Hype Energy Organic Energy Drink Review

Late last night I went to the local 24-hour grocery store to get some hot sauce and when I was there I decided to cruise down the drinks aisle. It paid off, I found something new - Hype Organic Energy drink. There were two kinds of cans - the 250 mL one and the X2, the 473 mL one. At first I reached for the smaller one, but I put it back down realizing that there is an opportunity for me to consume almost twice as much caffeine not just a dollar more. Being a 24-hour supermarket, the prices are a little higher so I ended up paying $3.49 for the can. I am sure I can find this drink for $2.99 at a gas station of a convenience store.

Hmm, when I opened the can, I was greeted by an odd combination of Monster's original aroma, bubblegum and a little bit of cough syrup. The taste was similarly unique yet not too bad. I was hit by the all too familiar taste of Monster mixed with Hype's original flavour which nicely displaced it with its citric bite. Then came the biggest surprise - the finish and aftertaste - both of which were a battle of the flavours. There was bubblegum, apple, Monster and Hype, alternating and not giving up. The taste of apples and regular Hype give, both the finish and aftertaste, a crisp, sour bite which is something I absolutely love. The bubblegum and regular Monster give the finish and aftertaste a very sweet taste, which I think the drink could have been without. These two flavours are also responsible for the build up in the sweetness level, which is most noticeable in the aftertaste as the sourness of the first two flavours manages to subdue it. The drink tasted like nothing I had expected, but it wasn't too bad. I prefer the taste of the original Hype and Hype MFP.

I was expecting to find something like 150 mg of caffeine, but what I found instead were 94 mg of natural caffeine. I am not complaining...OK, I am...but 94 mg is not very much for a drink this size. In hindsight, I should have checked out both cans to see how much the little one had. I assume it had a little more than half of this. The drink still works and I began to experience the initial effects around the 20 minute mark, though my mind was still hazy from waking up. It took a full hour before I was finally energized and my mind was fully awake and clear. I did not experience any jitters, not even from the initial sugar jolt. The energy boost lasted for under 2 hours and I did experience a slight crash at the end. This isn't the best performing energy drink out there, but if want to buy organic products, go right ahead with this one.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Organic Guarana Seed Extract - 189 mg
• Natural Caffeine - 94 mg
• Vitamin C - 42.6 mg
• Vitamin B3 - 12.78 mg
• Vitamin B5 - 4.26 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 1.42 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 9.46 mcg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: carbonated water, organic cane juice concentrate, natural flavours, organic apple juice, organic aloe vera juice, citric acid, calcium citrate, organic tea extract.

Scores:
Cost - $3.49 CAD for a 473 mL can
Taste - 7.7/10
Energy - 6.5/10

Overall - 14.2/20...it has a unique taste, but I think the use of ingredients resembling Monster could have been turned just a notch down

amp Energy Sugar Free Lemonade Review

It is finally here, the sugar free amp lemonade, only a few of months after its US release, trailing a couple of months before the the energy juice release. I was not sure if this was the sugar free lemonade I was waiting for because the word "lemonade" was just missing from the front part of the label. It did not even have the word "lightning", which is what the regular version of this energy drink is called. If turn the label around and read the back side of it, you will see the word "lemonade" in bold yellow letters written across the top of the label. Anyway, I paid $2.99 for it and I was on my way.

The second thing I noticed when I picked up this new energy drink is the can design - it is matte, just like Rockstar's Energy Cola. I am a sucker for these designs. Though the front of the label is missing the word "lemonade" or "lightning", it is well designed and cleaner than the other amp energy drinks. I guess we should use the color as an indicator of what the drink is.

Much like Minute Maid's lemonade, the amp sugar free lemonade is cloudy and pale yellow in color. It smells like lemonade and tastes like carbonated lemonade. You can easily tell that this is a sugar free lemonade by the initial sip. They are not trying to hide this under layers of artificial or natural flavours or a ton of sweeteners. Nope, this is a sugar free drink sir, and this is what it will taste like. It is not bad tasting actually. There is enough lemon flavouring and citric acid to give you that sour lemon bite, yet not enough for your tongue to burn or your mouth to pucker. The sugar free aspect is not bad, I am beginning to enjoy these types of drinks as many manufacturers are able to pull of some great tasting, diet alternatives without sacrificing too much of the overall experience. As I mentioned, you can easily tell that this is a sugar free drink, but shortly after the initial diet taste, the sourness of the lemonade takes over and it is not until after the finish that you taste the sweetener again. That sweetener aftertaste will last for some time, and it will build up as you continue drinking the energy drink. Expect an overly sweet, sweetener aftertaste by the end of the can. Apart from that, this is a pretty solid tasting sugar free energy drink.

