Base+ Energy Drink Review

I found this energy drink at a Mac's convenience store in Montreal on the weekend for $2.99. This is my first Base energy drink and as it turns out, this particular one, is Base's strongest drink.

Taste

The drink comes with the all too familiar, and hated by many, Red Bull-like aroma. Unlike all those clones out there, the similarities stop at the aroma. I was pleasantly surprised to find the taste to be completely different. It starts off very bubbly with some cherries and cranberries and a lot of citric acid which gives it a nice bite and a crisp finish. There is a bit of that candy-like, Monster, flavour but it comes and goes as the citric acid easily overpowers it. The finish is dry and crisp and the aftertaste is fresh and mostly clean with only minor cranberry and candy notes.

Bottom line is that I liked it because of its sour nature and clean aftertaste.

Energy

Knowing that this is Base's strongest energy drink, I was expecting to see a caffeine content north of 200 mg, but unfortunately there only 151 mg, which seems pretty standard, if not slightly below the standard. The energy comes in almost instantly. I woke up a little groggy and opened this drink to try it. In less than a minute I was almost fully awakened and within 10 minutes I was experiencing some minor jitters. Perhaps the sourness gave my body the jolt it needed to wake up, or perhaps the sugar was absorbed very quickly.

The real energy did not starting coming in until around 25 - 30 minutes later once the jitters had died down a bit. The effects were similar to many of the other 473 mL energy drinks and lasted for over 3 hours and surprisingly I did not experience a crash. Base...not bad.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 1,892 mg
• Caffeine - 151 mg
• Sodium - 130 mg
• Inositol - 95 mg
• Potassium Chloride - 64 mg
• Vitamin C - 47 mg
• Nicotinic Acid - 38 mg
• D-Calcium Pantothenate - 9.5 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 9.5 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 9.5 mcg
• Vitamin A - 946 IU
• Vitamin E - 6 IU

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: carbonated water, glucose-fructose, dextrose, citric acid, natural and artificial flavours, colour, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, gum arabic, juice concentrate (cranberry, blackberry, aronia), ester gum.

If you are like me and actually read the ingredients and your attention was focused on "nicotinic acid", do not worry, that just means niacin...according to whoever edited the Wikipedia page.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99
Taste - 8.8/10
Energy - 7.8/10

Overall - 16.6/20...great taste with a great bite and a decent kick

Shock-A-Lots Coffee Bean Candy Review

I kept referring to this as Shock-A-Lates because I thought it was something chocolatey. Oh yeah, I was wrong, but now I know.

Taste

Unlike all the other coffee bean candy I have tried, these look more like M&M's than anything else. They are small, round and yellow. Underneath the yellow coating is chocolate and underneath the chocolate is a coffee bean. If you are just popping those in your mouth without looking inside, you will never know there is a coffee bean. It is very soft and very easy to chew. The overall taste is actually pretty good and addicting. At first I thought I would never go through the entire bag, but after eating a few, I wanted to keep going. The chocolate is milky, the coffee flavor is great and on top of everything, there is a bit of a rum and vanilla taste. On the negative side, the sweetness does tend to build up so halfway through the bag you will want to drink something.

I recommend these to people who find chocolate covered coffee beans to be either too hard for their teeth, or too bitter.

Energy

The label says that 1 bag is equal to a cup of coffee, which means that there are between 80 to 100 mg of caffeine in the bag. I started to wake up after I ate 6-7 and stopped to go do something. By the end of the bag I was feeling pretty good, a lot like I just had a can of Red Bull but with none of the jitters. Unlike the can of Red Bull the kick last just a bit longer and there wasn't a crash at the end.

Scores:
Cost - $1.99 from ChemicalEvolution.com
Taste - 8.5/10
Energy - 6.8/10

Overall - 15.3/20...great tasting chocolate covered beans with a rummy twist

Dark Dog Energy Drink Review

I recently went to Montreal and on the way there I stopped at every gas station and small convenience store I saw. When my trip was over, I came back home with 7 new energy drinks and 1 anti-energy drink. By no means are these "new" energy drinks new to many of you, but they are to me. I chose to try Dark Dog first, which advertises itself as a guarana-based energy drink without taurine.

