Mossy Oak Pursuit Energy Original

Seems like outdoor companies are jumping on the energy bandwagon. First Realtree, now Mossy Oak. Like Realtree, Mossy Oak's energy drinks come in several flavors, but unfortunately I only had enough room in my hands for one...so I opted for the Original flavor. I got mine from a 7-11 in Michigan.

Taste

Aaaah, Original...or as most people call it - Red Bull. Yup, this is a Red Bull clone. Though the base flavor is shared, Mossy Oak's Original has more of a sour bite than a regular Red Bull, which very effectively kills most of the sweetness at first. Give it a few long gulps and the sweetness will start building up at the back of the throat. Best way to get rid of it is to have a glass of cold water after you are done with the drink.

I personally like the taste of Red Bull and am a sucker for sour clones...despite the sugary finish.

Energy

There are 160 mg of caffeine in the can. Surprised? Well, you shouldn't be.

The effects are very similar to all other sugary Red Bull clones - burst of jittery energy within minutes of consumption, followed by a rush of caffeine energy that lasts a few hours and makes you want to run around in circles.

The energy ended with a bit of a crash for me, but that's because I had this beverage in the late afternoon after being pretty tired for most of the day.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 from 7-11
Taste - 7.8/10
Energy - 8.1/10

Overall - 15.9/20...sour and sweet Red Bull clone

Sparkling Yunker

OK, I admit, this is an odd one, but I can't just walk past it and not try it. Sparkling Yunker (amazing translation by the way) is an energy drink packed with a bunch of herbs, Q10 and some other vitamins. I bought it from an Asian grocery store in Toronto for $1 a month or so ago. The lack of any flavor information on the can really peaked my interest so I just had to try it.

Taste

The drink has a very pale and cloudy yellow/beige color that reminds me a lot of watered down lemonade. It smells like a blend of herbs, flowers, lemon and some other mysterious scents. The flavor is very sour with traces of lemon. There is a mild blend of ginseng and guarana overtone that gives the flavor a slightly bitter and earthy feel. The finish is dry and semi-clean with traces of ginseng and lemon giving it both sour and bitter characteristics.

The flavor is very unique to someone who doesn't have as much exposure to the Asian beverage market. I found the drink refreshing but had a hard time finishing it because of the sour and herbal character.

Energy

There are 30 mg of caffeine in this 190 mL container, which is low, but there are other ingredients that give you a boost. I got pepped up within minutes of consuming the can. There were no jitters but I felt very energized with the kind of energy that makes you want to run around.

The boost was quick and intense, but didn't last as long as other drinks packing the caffeine punch. The effects were certainly unique, but what I would do is consume this drink first, then wait for 40 mins for the effects to start winding down and follow up with a coffee.

Scores:
Cost - $1
Taste - 6/10
Energy - 5.5/10

Overall - 11.5/20...unique sour/bitter/herbal flavor with an intense, but short-lived boost

Rip It 3-Way Berry Mix

I got this bad boy from a 7-11 in Michigan near one of the Detroit airports. Not sure which one.

Taste

This drink is blue!!! I thought the "berry mix" would be red, but I guess Rip It was going for more of a blue-berry mix...literally. The aroma is a mix of high fructose corn syrup sweetness and muddled berry notes with maybe blueberries coming out on top. The flavor is similar with a wave of high fructose sweetness, followed by an unidentifiable, generic, medium sour berry combo. The only time I was able to detect an actual berry was right before the finish where for a moment I got a hint of blackberry. The aftertaste is sweet with medium blackberry notes and more of the corn goodness.

As of lately, these Rip It energy drinks have been plagued by a very prominent presence of the high fructose corn syrup, which is ruining the flavor....for shame.

Energy

There are 160 mg of caffeine and 50 grams of sugar. I got jittery within minutes and my legs were shaking for good 20-30 minutes before all the caffeine kicked in and I felt like running around in circles to burn off the excess energy. The end came with a minor crash, but nothing serious.