This is the first energy drink I have seen that states the total amount of caffeine from both the guarana extract and the added caffeine - 158 mg for this can. The amp Lightning also has 158 mg of caffeine, but it does not explicitly say that it is from both ingredients, just that the guarana contains X amount of caffeine. I started to wake up shortly after opening the drink - 15 minutes later, but this was a gradual process and took me over 30 minutes to feel energized. There were some jitters along the way to this energy high, but they weren't too bad. The energy boost lasted for about 2.5 - 3 hours after which I felt a little bit tired, but I did not experience a horrible crash.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Guarana extract - 296 mg
• Taurine - 292 mg
• Caffeine (caffeine, guarana) - 158 mg
• Oriental Ginseng Extract - 33 mg

Non-medicinal Ingredients: carbonated water, citric acid anhydrous, natural lemon flavour, corn maltodextrin, pectin, sodium benzoate, sodium hexametaphosphate, gum arabic, modified corn starch, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, ester gum, calcium disodium EDTA, salt, yellow colour, dimethylpolysiloxane.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 from 7-11
Taste - 7.6/10
Energy - 7.5/10

Overall - 15.1/20...solid sugar free energy drink with decent performance. The sweetener aftertaste does build up and lingers for a while

HyDrive Energy Electrolyte Formula Review

In my hands, I am hold the last formula of the HyDrive Energy drinks - Electrolyte Formula - which is lemon lime flavoured.

The beverage smells a lot like lemonade, but does not have that intense and sour lemonade flavour. It starts off watery, like the Strength Formula, but the taste builds up by the end of each sip. Half way through each sip, lemon and lime flavours start to emerge and by the end they are fully noticeable. Strangely, another flavour emerges at the finish - tangerine. It sounds strange, but this is what the finish tastes to me like. You can almost compare the taste to the yellow Gatorade, but once you drink at least half the bottle of HyDrive, the taste builds up and starts to differ from Gatorade. Like the other HyDrive formulas, the taste becomes more intense and flavour-rich, yet not very sweet. The Electrolyte Formula was enjoyable and easy to drink, but it wasn't my favorite HyDrive in terms of the taste. I would have enjoyed it more if the initial taste was made more flavourful.

You guessed it, this HyDrive formula contains 145 mg of caffeine. The unique ingredients are Magnesium, Chloride and Phosphorous. Within 30 minutes I started to get the already familiar feeling of clean and gradual build up of energy with my energy levels peaking 15 minutes later. I felt calm and very focused for 15 - 20 minutes right as my energy was peaking and plateauing. I was at this peak plateau for a good 3 hours after which I came back down, but did not crash.

The HyDrive Energy series was one of my favorite energy drink series, if not the favorite. Each formula has unique ingredients and every single one tasted great. Most other energy drink series have good flavours and bad flavours, but all the HyDrive formulas were consistently good. The energy kick was about the same with each flavour and though the caffeine content was not the highest, at 145 mg, the ingredients in the energy blend worked together to provide a few hours of clean energy with no jitters or a crash. It was an absolute pleasure to try all of the formulas and I hope the company expands their business into Canada.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Vitamin E - 3 IU
• Niacin - 20 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 2 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 6 mcg
• Pantothenic Acid - 10 mg
• Phosphorous - 16 mg
• Sodium 140 mg
• Potassium 50 mg
• Caffeine - 145 mg
• Taurine - 50 mg
• L-Carnitine - 25 mg
• L-Arginine - 25 mg
• Magnesium - 2 mg
• Chloride - 2 mg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: purified water, sucrose, citric acid, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, monopotassium phosphate, natural flavor, gum arabic, sucralose, glycerol ester of wood rosin, yellow #5, blue #1.

Scores:
Cost - not sold in Canada
Taste - 8.5/10
Energy - 7.9/10

Overall - 16.4/20...not the most flavour-rich HyDrive energy drink, but it still is one of the better tasting ones on the market

HyDrive Energy Antioxidant Formula Review

This bottle arrived with its top compressed, but I managed to almost restore it. The Antioxidant Formula is triple berry flavoured and the aroma clearly shows that. The taste starts off very intense and makes you say "whoa". It tastes like a blend of raspberries and cranberries with a slight grape twist at the very end. The finish and aftertaste have unique concord grape/lemon notes with the sour bite from cranberries. The more I kept drinking, the more flavours kept showing themselves. A third of the way down, I started to taste lemons in the finish and aftertaste. About half way through, the taste of Granny Smith apples was added to the already intense taste. I wasn't expecting this to be such an interesting and unique tasting drink. This HyDrive formula tastes much better than its Gatorade equivalent as it is more intense and flavour-rich, yet still is easy-drinking.

Once again, unlike Gatorade, this drinks comes with 145 mg of caffeine and a few extra ingredients to set it apart from the other HyDrive formulas. There is Ginkgo Biloba, Apple Polyphenols and Acai Extract. This drink performed much like the previous 4 HyDrive drinks I had with the energy coming in clean and slowly at first, but then all at once soon after. I did not experience any jitters and the calm/focused period was short about 10 minutes. The energy high lasted for about 3 hours and then I was back to feeling normal without any complications such as a crash.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Vitamin E - 3IU
• Niacin - 20 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 2 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 6 mcg
• Pantothenic Acid - 10 mg
• Zinc - 0.3 mg
• Selenium - 1.4 mcg
• Caffeine - 145 mg
• Taurine - 50 mg
• L-Carnitine - 25 mg
• L-Arginine - 25 mg
• Ginkgo Biloba - 3 mg
• Apple Polyphenols - 3 mg
• Acai Extract - 3 mg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: purified water, sucrose, citric acid, purple carrot juice concentrate (color), sodium citrate, natural flavour (contains soy), sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, monopotassium phosphate, sucralose, gum arabic, magnesium chloride hexahydrate, red#40, glycerol ester of wood rosin.