Taste

Even before I opened the can, I was expecting the all too familiar Red Bull aroma to hit me...and it did. The taste is similar too, except that it is creamier and a bit less acidic. There is a bit more of the candy taste here which makes the finish sweeter.

Halfway through the can, the Red Bull taste started to die down a bit and to get replaced by the sweet, creamy candy-like taste which I started find better tasting.

Overall I enjoyed this drink and was pleasantly surprised by its Red Bull-clone to Red Bull-with-a-twist transition halfway through.

Energy

Unlike the 250 mL can of Red Bull, there are only 50 mg of caffeine in this one, all of which come from guarana. I felt a kick within minutes due to the sugar content, which was surprisingly not followed, or accompanied, by a dose of the jitters. The caffeine kicked in a bit later and for about an hour I felt greatly energized. I didn't experience a crash once the effects wore off, but I did wish there was more caffeine.

Scores:
Cost - $1.99
Taste - 8.7/10
Energy - 5.8/10

Overall - 14.5/20...great tasting, Red Bull-like with a twist energy drink but with only 50 mg of caffeine

Rockstar Pink Energy Drink Review

I don't know if I am overlooking it, or if it is not supposed to be there, but I cannot find the actual name of the drink anywhere on the front of the can. I had to look really hard to locate the one, tiny, little word that refers to it as Pink on the back of the label, next to the ingredients list. The name aside, this is the pinkest, and second most girly energy drink I have had the pleasure of holding and consuming...and be seen with. It also comes with a straw attached to its side, and that, I thought, was pretty awesome.

Taste

Hmm, the taste is kind of odd, but rather enjoyable. The carbonation is as excessive as the 2X energy drink on and that robs you from the initial taste. Once the bubbles settle a combination of berries and citrus flavours emerge. The citrus flavour becomes especially strong in the finish and develops in the aftertaste. It is a very typical lemon-lime mix, similar to sprite or 7Up. The berries give it a bit of sweetness, which at first is nice, but in the aftertaste it becomes apparent that it is mostly from the artificial sweetener, whose typical diet-taste becomes very apparent. The finish is crisp, a tad dry and sort of refreshing thanks to the lemon-lime combo. Overall, this is another decent sugar free energy drink that is obviously made to appeal to women.

Also, the straw might be a nice touch, but it really slows your drinking. I say, toss it aside and chug this like you would any other energy drink, you caffeine junkie!

Energy

Unlike the awesomely caffeinated 2X I had a few days ago, this one packs a modest 120 mg of caffeine. It is not bad, but it is the same amount found in a comparable Red Bull can. The one main difference, obviously, is the lack of sugar in this one, which makes the energy kick in with no jitters. I felt starting to wake up about 20 minutes after consuming this, but it really wasn't for another 15 - 20 minutes that I felt energized. The boost lasted for less than two hours, which measures anywhere between a single, small Red Bull can and a regular Rockstar. Unlike either one, you will probably not experience a crash with this one.

Scores:
Cost - unsure
Taste - 8/10
Energy - 7/10

Overall - 15/20...different and cool, but I would rather have something with more caffeine like 2X

CaffeMallows Caffeinated Mashmallows Review

I have been eating a lot of marshmallows lately, so when I was shopping for caffeinated goodies on chemical evolution.com, I simply had to get some caffeinated marshmallows. I ordered the variety pack, which includes 3 different kinds of coffee-flavored marshmallows.

The variety pack comes in a very nice, very simple, plastic box with 3, rather large, individually wrapped marshmallows. Another nice touch is the large slit, each of the individual packages come with, which makes opening them very easy.

Taste

Mocca - a large, brown square resembling a brownie. The marshmallow is spongy and a little sticky. It has a strong coffee and dark chocolate aroma The taste is similar, though the coffee is a lot stronger than the chocolate. There are bits of chocolate in the marshmallow, which bump the overall enjoyment up a notch. There is some bitterness, but it all comes from the coffee and chocolate. There is none from artificial sources, which is always a good thing. Overall, this is a fantastic tasting treat.