Scores:
Cost - $1.09
Taste - 7.0/10
Energy - 8.2/10

Overall - 15.2/20...too much high fructose corn syrup, but there is potential for a good berry flavor

Rip It LeMoan'R

Aaah, the name. I have no words to describe the name. Seriously!

If you are wondering, I got this drink from a Target in Michigan. Some of these Rip It flavors are available in Canada, but they are rare and they are limited to the most boring and basic ones....not like this LeMoan'R.

Taste

This is essentially pink lemonade. Doesn't smell a lot like it, but if you really concentrate, you should be able to get a whiff of the raspberries. Shame. I was expecting a little more lemony aroma. 

The flavor is odd. It has a very dull starting taste and for the first quarter of the can, I was a little confused by what I was actually tasting. After that a tiny bit of berries come through and the lemon is represented by a very distant, lemon/citrus-like finishing note. Not even close to being sour enough. High fructose corn syrup is definitely the dominant flavor here.

Energy

Aside from the 50 grams of sugar, there are 160 mg of caffeine. The kick comes in fast in the form of hard-to-control jitters and is followed by a caffeine-induced need to run around in circles. This is strong stuff, but way too sloppy for mental work.

Scores:

Cost - $1.09

Taste - 5.5/10

Energy - 8.3/10

Overall - 13.8/20...having a hard time calling this a lemonade

AMP Passion Fruit Energy Drink

Next on my list of new AMP energy drinks is the Passion Fruit one. The black background on the label indicates that this drinks packs all the goodness of a sugary energy drink.

Taste

First off, the drink smells like passion fruit, but the aroma is only moderately intense. I was expecting something a little stronger. Taste-wise, the passion fruit is a bit more intense but not as intense as eating a freshly picked passion fruit. Its intensity is strongest at the start and towards the middle of each step gets diluted by the standard base energy drink flavor. A portion of the passion fruit flavor is carried through to the aftertaste where its sticky, candy-like sweetness lingers for a bit.

With 58 grams of sugar in the can, sweetness should be expected. There is a build up after each sip, but the moderately tart passion fruit flavor helps knock it down a notch at the start of each sip.

Energy

There are 157 mg of caffeine and 58 grams of sugar. The jitters are there and come in within 5 minutes. My legs were just a little shaky but I got the kick I wanted early in the morning. In another 5 minutes my brain was out of its morning zombie-mode and into a mode where it pretended it was thinking.

The real kick doesn't come for another 15-20 minutes and the jitters die down a little by that point. Here is where I was energized and wanted to do stuff...mostly physical because I was too energized for mental tasks. After a few hours bursting with energy, I started to come down and landed to my normal mode without a crash.

Scores:
Cost - 2 for $3 from 7-11
Taste - 8.8/10
Energy - 8.1/10

Overall - 16.9/20...pretty decent passion fruit flavor and a sugar kick

AMP Cherry Blast

Don't be fooled, this Cherry Blast is an old re-branded AMP flavor, which was a re-branded AMP Overdrive from back in the day. Looks like AMP is trying to unify the label designs with its new "electric" spin on things. If you are unsure which of the new labels are new flavors, look for the word "New" in the upper corner of the label.

Taste

Multiple sources tell me that AMP retweaked the recipe after Overdrive for the previous Cherry Blast so this is sort of new for me. 

The aroma is a mix of Mountain Dew (read: citrus) and a bit of sour cherries. The flavor seems slightly different than what I remember with a bit more tart cherries up front, followed by a wave of Mountain Dew, followed by more cherries and sugar. The cherry flavor is somewhere between syrupy maraschinos and fake, sour cherries. Hard to say with that meddling Mountain Dew note. The aftertaste is tart and clean at first, but sugar creeps up and lingers along with a bit of the syrupy cherries. 

Energy

There are 160 mg of caffeine which is exactly how much the previous generation of Cherry Blast had, but 2 mg more than the Overdrive from 6-7 years ago. The effects are the same as any other sugary 473 mL energy drink - you get a bit of jitters and a wave of caffeine to keep you going for a few hours. I didn't experience a crash, but that doesn't mean that you won't either depending on when you have the drink and how much sleep you had.