Scores:
Cost - not sold in Canada
Taste - 9.4/10
Energy - 7.9/10

Overall - 17.3/20...easily the best tasting HyDrive formula - it is intense and refreshing, yet the beverage is only 30 calories

HyDrive Energy Strength Formula Review

I said that the Vitamin Formula tasted a lot like an orange Gatorade, so I am half expecting this to taste like a blue Gatorade, which is my other favorite Gatorade flavour. It almost does, actually. The aroma carries the typical blue energy drink scent, but the the taste is not quite there...well, not at first. It starts off light and watery, a surprise since the previous 3 HyDrive formulas that I had did not exhibit this characteristic. Shortly after the start, the flavour kicks in and the drink starts turning into something resembling a blue Gatorade. There is a hint of sourness and the typical blue raspberry taste, which is executed quite well. The finish is sour and flavour-rich. I wonder why it starts so watery when the rest of the taste is pretty good. The more I kept drinking, the better the taste became. The sourness and the flavour started to build up, which made the immediate aftertaste very refreshing and pleasant. This is the first HyDrive energy drink to show signs of the use of an artificial sweetener in the aftertaste. A few minutes after each sip, a diet aftertaste emerges, but is quickly subdued by the lingering sour taste of the blue raspberry flavour. I enjoyed this formula, but it had a rough start, which the others did not.

Unlike the blue Gatorade, this packs 145 mg of caffeine and a list of other medicinal ingredients. Just like HyDrive every formula, this has the same basic list of medicinal ingredients, but adds a few other unique ones. The Strength Formula has L-Leucine, D-Robose, Maca Root Extract and Ginkgo Biloba. The energy that I got from this formula was about the same as the previous ones. I felt waking up and starting to focus on what I was doing about 30 minutes after starting to drink the beverage. I felt calm for a few minutes, but then the caffeine kicked in and I was ready to do laps. Like the other HyDrive drinks, this did not give me any jitters even when the caffeine kicked in, I was just very energized. The energy boost lasted for a good 3 hours and I did not experience a crash at the end.

I am not sure how cheap Gatorade is in the US, but if I lived there, I would definitely buy HyDrive instead. Both the Strength Formula and the Vitamin Formula taste a lot like blue and orange Gatorade, but pack 145 mg of caffeine and other ingredients which provide plenty of energy. I don't buy other Gatorade flavours, so I wouldn't know if the rest of the HyDrive formulas tasted like Gatorade.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Niacin - 20 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 2 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 6 mcg
• Pantothenic Acid - 10 mg
• Caffeine - 145 mg
• Taurine - 50 mg
• L-Carnitine - 25 mg
• D-Robose - 5 mg
• Maca Root Extract - 5 mg
• Ginkgo Biloba - 5 mg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: purified water, sucrose, citric acid, sodium citrate, sodium benzate, potassium sorbate, gum arabic, monopotassium phosphate, natural flavour, sucralose, calcium pantothenate, magnesium chloride hexahydrate, glycerol ester of wood rosin, blue #1.

Scores:
Cost - not sold in Canada
Taste - 8.8/10
Energy - 7.9/10

Overall - 16.7/20...taste a lot like blue Gatorade, but has a pretty decent energy kick

Read the other HyDrive reviews:

• Alertness Formula
• Recovery Formula
• Vitamin Formula
  

HyDrive Recovery Formula Review

Next in line of the HyDrive products is the Recovery Formula, which is grape flavoured.

It is not surprising that this HyDrive has a strong grape aroma and a similarly intense taste. Once again, drinking this almost compares to drinking Gatorade, except that the HyDrive grape flavour is much more natural and intense. It is slightly sweet, but not as sweet as grape soft drinks, and has a slightly sour finish, which makes the aftertaste refreshing. Half way through the bottle I noticed that the finish and aftertaste started to exhibit some aloe notes. I love aloe drinks and the jelly that many contain. The Recovery Formula is another great tasting HyDrive energy product. These guys really know what they are doing.

Like the previous HyDrive energy drinks, this one contains 145 mg of caffeine and the same basic vitamin and energy ingredients. I say basic, because there is a list of energy ingredients and vitamins that are found in every HyDrive beverage. The differences in the Recovery formula are the Aloe Vera Extract, Acai Extract, Folic Acid and Vitamin E. These observations are based on me comparing the Alertness Formula label to this one. The energy kicked in about 30 minutes after I started drinking this and took another 15 - 20 minutes for my energy levels to reach a peak. The drink kept me there for about 3 hours and brought me back down gracefully without a crash.