Java - similarly large brown square minus the cocoa chunks. This one is just as spongy though not nearly as sticky as the Mocca one. The taste is very bold with a lot of espresso and just a hint of vanilla. Some cinnamon comes towards the end, but is overpowered by the espresso and vanilla notes. Overall the texture was a bit spongier and a tad weird, but it was another great tasting marshmallow.

Coffee - a different shade of brown and a bit smaller than the others. This one is a bit firmer and has a milder coffee taste with the same vanilla blast and cinnamon finish. The taste at the start was a bit off, but once your saliva penetrates the marshmallow, its delicious coffee juices start to flow. Also tastes great.

Energy

Though the package does not state the actual caffeine content, I reckon it is similar to that of a small coffee, because this is what I experienced after eating one. The effects kick in within 10 minutes and there is very little jitters. The caffeine kicks in fully within 30 or so minutes and it works great.

Though I was skeptical at first, these marshmallows really proved themselves. They tasted great and worked rather well. A definite recommendation.

Scores:
Cost - $5.99 for a 3 pack from ChemicalEvolution.com
Taste - Mocca - 9/10, Java - 8.8/10, Coffee - 8.6/10
Energy - 7.5/10

Overall - 16.1/20 to 16.5/20...depending on the flavor

Rockstar 2X Energy Review

Here is another US-only (as of the time of this post) energy drink I received from a reader. This one came out not too long ago in the States and who knows, it might makes its way across the border at some time in the future. Unlike all other Rockstar cans, this one is a tall and slim one with only 355 mL of the liquid energy...but twice as much caffeine.

Taste

The pretty black top with bright yellow/green tab pops open to reveal the familiar Rockstar aroma, only a bit sweeter. The taste is similar too for the exception of the fact that this is a low carb drink and the results of that are noticeable in the finish and aftertaste. The intense carbonation overpowers most of the taste, but you can still taste a very faint and dull original Rockstar underneath it all. The extra carbonation manages to give the finish some crispness and help you generate some powerful and loud burps. The finish is where things get a bit weird - it is very dry and until you get some saliva going or have some water, your mouth will stay dry. There are traces of artificial sweeteners but unlike many diet drinks, this one tastes better. There is also a candy-like aftertaste which I really enjoyed. There are no traces of the additional energy ingredients which is something I was expecting so well done Rockstar.

Overall the flavour is a bit dull, the carbonation is a bit too much, but I found the aftertaste to be very enjoyable for a low carb drink.

Energy

There are 250 mg of caffeine in this 355 mL can, which is a pretty solid content. But is it really twice as much caffeine? Lets do the math:

• Single can of Rockstar is 473 mL and contains about 160 mg of caffeine. This results in 0.338 mg/mL
• The tall can has 0.704 mg/mL

I am no mathlete, but 2 x 0.338 = 0.676...What a bunch of liars. You should have called this drink Rockstar 2.08X. But seriously, if aren't able to read through the sarcasm, this does contains twice as much caffeine per mL basis.

So all this additional caffeine and low sugar kick in fairly quickly with very little of the jitters. I felt surprisingly awake and overly energized in about 15 - 20 minutes. If Rockstar had left the same amount of sugar in this drink then the jitters may have been a bit more, but good job for balancing the sugar/caffeine portion of the drink. The 250 mg of caffeine kicked in all of the sudden about 20 minutes later and I felt great for hours. It had been a while since I felt this good. I did not experience a sudden crash at the end, though I did started to feel a bit tired, part of it could have been due to the post lunch downs.

Scores:
Cost - unsure
Taste - 7/10
Energy - 9.5/10

Overall - 16.5/20...though not the greatest tasting Rockstar, this one definitely has a solid kick

Monster Java Kona Blend Review

A reader recently sent me a few American energy drinks which you cannot get in Canada...at least not as of this moment. One of these is the Kona Blend from the Monster Java family. Though you can find most of them here, there are a couple that still haven't made it across the border.

