Turbo Energy Drink Review

I was at Shopper Drug Mart again and this time I came across the Turbo Energy Drink. It was priced at only $2.49 CAD and said that it was made for Shoppers Drug Mart, which made me wonder if it was just as mediocre as the energy drink made for 7 Eleven...Inked I believe is the name.

I need only two words to describe this - RED BULL. It tastes exactly like it, a can of it contains almost the equivalent of two small Red Bull cans, the caffeine content is the same too. The label says that it is citrus flavoured so does that mean that Red Bull tastes like citrus fruits? Maybe the original thai one, but the carbonated Red Bull sold in cans here has a very unique, non-citrus taste. It is a bit sour so it might be confused with citrus fruits.

I got huge energy boost at first, probably because of the sugar/caffeine combo, and the rush lasted for a couple of hours then slowly started to wear off over the next hour.

Scores:
Cost - 8.5/10
Taste - 8.9/10...just because I love the Red Bull taste
Energy - 7.9/10

Overall - 25.3/30...I think I will be buying this when I go to Shoppers rather than Red Bull. You get twice as much, for the same price - a hidden gem this one is

Beaver Buzz Green Tea Energy Drink Review

This is another one of those beverages that I had been avoiding for years. I admit that the can looks great with its pale green color and simple layout, but I just have never had the urge to buy one until now. Why did I get it? It was priced at $1.99 CAD at the local Shoppers Drug Mart and that was the regular price. I thought I should give it a shot.

The label clearly states that this is a non-carbonated drink, which some people might like, but not me. I prefer carbonated drinks unless I have a sore throat. It tastes almost exactly like the Nestea Green Iced Tea. There are two things that make it different. First, it is much sweeter, but the sweetness does not hit you until you have almost swallowed and does last for a while. The second thing is that caffeine taste, probably from the guarana and ginseng extracts. This particular taste is overpowered by the sweetness of the drink. I think it would have been much better if the company had used an unsweetened green tea as a basis, rather than the sweetened one. At least the company uses cane sugar.

The caffeine content is 102 mg, and I wish it was higher. The can is comparable to that of the large Red Bull one, so I think it should have at least the same amount of caffeine. It still gave me a nice energy boost early in the morning, but it only lasted for about an hour.

Scores:
Cost - 9/10
Taste - 6.9/10
Energy - 6.2/10

Overall - 22.1/30...I think it could have been much better if it wasn't as sweet

amp Energy Traction Review

Almost identical to the Monster Mixxd in terms of taste. It's purple and tastes like a purple drink - grape/blackcurrant. It's as if the two companies took some koolaid and added their base energy drink to it. The only thing that is slightly different in the amp is the regular amp aftertaste which soon after drinking fades away and you are left with nothing more but a grape aftertaste. I think that the amp drink tastes slightly better than Monster Mixxd at first. After a few sips it tastes much better. Another difference is the company policy of informing the consumer what flavour their drinks are. You can clearly see, under the "Promotes Endurance" label, that the flavour is grape.

The energy boost is also the same. The two drinks also have almost identical levels of caffeine - the amp has 158mg and the Monster has around 160 mg (I cannot recall the exact content at the moment). I had a pleasant and productive hour which was followed by a couple of hours of feeling somewhere between normal and slightly hyper.

Scores:
Cost - 8/10 ($2.99 CAD)
Taste - 7.9/10
Energy - 7.5/10

Overall - 23.4/30...I remember stating that the Monster Mixxd was the best tasting Monster drink, well the amp is a better tasting grape energy drink at the same cost and same level of performance

amp Energy Reignite Review

This tastes exactly like a combination of tang, club soda, a bit of cough syrup and some crushed caffeine pills. At least amp has the decency to put the flavour on their packaging. This label clearly states that the beverage tastes like orange. Come on Monster, learn something from amp. It is not too bad, except for the aftertaste. For a few seconds there is a cough syrup taste, which is replaced by the artificial orange taste. After my taste buds were numbed I enjoyed the rest of the can.

I like how the caffeine content in the amp drinks varies. This one has 158 mg of caffeine, which is delivered depending on your drinking style. Gulp it quickly and say hello to some jittering. Take it slow and experience a wave of energy for several hours.