Scores:

Cost - 2 for $3 from 7-11 in Michigan

Taste - 7.5/10

Energy - 8/10

Overall - 15.5/20...slightly tart, syrupy at times, sugary energy

Rise Kombucha Rose & Schizandra

What the heck is Schizandra? According to Wikipedia, the word schizandra, or schisandra, stands for "five-flavor berry" and is a vine native to Northern China and Russian Far East. OK...that sorta fits the kombucha theme...I guess.

The aroma is far from inviting with a sharp fermented rose/schizandra/tea (I assume that's what that is) note. The flavor is equally sharp at first with a strong sour fermented tea start followed by a strong, flowery rose finish tarnished by the fermented tea. Once you have a few sips, the rose flavor is accentuated and you get more of the berry tones near the finish. The aftertaste becomes a bit funky at first, but fairly clean and refreshing after 30 seconds or so.

This flavor is definitely way more funky than the Hibiscus Rise I had a few months ago, but does reward you a little if you can get past the aroma and the first few mouthfuls.

Taste - 6.5/10...suck it up the first few mouthfuls to be rewarded with a pleasant rose flavor

AMP Watermelon

Aaah, the one drink I was after my entire trip to the US. I am just a sucker for watermelon and watermelon flavored anything. Luckily for me and everyone south of the border, this drink is available almost everywhere and is pretty cheap at around $2 for a can.

Taste

Do yourself a favor and pour this drink in a glass. You do not want to miss out on the amazing and deep aroma. It is as intense as a watermelon Jolly Rancher. The flavor, unfortunately is not as intense as the aroma. It starts off with an overly carbonated AMP-original note, which is followed by a wave of artificial sweetener carrying some subtle watermelon flavors. It is not until the finish that the watermelon flavor truly blossoms. But that's a good thing in a way because the aftertaste is full of the watermelon flavor which lingers for a long time....awesome. Unfortunately there is also some sweetener notes present as well.

Energy

There are 157 mg of caffeine in the can and the effects are rather quick. I was greeted by a wave of jitters within 5-10 minutes of consuming a third of the can, which is a bit odd since there are no sugar in this drink. Unfortunately took another 10 minutes or so for my brain to catch up, wake up and start focusing on the tasks at hand. A short time thereafter, the caffeine kicked in and I was very energetic. The effects lasted for several hours and I did not experience a crash at the end. Pretty good stuff.

Scores:
Cost - $2
Taste - 8.2/10
Energy - 8.1/10

Overall - 16.3/20...amazing aroma, but the flavor could be a bit more intense

Purity Organic Green Lemonade

I know it looks gross, but don't judge it by its looks until you read this review. I picked this one up from a Target when passing through...Troy, Michigan? Somewhere in Michigan. The bottle set me back $2 and there were a few different types of this Purity Organic, but the green stuff really caught my eye.

Speaking of green stuff, the green comes from the kale, spinach and spearmint added to the beverage. Despite the greens, the aroma is mostly lemon and honey with just a hint of mint. The flavor is also heavy on the lemon...aaaand the honey towards the finish. Mint is present but mostly in the aftertaste and compliments the sour lemon finish with a chilly zing. This beverage is also quite sweet, more sweet than I expected. The honey and agave account for around 43 grams of sugar, which is a lot. The greens are there mostly for color and nutrients because I didn't really notice them.

The Green Lemonade is very refreshing and easy to drink, but the sweetness killed it a little for me. I had to get some water when I was done with this beverage.

Scores:
Cost - $2
Taste - 8.5/10

AMP Strawberry Limeade Review

This Strawberry Limeade is part of the new AMP flavors that are only available in the US. I bought it on sale for 2 for $3 from a 7-11 in Michigan.

Taste

The aroma screams strawberry, but does contain subtle lime notes. For some reason it also smelled like Coke/Sprite combo to me. The flavor starts off on a light, creamy lime note with the strawberry note following it and lingering well into the finish. The drink is not overly sweet but it slowly builds up, giving the aftertaste a candy-like strawberry sweetness after a third of the can.