Taste

I had no idea what to expect from a drink called Kona so I had a quick read through some of the text on the can. It turns out that Kona is located on the Big Island of Hawaii and some of the best coffee beans in the world come from there. So what this Kona Blend is, is an energy drink with some Kona beans in it. Does it taste any better than the other Monster Javas? Well, it is hard to say since I haven't had one in a while, but the drink itself tastes great. There is a creamy coffee taste with hints of vanilla and enough sugar to make it easy to drink yet not too sweet. The finish is mostly creamy and sweet and the coffee flavours mellow out for a while, but do make a comeback after a few minutes. In the long run cream and sugar dominate the aftertaste. I really enjoyed drinking this energy drink, but compared to all the other Monster Java drinks, it just doesn't stand out. There is no obvious twist to it like in the case of Monster Java Irish Blend.

Energy

For some odd reason there is no caffeine content on the American label. The caffeine is given as part of a 5,000 mg energy blend (per can) which also contains guarana and a few other ingredients. A quick Internet search reveals that the can contains around 160 mg of caffeine, which seems odd since the Canadian Java's contain between 175 mg and 190 mg. The difference is probably not that noticeable, but on paper the numbers are higher.

The kick is very similar to all the other Javas with a quick sugar rush with a side of jitters followed by a gradual caffeine kick. The drink starts to have an effect within 15 to 20 minutes with a healthy knee shake. I thought the jitters were a bit more than what I have had recently, but then I remembered that all the energy drinks I have consumed lately have been sugar free. The kick lasts for a couple of hours but was nothing overly impressive. Sure, it was great, but it left me wanting more.

Scores:
Cost - not sure
Taste - 8.2/10
Energy - 7.8/10

Overall - 16/20...tastes great and works well, but just doesn't stand out with anything unique

Monster Import Light Energy Drink Review

This is the second newly introduced Canadian Monster, the light version of the recently introduced Monster Import. The two newly introduced Monster light drinks are perfectly suited for comparison since one is a new sugar free version of the regular Monster and the other a light version of the regular European Monster, also know as Import. Which one would be better? Well, here is my opinion.

Taste

Monster Import Light comes in the same large, 550 mL can as the Monster Import, but unlike it, its label is a gigantic sticker and the text is blue. The aroma is similar - a sweeter North American Monster. The taste? Well, damn, it is the same - a sweet Monster with less of the cough syrup taste and very little signs of it being a light drink. I say very little, because there are almost no signs at all at first. It took me a few sips before I started to noticed traces of the artificial sweetener in the aftertaste. Overall, this surprised me as much as the Absolutely Zero did. Great sugar free alternative to Monster Import.

I have to say that both Absolutely Zero and Import Light are great tasting sugar free alternatives, which offer almost the same taste. The question is which regular Monster do you prefer? If you like the North American one, then you might enjoy Absolutely Zero. If you are a fan of the sweeter Monster Import, then Import Light is the alternative for you.

Energy

Larger can = more liquid, and more liquid = more caffeine....or does it? Nope, this sugar free alternative has the same problem as does Absolutely Zero - the caffeine content has been reduced. There are 160 mg of caffeine, which is pretty good, but much less than the regular Import.

Absolutely Zero had about 24 mg of caffeine less than its sugar-full sibling, while Import Light has 73 mg of caffeine less! That is almost 1 can of Red Bull less than the regular drink, and that is a significant amount of caffeine.

Of course that didn't stop me from drinking it and getting a good kick. I didn't experience too much of the jitters I felt drinking the regular Import and the energy kick was gradual and very solid for about two and a half hours without much of a problem at the end.

But hold on, this article is not over yet! The first thing you would notice when you pick up an object would be its texture and whether or not it is painful to hold it. Well, the first thing I noticed about this can, and also held off on was its shrink wrapping. I grabbed a knife and cut a piece large enough I can grab and peel the wrapping off. And here is what was underneath:


Well, OK, there was nothing unusual, like a whole another drink, but there was something very interesting. Underneath the plastic sleeve was the actual American label. This made me think - why don't more American energy drink manufacturers take this approach? Make a label and a can for the American market and simply create a plastic sleeve for the Canadian market with our labeling requirements? I am sure it will be cheaper and quicker. If one of you knows something more about this, send me an e-mail or leave a comment.