The ingredients are not the only difference. The text on the label is in white, not black. This creates a contrast between the purple beverage and the text, which makes the label easier to read. I really liked this. Someone actually thought about it. There are so many other energy drinks on the market that don't bother changing anything about their labels that it is almost impossible to read them on some flavours they sell. The worst is small, thin white text on a shiny silver can, especially if you are trying to read it outside in broad daylight.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Vitamin E - 3IU
• Niacin - 20 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 2 mg
• Folic Acid - 200 mcg
• Vitamin B12 - 6 mcg
• Caffeine - 145 mg
• Taurine - 50 mg
• Aloe Vera Extract - 50 mg
• L-Carnitine - 25 mg
• L-Arginine - 25 mg
• Acai Extract - 3 mg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: purified water, surcrose, citric acid, sodium citrate, natural flavour, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, monopotassium phosphate, sucralose, hydrochloride, calcium pantothenate, gum arabic, glycerol ester of wood rosin, red #40, blue #1.

Scores:
Cost - not for sale in Canada
Taste - 9/10
Energy - 7.9/10
Overall - 16.9/20...another fantastic HyDrive product

Read the other HyDrive reviews:

• Alertness Formula
• Vitamin Formula
• Strength Formula
  

HyDrive Energy Vitamin Formula Review

I need to start getting some more sleep...but perhaps when I finish my HyDrive Energy drinks. After yesterday's surprise, I knew I could afford to sleep little and just have another HyDrive in the morning. Today I will try the Vitamin Formula, which is citrus flavoured. How is the Vitamin Formula different from the Alertness Formula? Well, continue reading and you will find out.

This HyDrive has a very pleasant tangerine orange aroma and an equally pleasant taste. Wow, the moment the drink hit my tongue, the image of an orange Gatorade came to mind. I love Gatorade - orange and blue. The taste of this HyDrive is not exactly like that of orange Gatorade, but they are quite similar. The energy drink has a much stronger tangerine orange taste with more of a citric bite and, of course, it has caffeine. I like sour drinks and I love the taste of Vitamin Formula.

The Vitamin Formula contains the same caffeine content as the Alertness Formula - 145 mg - but the energy blend has a slightly different composition. It drops ginseng and guarana from the ingredients list and adds folic acid and Vitamin D, which aid in the production of red blood cells and the development of bones. Folic acid can be bought over the counter and is sold as an energy supplement. I know that because I have a bottle of it on my desk right now. It usually comes in combination with other vitamins, typically B12. Enough with the boring lessons, we should focus on the effects.

I experienced the same gradual, clean increase in my energy levels and was wide awake in less than 30 minutes after opening the bottle. I felt calm and focused for a brief period of time until all of the caffeine hit me another 10 minutes later. I still did not experience any jitters, but I felt like I could run laps...and I am badly out of shape. The energy high remained for about 3 hours when I started getting a little tired and not wanting to do anything that required physical effort. There was no crash or any other unpleasant effects. Another fantastic HyDrive Energy formula. I strongly recommend getting one of these if you like Gatorade, but need an energy boost, and of course live in the US.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Vitamin D - 400 iU
• Niacin - 20 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 2 mg
• Folic Acid - 400 mcg
• Vitamin B12 - 6 mcg
• Pantothenic Acid - 10 mg
• Caffeine - 145 mg
• Taurine - 50 mg
• L-Carnitine - 25 mg
• L-Arginine - 25 mg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: purified water, sucrose, citric acid, natural flavour, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, monopotassium phosphate, gum arabic, calcium chloride, sucralose, glycerol ester of wood rosin, niacinamide, calcium pantothenate, magnesium chloride hexahydrate, yellow #5, cholecalciferol (D).

Scores:
Cost - not sold in Canada
Taste - 9.1/10
Energy - 7.9/10

Overall - 17/20...another fantastic HyDrive Energy formula

HyDrive Energy Alertness Formula Review

Today I am trying an US-only product that was sent to me by Team HyDrive. In fact, they sent me a box with all of the HyDrive Energy formulas, which I will be trying and reviewing over the next week. Today I am having the Alertness Formula, which is kiwi strawberry flavoured. I only had about 4 hours of sleep so I think this morning will be the perfect time to try it.

The first thing I noticed about this, and all the other HyDrive products, is the calories number on the top of the cap. I thought that it's a nice touch.


Upon twisting the cap off, I was greeted by a pleasant kiwi aroma with strawberries in the distance. The more I kept smelling it, the more the aroma was changing between strawberries and kiwi as both are similarly sour. The taste is fantastic. It is sour and refreshing and lightly sweet at the end. The sourness comes from the kiwi and strawberry flavours, which also alternate in the taste. The aftertaste is slightly dry from the sour bite, but overall very enjoyable. The taste of strawberries, and a little bit of kiwi, linger for some time after you have finished enjoying the beverage. There are no unpleasant tastes from the energy blend, which is always good. The beverage is non-carbonated and goes down easily, it is not too sweet so you will not have to make a run for the sink to get some water.