Overall, the flavor is fairly light and drinks a lot like a soft drink than an energy drink. Very inoffensive taste with not one flavor that is truly dominant.

Energy

There are 157 mg of caffeine and the can and the effects are a lot like any other sugary energy drink. Jitters kick in within minutes making your legs shake and your mind race while the caffeine takes its sweet time, but lasts for 3-4 hours. I did not experience a crash at the end, but I did consume this first thing in the morning after a good night's sleep. I bet you if you have this later on in the day, there will be a crash after a few hours.

Scores:
Cost - 2 for $3 at 7-11 in Michigan
Taste - 8/10
Energy - 8.1/10

Overall - 16.1/20...light, inoffensive taste with a decent kick for the right price

Rockstar Boom Energy Whipped Orange Review

I bought this guy from a Target in Michigan along with the Whipped Strawberry one, which by the way was amazing!

Taste

Do yourself a favor and don't pour this into a glass. Its pale orange/beige color is a bit off-putting and way off from the lush orange I was expecting. Unlike the Whipped Strawberry one, the aroma here is not as intense. Yes, there are some orange notes present in the aroma, but it is mostly dominated by your typical Rockstar aroma. 

The taste starts off with a combination between Mountain Dew and regular Rockstar, but it is quickly followed by a moderately intense orange creamsicle note that is actually quite well done.  The creamsicle part is sweet and gets only sweeter with each sip. The hit of Mountain Dew/Rockstar you get at the start is not strong enough to wash off the sweetness so it just builds up. The aftertaste is sweet with a noticeable orange creamsicle hint.

I liked the Whipped Strawberry way more.

Energy

There are 160 mg of caffeine. The kick comes in very fast. The initial sugar hit gave me a bit of a rush and a shaky leg. The caffeine kicks in around the 30 minute mark, it is powerful and I felt great for hours and did not experience a crash. But I always warn readers that if they were to have this later on in the day, a crash may occur since you might be running low on stored energy.

Scores:

Cost - $2...I think

Taste - 7/10

Energy - 8.2/10

Overall - 15.2/20...prefer the Whipped Strawberry one

Rockstar Boom Energy Whipped Strawberry

Why is this called Boom Energy? I don't get it. Can someone explain it to me? I am sure it is something so simple that I can't even see it.

Anyways, I got a few of these cans when I was passing through Michigan last weekend. I stopped at a Target a minute after it opened somewhere in Troy, I believe. Luckily all the cool energy drinks there were right next to the cash register because I definitely needed some caffeine after the long drive and little sleep. I can't recall how much these were, but they were on sale if you were to buy 2.

Taste

The most incredible aroma filled the car when I opened this drink. Even my nieces in the back could smell the fresh strawberries and cream. Amazing! This is one of those things you just have to try. The flavor is like a mix of Mountain Dew/Coke, followed by strawberries with sweet cream near the finish. Very odd combo, but it works! The soft drink start makes you think you are chugging a manly energy drink, but the rich strawberry flavor gives something to get excited about. The cream comes at the end and lingers well into the finish giving you the sensation of just having finished a bowl of fruits with whipped cream. Yes, there is a bit of sweetness that sticks with you, but each sip does a great job at cleansing the palate at first before introducing more of the sweet strawberries and cream. Very smart!

Amazing! This drink has so many layers and I finished each can (I had a few this week) very quickly. Buy it!

Energy

The standard 160 mg of caffeine is present here and very well hidden with the sweet flavors. The kick comes in very fast. The initial few sips that are heavy on the odd Mountain Dew/Coke combo always woke me right up while the sugar gave me a bit of a rush and a shaky leg. The caffeine kicks in around the 30 minute mark and it is powerful! Each time I had one of these I felt great for hours and did not experience a crash. But I always warn readers that if they were to have this later on in the day, a crash may occur since you might be running low on stored energy.

Scores:
Cost - $2 I want to guess
Taste - 9.5/10
Energy - 8.2/10

Overall - 17.7/20...unique layered flavors with an excellent kick - buy it!

P.S. there is actual milk in this energy drink in case you are wondering