Scores:
Cost - $3.29
Taste - 7.9/10
Energy - 7.9/10

Overall - 15.8/20...another fairly decent Monster energy drink

KickButt Amped Energy Ballz Cherry Review

KickButt amped energy ballz are back to the site and in cherry flavor. I got a pack of these for only $1.75 from ChemicalEvolution.com.

Taste

Well unlike the cappuccino balls, these are bright red in color and look like gigantic cherries with a tough exterior. The inside has the same texture and is also very chewy. There is a nice cherry taste that is not too artificial. Unfortunately underneath the cherry goodness lies a bitter undertone. On the bright side, the taste lasts all the way until the end, but so does some of the bitterness. The aftertaste is a mix of cherry, some bitterness and just a touch of artificial sweetener. The cappuccino balls did a much better job at hiding the bitterness from the caffeine and I recommend them over the cherry ones.

Energy

The caffeine content is the same as the cappuccino ones at 40 mg per ball for a total of 80 mg for the pack. The kick is similar to the cappuccino balls, which is comparable to a can of Red Bull.

Scores:
Cost - $1.75 from ChemicalEvolution.com
Taste - 6.5/10
Energy - 4/10 to 6/10

Overall - 10.5/20 to 12.5/20...depending on the number of balls you ingest

Monster Energy Absolutely Zero Review

Monster Canada is responding to the newly imported Rockstar Recovery energy drinks (Grape and Orange) by importing a couple of their own. I was able to only find the Absolutely Zero, but I am on the lookout for Monster Import Light, both, sugar free energy drinks.

Personally, I like the design of the label, it is much better than the current Lo-Cal one, which I have not yet reviewed but planning on doing so in the near future.

Taste

Moments after I cracked the can open, the familiar Monster sweet, syrupy scent made its way to my nose. Upon a proper inspection, I verified that this indeed smells just like the regular Monster. What surprised me was that this tastes just like it too. Wait a minute. This is supposed to be sugar-free. Where is the diet taste? Well, there isn't one and this is absolutely shocking. I believe that Monster have found a way to eliminate the sugar and carbs without eliminating taste. I kept on drinking to see if there will be some artificial sweetener in the finish...and there is, but it is barely noticeable compared to, even, the recent Rockstar Recovery drinks. You have to drink quite a bit before you start to notice the sweetener.

OK, OK, in addition to the subtle sweetener finish, there is one other notable difference between this and the real deal - this is much crisper. The regular Monster felt like drinking syrup, but this has a very crisp finish that doesn't make me want to reach for a glass of water. I am not a huge fan of the original Monster, nor is a sugar-free energy drink my first choice, but this really surprised me. Now my goal is to get the regular sugar-free Monster and compare the two.

Energy

There are 136 mg of caffeine, which surprised me a bit since most of the other Monsters are between 160 mg and 200 mg. Not a huge deal, but needs to be pointed out. This drink kicks in in about 20 minutes and unlike the sugar drinks, there are no noticeable jitters. The caffeine kick was gradual and I was fully awake and energized in another 15-20 minutes. Even with 136 mg of caffeine, the effects lasted for about 2 hours and there wasn't much of a crash at the end. All in all, this was a pretty good sugar free energy drink, even if it almost tasted like the original Monster.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 2,000 mg
• Ginseng - 400 mg
• Caffeine - 136 mg
• Vitamin B3 - 40 mg
• D-Glucuronolactone - 10 mg
• Guarana - 10 mg
• Inositol - 10 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 4 mg
• Vitamin B2 - 3.4 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 12 mcg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: carbonated water, citric acid, erythritol, naturally sources flavours, sodium citrate, grape skin extract, sorbic acid, sucralose, benzoic acid, acesulfame potassium, sodium chloride, maltodextrin

Scores:
Cost - $3.29
Taste - 8/10
Energy - 7.4/10

Overall - 15.4/20...excellent sugar free Monster drink