The front of the label says "Enhanced Water Energy Drink", but this tasted much better than any other enhanced water I have ever had. This enhanced water actually had some flavour and did not taste watery at all. When I saw the "30" calories cap, I was expecting a diet-tasting drink, but this, once again, surprised me as it did not taste like a beverage with only 30 calories.

There are 145 mg of caffeine in the bottle, which was more than expected to be honest. The energy started to come in gradually within 20 minutes and was very clean, i.e. no jitters. A few minutes later I felt becoming more focused on what I was doing, an experience similar to what some energy shots offer. I liked it. The focus lasted for about 20 minutes, which is not bad, but I have experienced longer periods from some energy shots. Forty-fifty minutes after I started drinking this I reached an energy peak and remained there for about 3 hours. I did not experience a crash at the end or any unpleasant results. This works great.

This is a great energy drink and I cannot wait to try the other 5 formulas. The only negative thing I have to say about HyDrive Energy is that they are not available in Canada. US residents always get the best drinks.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Caffeine - 145 mg
• Taurine - 50 mg
• L-Carnitine - 25 mg
• L-Arginine - 25 mg
• Niacin - 20 mg
• Pantothenic Acid - 10 mg
  
• Panax Ginseng - 5 mg
• Guarana - 5 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 2 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 6 mcg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: purified water, sucrose, citric acid, sodium citrate, natural flavour, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, monopotassium phosphate, sucralose, gum arabic, calcium pantothenate, magnesium chloride hexahydrate, glycerol ester of wood rosin, Red #40, Blue #1

Scores:
Cost - ??? not sold in Canada
Taste - 9.4./10
Energy - 7.9/10

Overall - 17.3/20...non-carbonated and very easy to drink the entire bottle. Fantastic taste and great, clean energy boost

Drank Extreme Relaxation Beverage Review

I am very interested in both energy and anti-energy drinks. The problem is that the latter type is not widely available and gets less attention. Luckily, the makers of Drank sent me a PR kit with some samples to review and build up my Anti-Energy section. The company was extremely professional and surprised me with a package at my door just a few short days after I e-mailed them. Bravo!

Originally I thought that this beverage was available only in the US, but the brochures in the kit were both in English and French, which are the two official Canadian languages of course. The cans were also labeled in both languages which lead me to believe that these are/will be sold in Canada. A quick e-mail exchange with a company representative revealed that the drink has just recently received authorization for sale in Canada and will be available through 7-11 for $2.99 CAD per can. This is good news because the only other anti-energy drink I have seen for sale at 7-11 is Slow Cow.

I love the fact that this beverage, called Drank, is purple...because this makes it a Purple Drank. This is pretty smart because most Google query results using "purple drank" lead to this beverage. Enough talking, lets get down to business.

Upon opening the can I was greeted by bubbles and a mild, inviting grape aroma. The taste is similar to the aroma - grape. The flavour starts mild with some bite from the carbonation, but then quickly turns sweet. The finish develops a very enjoyable candy grape flavour with a touch of lemon juice. It reminds me of a grape Jolly Rancher. No bitterness or any other unpleasant flavours can be detected, which is always a plus with any energy/anti-energy drink. A pretty solid grape flavour, I enjoyed it. The only negative thing I have to say about this is that the sweetness really builds up in the finish towards the end of the can. I had to drink some water once I finished the beverage.

I was expecting to start feeling relaxed soon after starting to drink the beverage, but I think I was hit by the sugar rush before the medicinal ingredients had started to work their way through my system. That's not always a bad thing, because it gave me enough of a boost to write this post with all the experiences still fresh in my mind. About 20 - 25 minutes after I started to feel the sugar rush, I began to calm down and focus on what I was writing. My hands had stopped shaking from the sugar and were calmly resting on the keyboard waiting for instructions. My body started to go a bit numb and sitting on my office chair no longer required a change in position. Another 20 minutes passed and I still didn't feel sleepy, I was still very calm, sitting at my desk, reading news, completely focused on what I was doing. Another 20 minutes passed and I was still very calm, very relaxed, and did not feel the need to take a nap. It took about 2 hours for me to feel the calmness slipping away, and the need to move in my chair coming back.

I liked this relaxation beverage very much. I enjoyed the fact that Drank calmed me down, helped me focus, but did not make me so tired that I needed to take a nap.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Melatonin - 2 mg
• Valerian Root - 20 mg
• Rose Hips Fruits - 20 mg
• Vitamin B3 - 40 mg
• Vitamin B5 - 20 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 4 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 12 mcg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: water, potassium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, raspberry lemonade flavour, color solution (Red 40, FD & C Blue No. 1, sodium benzoate), citric acid, sodium citrate, maltodextrin, ethyl alcohol.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 CAD for a 473 mL can from 7-11
Taste - 8.3/10
Performance - 9.5/10

Overall - 17.8/20...solid grape flavour and a solid relax-but-don't-fall-asleep performance

SoBe Smooth Black and Blue Berry Brew Review

The reviews of the new SoBe Energize products that I posted a couple of weeks back generated some interest and traffic so I decided to go out and try the other new SoBe products. Unfortunately all brain activity seized at the time I made my purchase and I ended up not with the Energize products, but 2 of the SoBe Smooth drinks. I let them sit in the fridge for a while and debated whether or not to actually post a review. After multiple walks from my desk to the fridge and back, I decided to write something and to be more careful next time I go to the local convenience store. So, first comes the SoBe Smooth Black & Blue Berry Brew review.