Scores:
Cost - 8/10 ($2.99 CAD)
Taste - 7.9/10
Energy - 7.6/10

Overall - 23.5/30...yea, this is not bad and I guess it delivered what it promised - to re-ignite me

Red Rain Energy Drink Review

I have been seeing this drink appear at many locations in the past few years. The first time I saw it, I was at Costco's and noticed that a whole flat of these was less than $20. Right next to the Red Rain was an identical case of Red Bull for around $50. I thought that Red Rain was just another cheap, awful tasting energy drink packed with synthetic caffeine. Later I started seeing it at convenience stores being sold for much less than $2 or 4 for $5. I kept thinking that this was cheap because it was awful so I never bothered buying one. That changed yesterday. I was at the local LobLaws and I saw a shelf full of Red Rain, several different kinds priced at $1.49 CAD. I finally decided to get one to try.

Smells remotely like Red Bull and it tastes a lot like it. A lot like it, but not exactly like it. It seems like the company had taken a batch of Red Bull, diluted it with water and then added some chemicals so the levels of the medicinal ingredients are just like those of Red Bull. It is actually not a bad tasting drink. Even the aftertaste is pretty good. Those who don't enjoy the taste of Red Bull might enjoy this as the taste is mellower.

Energy wise, it works just like a Red Bull probably because it contains the same amount of caffeine - 80 mg per can. I got a quick boost that, just like a Red Bull, lasted for about an hour.

Scores:
Cost - $1.49/can or $4.99/pack
Taste - 8.3/10
Energy - 6/10

Overall - 14.3/20...very good and cheap drink, but it does carry the stigma of a cheap and "fake" energy drink

Master Cafe Colombian Style Review

This particular flavour is quite enjoyable. It has a stronger coffee taste and smell than the previous two I tried. The aftertaste is creamy and not quite coffee-like. It reminds me of the taste you get after eating cheese - a little sour.

The energy boost is the same with all the other ones - barely there. One other iced coffee drink I had a few days ago stated that the caffeine content is 30mg/100 mL so if the same relation was applied to Master Cafe, expect no more than 72 mg of caffeine per can. This is quite similar to the content of caffeine found in a small can of red bull, but with half the sugars. Wolfram Alpha shows that the sugar content per 250 mL of Red Bull is around 26 g, whereas the sugar content in a can of Master Cafe is half - 13g. That might have a small effect on the energy boost, or the effect may be due to some of the other ingredients found in Red Bull.

Scores:

Cost - 10/10 ($0.97)

Taste - 7.9/10

Performance - 4/10

Overall - 21.9/30

Monster M-80 Review

Just what the hell is an M-80? Well this is what wikipedia says about it:

"M-80s are a class of large Firecracker, sometimes called Salute (pyrotechnics). The Simulator, Artillery, M80, was originally made in the early 20th century by the U.S. Military to simulate explosives or artillery fire; later, they were manufactured as Fireworks. Traditionally, M-80s were made from a small red cardboard tube approximately 1½ inches (3.8 cm) long and ⁹/₁₆–⁵/₈ inches (1.4–1.6 cm) in diameter, with a Visco fuse coming out of the side, holding approximately 2½–3 grams of pyrotechnic flash powder; one source states that an M-80 has at least 3 grams of explosive. For comparison, a quarter-stick of dynamite contains 20 grams of explosive."

So why is this called an M-80? I was curious and had to find out.

This literally tastes like the regular Monster packed with more sugar and some artificial mystery flavours. OK, this is why the drink is called an M-80 - there is an explosion of artifial flavour in every sip you take. I think there is a hint of mango, some lemon/lime and a few other things I can't quite put my finger on. This feels like eating some pixie sticks then drinking an oversweetened juice...that has been carbonated excessively. I am not saying that the combination is awful, because as kids we have all done that, but I think it could be much better. God damn it, pick a flavour and stick to it. Also, is it too hard to list the juices used in the manufacturing of the product? Here is what the non-medicinal ingredients list says about the juices - "fruit juices from concentrate". That's it!!! What kind of juices? Random? Whatever is left over? That's not the only Monster beverage to say this on the back. The Khaos one had the same thing, so did the Mixxd one. The aftertaste is similar to eating consuming pixie sticks or other powdered candies. There is also a sour taste which I think helps things.

Like any other Monster, you get the energy boost you were seeking. There really isn't a difference in the level of caffeine found in all Monster energy drinks.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD
Taste - 6.7/10
Energy - 7.5/10

Overall - 14.2...all Monster drinks are similar in cost and energy boost, the only thing that differs is the taste, which varies from tolerable to alright

Read about the other Monster drinks I have tried:

• Originale
• Mean Bean
• Irish Blend
• Assault
• Khaos
• MIXXD