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