Unlike the Energize drinks, the Black & Blue Berry Brew is creamy and thick. The drink has a very sharp blueberry aroma with a distant blackberry one. As expected the drink is very sweet, but at least tastes like a combination of the two fruits. There are no unpleasant notes and even the aftertaste is OK...well at first. Once a few minutes have passed after the last sip, the pleasantness of the aftertaste degrades and the sweetness takes over. The sweetness in the aftertaste made me run for water and this shouldn't surprise you. There are 75 grams of sugar in this bottle...75!!! The taste also gets progressively sweeter as you continue drinking, which made me stop drinking this half way. I didn't throw the rest of the drink out, I just left it in the fridge for another time.

According to the Pepsi Product Information page, this beverage contains 4 mg of caffeine, but I think that you will get a buzz from the sugar.

This will do well as a mixer with some club soda and some fresh lemon juice or a few blueberries floating around...and some vodka or light rum of course.

Ingredients: water, sugar, skim milk, cream, grape, juice concentrate, citrus pectin, purple color, fumaric acid, natural blackberry and blueberry flavour, lactic acid, corn maltodextrin, corn starch, caramel color, juniper berry extract, guarana extract.

Scores:
Cost - 2 for $3 from Mac's
Taste - 6.9/10

Overall - 6.9/10...the flavour is OK, but this is way too sweet for my taste

Check out the SoBe Energize reviews:

• Green Tea Lemon Mint
• Mango Melon
  

Bone Chillin Energy Drink Review

This is a weird energy drink. Weird because I have never seen it and never heard of it and it comes bearing the "Cott" logo. It is also weird because I picked up a 4 pack of this for only $3.97 from the local Wal-Mart. What else can I say? It has a surprisingly nice can design, which would stand out if sold in stores like 7-11 on the same shelves as Monster or AMP.

I had no idea what to expect in terms of taste since I could not find an indication of the flavour anywhere on the box or the cans. But this coming from Cott, I was expecting something similar to Red Bull. Yep, I was not disappointed. This tasted almost exactly like Red Rain/Turbo Energy except that it had more of a citric bite at the beginning of each sip. The sweet Red Bull taste comes in after the initial sourness and remains in your mouth for a very brief period of time. The finish is similar to the initial taste and the aftertaste is crisp and refreshing, but makes your mouth a bit dry in the long run. I love this taste. I love the taste of Red Bull, but this slight change in the taste makes the drink much crisper and more enjoyable...at least for me.

There are 142 mg of caffeine in the 473 mL can of Bone Chillin, which is on the lower end of the scale, but it's enough to give you a nice kick. I started to experience a boost within 15 - 20 minutes, but that could have been from the sugar. After a short period of time I was fully awake and a bit jittery. Twenty minutes later and the whole can gone, I was ready to jump out of my seat and run around the neighborhood. The boost lasted for a few hours and did not result in a crash. Not bad for a drink which costs less than $1 per can.

Did I just find THE Red Bull replacement? Think about it. This costs only $3.97 for 4 cans, which makes each can cost only $0.99. It has the same taste as Red Bull, a small can of which costs $2.49, most places, or $3.99 for an equivalent 473 mL can. It also has almost the exact same caffeine content at an equivalent of just over 75 mg per 250 mL. If you were standing in Wal-Mart, looking at a 4 pack of small Red Bull and a pack of Bone Chillin, which would you buy knowing that both taste the same and latter costs about 50% less than the former? I always thought that a pack of regular Red Rain is a great Red Bull replacement until I found this.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 1,873 mg
• Caffeine - 142 mg
• Inositol - 92 mg
• Niacinamide - 31 mg
• Pantothenic Acid - 6 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 3 mg
• Riboflavin - 3 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 0.6 mcg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: carbonated water, sugar/glucose-fructose, citric acid, natural and artificial flavour, sodium citrate, colour, potassium benzoate.

Scores:
Cost - $3.97 for a 4 pack from Wal-Mart
Taste - 8.9/10
Energy - 7.5/10

Overall - 16.4/20...one of the best, cheapest energy drinks on the Canadian market, love it

ZizZazz Raspberry Lemon Explosive Energy Mix Review

Last year I tried one of the other ZizZazz flavours, but used too little and found the resulting mixture to be too bland for my liking. This time I will not repeat my mistake. I got this powdered packaged for only $0.99 from 7-11 after they decided to cut most of the caffeinated products from their stores to sell cheap DVDs and games. There are a bunch of other discounted energy products so if you wish to get loaded on caffeine, the time is now.

