild diet taste. Though it is sugar free, it is not a bad tasting sugar free drink, and the unique peach mango flavour really help it.

Like the latest Xyience Xenergy drinks, TapouT contains 200 mg of caffeine, which is a fairly solid number if you ask me. It started working within 15 minutes when I suddenly felt awake. Next came the jitters, which were manageable and far from the worst I have ever had. The caffeine kicked in fully around the 40 minute mark. The energy lasted for over 3 hours and did not end with a crash, which is always a good thing. Overall, the TapouT energy drink works the same as any of the black Xyience Xenergy drinks.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 2,000 mg
• Glucuronolactone - 225 mg
• Caffeine - 200 mg
• Panax Ginseng Root - 100 mg
• Pantothenic Acid - 100 mg
• Inositol - 50 mg
• Niacinamide - 35 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 10 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 20 mcg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: filtered carbonated water, citric acid, sodium citrate, natural flavours, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, beta-carotine, sucralose, vegetable juice, acesulfame potassium.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD for a 473 mL can from 7-11
Taste - 8.1/10
Energy - 8.6/10

Overall - 16.7/20...decent unique taste, plenty of caffeine

iShot Decaff Acai Berry Energy Shot Review

The guys from iShot Energy sent me not only the original flavour, but also a decaff, acai berry one, which has an identical look with the exception of the purple circle.

Upon twisting off the cap, I was hit by the most intoxicating and pleasant energy shot scent, one that reminded me of expensive juices. The aroma is a combination of concord grapes, berries and acai berries. The taste is just as amazing - a tart combination of concord grapes and berries. You can taste the sweetener in this shot much easier than in the original flavour shot. Though the diet taste is not strong, it is there. The aftertaste is tart and carries a strong grape/berry flavour. The diet aftertaste comes in 3 minutes later, but is not very strong, just enough to remind you that it is there. This energy shot is one of the best tasting, if not the best, energy shot I have tried.

Since this is a decaff energy shot, there is no caffeine. Does it work then? Yes, but not in the same way that caffeinated energy shots work. The energy comes from the vitamins - folic acid, B12, etc. It does not give you that energy high that makes you want to get up from your chair and run around in circles. The way it works is by refreshing you and providing energy for the rest of the day, but not the same type of energy you get from caffeine. I was not suddenly awakened by the shot, but after I had a cup of tea, I felt fantastic for the next few hours...and I only had a few hours of sleep thanks to the World Cup. I did not feel tired after lunch nor in the afternoon like I usually do. The shot kind of works the same way a healthy lunch meal does, making you feel energized for the rest of the day and not tired like a fatty meal would.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Vitamin B2 - 0.3 mg
• Vitamin B3 (Niacin) - 18 mg
• Vitamin B5 - 6 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 4 mg
• Vitamin B9 - 400 mcg
• Vitamin B12 - 1 mcg
• Taurine
• Siberian Ginseng Infusion
• L-Carnitine
• Green Tea Extract
• Inositol

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: spring water, maltodextrin, citric acid, natural flavourings, sucralose, acesulfame k, potassium sorbate, natural color (grape skin extract).

Scores:
Cost - not sold in Canada, but can be bought online from iShotEnergy
Taste - 9.2/10
Energy - 7/10...I wish it had caffeine for that initial kick, but once I was fully awake, I felt energetic

Overall - 16.2/20...one of the best tasting energy shots I have tried. The vitamins do give you long term energy, but caffeine junkies will probably demand that initial high, which this does not provide

iShot Original Energy Shot Review

Yesterday I received a few samples of iShot, a UK energy shot which unfortunately is not sold in Canada. The company sent me a few photos to use for the review, but I chose to take some photos of my own because I loved the feel of the shot and the label.

In the promo photos, the shots look glossy, but the ones I received have a very attractive matte label with arguably the best layout/label design I have seen on an energy shot. I like how so much information the back of the label contains without making it too difficult to read or understand. The text is both horizontal and vertical, taking full advantage of every possible open space on the back.


The front is fairly clean with some text around the top. The container looks big yet it only holds 60 mL. I like the way it feels in my hand, it is unlike any other energy shot I have held. The matte label may have something to do with it. The bottle has another feature, which I prefer energy shot producers use - the large mouth opening.