I filled my Nalgene bottle with exactly 16 oz of water and poured the whole ZizZazz package in. Unlike the other ZizZazz mixture, this one did not take too long to dissolve completely into a cloudy, pinkish liquid. The resulting mixture had a weird cough syrup smell with hints of lemon and berries. The taste is not bad. It tastes a lot like a diet non-carbonated soft drink. The lemon flavour attacks the tongue at the beginning, but goes away very quickly. I wouldn't call the second flavour raspberry as it is more like just berries. That flavour also goes away quickly due to the artificial sweetener used which makes the finish very, very sweet and makes way for a nasty, bitter flavour which lasts for quite some time in the aftertaste. The bitterness is also weird as it just feels that way on your tongue, kind of like when you chew on a bitter pill and some of the powder stays stuck to your tongue. At least I found that if you wish to get some flavour of these ZizZazz powders, you have to use the whole package.

The resulting 16 oz drink contains 200 mg of caffeine, which is pretty respectable. I started to wake up and feel energized in about 20 minutes which could be from the caffeine, or something else. By the 20 minute mark I had consumed more than half the drink so the energy escalated from none to pretty good in matter of minutes. I did not feel jittery or experience a headache, which is always a plus. Another 20 minutes later and the whole mixture gone, I was feeling very, very energized...but I also had plenty of sleep. The boost lasted for a very long time and I did not feel a crash at the end. For something that costs less than a dollar, this works amazingly.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 483 mg,
• Vitamin C - 300 mg
• Caffeine - 200 mg
• Niacin - 30 mg
• Pantothenic Acid - 10 mg
• Glucuronolactone - 8.75 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 3.4 mg
• Vitamin E - 1.35 mg
• Green Tea Extract - 70 mcg
• Ginseng Extract - 70 mcg
• Alpha Lipoic Acid - 70 mcg
• Rhodiola Rosea Extract - 70 mcg
• Folic Acid - 200 mcg
• Vitamin A - 90 mcg
• RAE - Vitamin B12 - 60 mcg
• Vitamin D - 5 mcg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: maltodextrin, citric acid, dextrose, fructose, phenylalanine, sucralose, natural fruit flavour, natural beet juice, acesulfame potassium, natural salt.

Wow, I was not expecting this many medicinal ingredients in such a tiny package for a powdered drink. Look at that list, most of the energy drinks that I drink have only half of those ingredients.

Scores:
Cost - $0.99 for a 7g package from 7-11
Taste - 6.7/10
Energy - 8.5/10

Overall - 15.2/20...the artificial sweetener is overpowering and there is a bitter tone in the aftertaste, but there is plenty of energy for less than a dollar

Inked Maori Energy Drink Review

Here it is, a new Inked flavour exclusively at 7-11....but wait a minute! Wasn't there a Maori before? If I recall correctly, it was Maori Citrus, and that got pulled off the shelves more than a year ago. Well, the name has made a comeback with a mango flavour. Since this is a new product at 7-11, there was a buy 1, get 1 free promotion and I got two cans of this for $2.69 CAD. Not a bad price to get people to try this new energy drink.

The energy drink has an inviting mango aroma, but with a touch of sweet cough syrup. The taste is not bad either. It starts off as a mango/citrus blend with a touch of passion fruit with the two main flavours alternating as you gulp down the beverage. The passion fruit taste comes and goes, but it adds something to the overall enjoyment of this beverage. The finish is sweet and also a citrus/mango combination. Unlike the aroma, there are no traces of cough syrup or any other unpleasantries in the taste. As I kept drinking, more of the beverage revealed itself to me. After I had about a third of the can, the sweetness had built up to the point that the drink tasted like a piece of hard mango candy. Some of citric acid started to make its presence known by giving the finish and aftertaste a sour bite. This, in my opinion, made the drink even better. After I finished the can, it hit me. This, being made by Cott beverages, has a heavy Red Rain influence with its citric bite and citrusy taste. I am going to go ahead and call this the best Inked flavour. If you haven't noticed it at 7-11, go to the nearest store and get a couple of cans.

Like the other Inked energy drinks, this one contains 150 mg of caffeine, which puts it right in the middle of the 473 mL war zone, but since it is priced lower than most of the other ones, I am sure it will win some battles. I started to get a buzz, probably from all the sugar, in about 15 - 20 minutes after starting to consume the beverage. At that point I was already down about a can. I gulped the second half of the can real quick since I had to focus on some work I was doing and the caffeine catapulted me to a different energy level. Of course, this caffeine rush came with its dose of jitters which lasted for about 15 minutes. I don't know if it is the long sleep I got last night, or this energy drink, but I felt like running laps for hours. I got a good 3 hours out of this drink and did not experience a sudden crash at the end, but I did get tired once I had used up all the caffeine. Nothing some tea...er...a lot of tea couldn't fix. The bottom line is, this is the best Inked energy drink on the market today.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 1,890 mg
• D-Glucuronolactone - 1,130 mg
• Caffeine - 150 mg
• Inositol - 69 mg
• Niacin - 37 mg
• Pantothenic acid - 9 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 9 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 9 mcg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: carbonated water, sugar/glucose-fructose, citric acid, sodium citrate, natural flavour, potassium benzoate, colour.

Scores:
Cost - $2.69 for 2 cans thanks to a 7-11 promotion
Taste - 8.5/10
Energy - 7.9/10

Overall - 16.4/20...best Inked energy drink on the market today, worth the money

Read about the other Inked flavours:

• Chikara
• Druidic
• Oroborus

Starbucks Doubleshot Energy + Coffee Mocha Review

I am finally back home after a week of traveling. On my way back I saw this oldie and I decided to finally buy it and try it. Like all other Starbucks energy drinks, this comes at a premium - $3.49 for a 444 mL can.

Unfortunately I have a cold so I may not be able to smell and taste the drink the way I should, but I will give it my best. The aroma is a lot like a milk based drink with very little coffee smell. The taste is also milky but the coffee shows itself. I was surprised to discover that this iced coffee/energy drink is rather thick, more like cream than milk. At first the taste is not very sweet and I was enjoying the drink very much, but as I continued drinking, the sweetness built up and this became much like all the other iced mochas - sweet and milky with little coffee taste. Aaah, the coffee taste. I mentioned that the coffee taste shows itself, but it shows itself briefly. The sweet creamy taste is overpowering and allows the coffee flavour to escape its grips at the beginning and at the end. The aftertaste is a bit dry and if you wait long enough, a week coffee taste will show up. This is not a bad iced mocha energy drink, but I was expecting more from Starbucks.

The can contains 146 mg of caffeine, which is pretty decent and comparable to other energy drinks this size. I started to get a buzz from something, probably the sugar, in about 10 - 15 minutes. I experienced some jitters, but nothing I couldn't handle or haven't seen before. The caffeine eventually hit and it hit me pretty much all at once. I was staring at my monitor when suddenly all the lights when on and my chair just couldn't contain my energize body. OK, that only lasted for about a minute, but I did suddenly feel energized and not jittery at all. I think this drink works better than the Starbucks Espresso and Coffee I had a week ago. The kick that I got from this lasted for a few hours and I didn't experience a crash once the energy started to fade away slowly.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 1,800 mg
• Oriental Ginseng Extract - 330 mg
• Inositol - 181 mg
• Caffeine - 146 mg
• Guarana Extract - 90 mg
• Vitamin C - 75 mg
• Vitamin B3 - 50 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 5 mg
• Vitamin B2 - 4 mg
• Vitamin A - 120 mcg
• Vitamin D - 1.7 mcg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: Starbucks coffee (water, coffee), water, skim milk, sugar, cream, corn maltodextrin, corn dextrose, natural coffee and mocha flavours, cellulose gel, cellulose gum, calcium phosphate, sucralose, tricalcium phosphate, silicon dioxide, caramel colour, dimethylpolysiloxane, gum arabic, corn starch, polysorbate 80.

Scores:
Cost - $3.49 CAD for a 444 mL can
Taste - 7.8/10
Energy - 7.3/10

Overall - 15.1/20...sweet and creamy with very little coffee taste and a decent energy kick

Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso and Cream Review

I know that this is an old one, but I just never felt like spending $3.29 on such a small can...at least until I realized that I sometimes spend more than $3 on energy shots, which are much smaller than 192 mL. Yes, I am a bit slow.

Espresso and Cream...hmmm...to be honest I like my espressos double, short and straight and have never actually tried one with cream. After this I think I should for comparison. The drink has the typical iced coffee aroma but with a stronger coffee scent. The taste is about the same and is really good. Unlike other iced coffees, you can actually taste the coffee in this one. Its flavour is strong, overpowering and leaves a bitter finish, which is something I enjoy very much. The cream can be felt rather than tasted. It makes drinking this beverage easy on the tongue because one you finish it, your tongue is left with a very dry and rough feeling. The milk taste is also noticeable at the end right before the coffee drowns it. This is my new favorite iced coffee drink and I regret not having tried it earlier.

The caffeine content is not listed on the can, but don't worry, there is always the Pepsi Product Page which we can refer to. It says that an 8 oz Doubleshot Coffee Drink contains 160 mg of caffeine, but wait! This is a 6.5 oz drink so applying some basic calculations we find out that the drink contains 130 mg of caffeine, which is not too bad for a can this size. There must be something wrong with the drink or perhaps with me, because all I felt after 30 minutes after drinking this is a slight buzz and a bit of jitters. My brain was still asleep, but my body had some energy. I say some, because I was still feeling very lazy and didn't feel like running around in circles. This is not how espressos affect me and I had no way of fixing the situation by having a real espresso since I threw out my moka a few months ago. Aw damn, too bad for the great taste.

Ingredients: brewed espresso coffee (coffee, water), concentrated partly skimmed milk, sugar, cream, caramel color, ascorbic acid.

Scores:
Cost - $3.29 for a 192 mL can
Taste - 8.5/10
Energy - 5/10

Overall - 13.5/20...great tasting iced coffee with a very coffee-like bitter finish, but weak on the energy delivery