I cracked open the cap and was greeted by a very unique aroma. It was a combination of sweet berries, candy and lemonade without any unpleasant scents. The taste was also unique. At first my tongue was hit by the sourness of the shot, and I love sour. Next came a touch of sweetness, which was followed by more sourness which reminded me of berry lemonade. The sourness really helps the finish and aftertaste which are a little dry, but very refreshing. Though there is no sugar in this shot, it does not taste like most of the sugar free shots. The sourness may have a lot to do with this. The only complaint that I have is that after the last gulp there was a brief bitterness in the finish. I say brief, because the sourness took care of it real quick. Another thing to note is how the aftertaste changes about 15 minutes after ingestion. I started to get the taste of Diet Coke with Lemon, which was unexpected, but not bad. I don't drink Diet Coke and I certainly did not have a regular Coke before I took the shot. Overall, this a great tasting energy shot which I enjoyed very much.

The shot contains 120 mg of caffeine, which is not too bad. I felt refreshed almost instantly from the berry-lemonade-like taste of the shot, but I started to feel energized within 10-15 minutes of taking the shot. The energy was clean and even felt focused on my tasks. It took about 30 minutes for me to feel the full effect of the shot, which lasted for 2 to 3 hours. I continued to feel awake for a lot longer, but I wasn't as energized as the first few hours after the iShot. I did not experience a crash or any other negative effect at the end.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Caffeine - 120 mg
• Vitamin B2 - 0.3 mg
• Vitamin B3 (Niacin) - 18 mg
• Vitamin B5 - 6 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 4 mg
• Vitamin B9 - 400 mcg
• Vitamin B12 - 1 mcg
• Taurine
• Siberian Ginseng Infusion
• Guarana
• L-Carnitine
• Green Tea Extract
• Inositol
  

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: spring water, maltodextrin, citric acid, glucoronolactone, flavourings with quinine, sucralose, acesulfame k, potassium sorbate, allura red.

Scores:
Cost - not sold in Canada, but you can get it from the company website
Taste - 8.2/10
Energy - 8.1/10

Overall - 16.3/20...a pleasant and unique tasting energy shot, which works well, but is not sold in Canada

5150 Energy Non-Flavoured Energy Mixer Review

A couple of days ago I got a package with a couple of bottles of 5150 Energy, which is a non-flavoured energy mixer. Think of this as liquid caffeine which you can add to regular drinks to turn them into energy drinks. I got a nice little FAQ sheet and one of the first things it said was "If You Drink It - You Can Add 5150 To It."

The 5150 bottle is actually very small, it is about half the size of what a regular energy shot is, yet it contains 500 mg of caffeine. I tried a little sip of it and, you guessed it, it is extremely bitter and has no flavour. This is why I decided to take my time writing this review, gather some non-caffeinated drinks, and drinks with very little caffeine, and try them with 5150. First on the list was Gatorade, but when I went to the local convenience store to get some, I picked up a couple of bottles of Powerade, because they were on sale. It is almost the same thing.

Powerade with 5150

The label on the back of 5150 recommends starting off by adding just 1 cap-full of the liquid caffeine to a drink. A cap-full should provide you with about 83 mg of caffeine, which is almost the equivalent of a regular Red Bull. To fully duplicate the Red Bull experience, I poured myself 250 mL of green Powerade and added a cap-full of 5150.

There was a slight change to the taste of Powerade, it became a little bitter. The sourness of the green flavour could not mask the added caffeine, but with another 100 mL of the Powerade, the good taste was restored.

I started to wake up and experience the effects of 5150 in about 20 minutes. The energy was clean and I was not experiencing any jitters, I even felt focused for about 10 minutes. But like with any other 250 mL energy drink, the effects of the caffeine lasted for about 1 - 1.5 hours. Well, this is of no concern to me, I had 417 mg of liquid caffeine left in the 5150 container, which meant it was time to add it to the next drink.
Try at least 350 mL of Powerade/Gatorade to 1 cap-full of 5150. That way there will be no change in the taste and there will be plenty of caffeine.

Coke with 5150

Once every couple of months I have this urge to go and get a box of Coke cans and drink them as fast as possible, usually within 2 days. Luckily, I had the urge the day the 5150 package arrived and I still have 4-5 cans left in the fridge. A can of Coke already has around 34 mg of caffeine so with a cap-full of 5150 that number goes up to around 117 mg, which is pretty solid.

There is so much sugar in the Coke that you cannot taste the 5150. The Coke tastes like a Coke, but now has an energy drink punch. The energy kick was better here, partly due to the sugar content, which gave me a fast sugar rush, which eventually morphed into a caffeine rush. There was a very mild case of jitters. The energy high lasted for about 1.5 - 2 hours and I experienced a mild crash, probably from the sugar.

Orange Juice with 5150

Next I poured a cap-full of 5150 into a 250 mL glass of Tropicana orange juice. There was a slight change in the aftertaste, which reminded me of having bitten into an orange seed. The bitterness remained for only a minute before disappearing and leaving just the orange juice aftertaste. There was absolutely no change to the actual orange taste due to its acidity and mild sweetness. The bitter aftertaste tone disappeared half way through the glass probably because I got used to it.

The energy boost from the orange juice worked the same way as the Powerade. It was clean and took about 20 minutes for me to start experiencing some of the effects.

Tea with 5150

I love tea, loose leaf tea that is. My favorite is Earl Gray Royale, which is sold under a few different names at different tea stores. The local one sells it under the Royale name. Essentially it is a blend of Assam, Ceylon and Nilgiri teas, which create a very intense combination that can cover pretty much any other flavour. The tea itself already has caffeine, but not as much as I would like it to. I usually have 2 or 3 cups of it to perk up.

I poured a cap-full and as expected I did not notice a change in the taste or the aftertaste. The combination of caffeine from tea and caffeine from 5150 resulted in a pleasant energy boost, which lasted for 1.5 - 2 hours with no crash.

Overall 5150 is a fantastic product that can add up to 500 mg of caffeine to any drink. Like they say - "If You Drink It - You Can Add 5150 To It." I only say up to 500 mg because this is how much caffeine each container has, but you can add as much as you have or want...

Medicinal Ingredients (for the entire container):

• Caffeine - 500 mg
• Vitamin B2 - 0.8 mg
• Niacin - 9.3 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 1.0 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 0.6 mg
• Pantothenic Acid - 14.6 mg
  

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: purified water, sorbitol glycerin, citric acid, sodium benzoate

Scores:
Cost - $17.99 for a 12 pack from the 5150 energy website
Taste - depends on what you add it to
Energy - 6/10 to 10/10...depending on how much you add

Overall - this could be anywhere from 1/20 to 20/20 depending on how much you use and what you add 5150 to. My favorite was the Powerade and with a large bottle I had, I could have easily added half the 5150 container for a very powerful kick

NOS Fruit Punch Energy Drink Review

NOS Fruit Punch is finally available in Canada and I got myself a can of it. I found it at a convenience store, which usually carries more energy drinks than any 7-11 or Mac's in the area. The bad news is that most of the drinks cost extra. I paid $3.49 for this can, but I am sure I can find it soon at other locations for $2.99.

The energy drink is red in color and has the typical fruit punch aroma. The taste is not bad, but nothing very exciting. It tastes a lot like a cheap fruit punch flavoured juice. It is a combination of berries and cherries with the latter being the dominant flavour. Personally, I am not a huge fruit punch fan unless there is some sort of a sour twist from concord grapes or cranberries. The drink is, of course, sweet, but not as sweet as some of the other ones at the start or even half way through. By the end of the can the sweetness does build up but it is not something unbearable. There is no unpleasant taste from the energy ingredients.

Like the other cans of NOS, this one contains 250 mg of caffeine and a lot of sugar, which should be more than enough to keep you going for several hours. I got a sugar rush with some jitters shortly after starting to drink this. The caffeine kicked up around 30 - 35 minutes later and I was feeling wide awake, but still a little jittery. My legs were shaking, but at least I had my desk to cover this sugar effect. After another 15 - 20 minute all the caffeine kicked in and I had the urge to get up and walk around, NO, to run around. The energy kick lasted for 4-5 hours which was fantastic. At the end, though, I experienced a mild crash, which I had to fix by drinking some black tea.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 2,000 mg
• Caffeine - 250 mg
• Inositol - 200 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 4 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 12 mcg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: carbonated water, sugar/glucose-fructose, citric acid, sodium citrate, sodium phosphate, potassium phosphate, natural flavour, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, panax ginseng root extract, colour, calcium disodium EDTA, sucralose.

Scores:
Cost - $3.49 CAD for a 473 mL can, but you can probably find it for $2.99 at a 7-11
Taste - 7.5/10
Energy - 8.8/10

Overall - 16.3/20...not bad, tastes like a fruit punch flavoured soft drink and has a lot of caffeine