Mad-Croc Energy Chews Orange Lemon Strawberry Review

Early this week I received a shipment of caffeinated goodies, which I ordered from chemicalevolution.com. One of the items I ordered were the Mad-Croc chews, which I was really looking forward to trying after the success of their energy gums.

Originally, I was expecting the chews to taste like a mix of orange, lemon and strawberry, but when I opened the package, I realized that these are the individual flavors and there are 4 of the strawberry, 4 of the orange and only 2 of the lemon chews. I guess I had some chewing to be done.

Taste

Each of the chews comes in a size and wrapper not unlike that of Star-Burst. The only difference is how soft each of the chews is. When I grabbed one to pull it out, my fingers managed to leave two nice dimples. As I was unwrapping it, I also noticed how sticky it is. Due to the stickiness, unwrapping each one proves to be a challenge.

Lemon - a burst of lemon the moment you eat it. The taste gets more and more intense as you suck/chew on it and there is a bit of a citric bite at the end. Surprisingly, there is no bitterness while chewing/sucking on the chew. There is a bit of it, however, in the aftertaste. But don't worry, it is so subtle, it is barely noticeable.

Strawberry - a very dull initial taste, which gets better. Along with the improved strawberry taste comes a bit of bitterness, which is not very subtle. The aftertaste has a bit more bitterness than the lemon. Overall, not bad, but not as good as the lemon chew.

Orange - dull start, but a burst of orange flavor comes seconds after you eat it. Refreshing and the citrus taste managed to subdue any and all bitter notes. Some subtle ones appear in the finish, but will not ruin the experience.

Overall, these chews are absolutely fantastic. They taste so much better than all of the other ones I have had the pleasure, or displeasure, to try. The lemon and orange ones are very refreshing and tasty.

Energy

Though there is no clear indication of the amount of caffeine, the back of the pack states that each pack is equal to an 8 oz energy drink, which I can only assume means that each chew contains only 8 mg of caffeine. OK, that would explain the subtle bitterness and the great taste. When I first took the pack out of its shipping box, I merely glanced over it and thought that the back said that each chew is equal to an energy drink. "Awesome", I thought to myself.

Well, seeing how there are only 8 mg of caffeine, the effects are obviously, subtle...if you take one. Each one results in a bump similar to a deep yawn that gets some extra oxygen into your bloodstreams. But unlike the yawn, it does take a few minutes to feel the effects. Take 3 or more and then you can start feeling something. Take the entire pack and the effects are similar to that of a Red Bull, though last for just a bit longer and have a build up of bitterness in the back of your throat. Eating the entire pack also requires a lot of chewing, which did leave my mouth tired at the end. I would rather just drink a can of Red Bull.

Ingredients: corn syrup, sugar, water, palm oil, citric acid, gelatin, honey, mono- and diglycerides with BHT and citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, caffeine, egg whites, arabic gum, tapioca dextrin, calcium silicate, niacin amide, d-calcium pantothenate, FD&C red no 40, taurine, cyanocobalamin, FD&C yellow #6, pyrodixine hydrochloride, FD&C yellow #5, riboflavin.

Scores:
Cost - $2.00 from ChemicalEvolution.com
Taste - 9.5/10 for the lemon, 8/10 for the strawberry and 9.5/10 for the orange
Energy - 1/10 to 6/10

Overall - 9/20 to 15.5/20...great overall taste, but very little caffeine in each chew

Rock Hard Adrenaline RX Berry Blast Energy Shot Review

I found this odd looking energy shot in the health section of the local Shoppers Drug Mart for $2.99. This is not something I have heard of, or seen, before. In fact, the shot was not with all the other energy shots that are usually found in the health section, it was hidden among many protein bars and vitamin formulas.

Taste

Before I even opened the shot, my mind already knew how this shot would taste. It was wrong. I expected it to have an artificial berry scent, coupled with soapy notes, but what I got instead was a very pleasant sweet berry aroma with some sour raspberries popping out. The taste was also a surprise. Once again, I was expecting something horrendous, given the 220 mg of caffeine stuffed in this thing, but the taste is actually good to bearable. I say this because it starts off sweet with sour raspberries, but quickly turns bitter, laced with artificial sweeteners. The finish is sour with some sweeteners, but at least not much of the bitterness. The bitterness does, however, return in the aftertaste but fortunately does not linger for too long.

If you were to drink this shot in only two gulps, chances are you will not experience the bitterness as much until the finish. I tried taking a large gulp to finish the shot and what I got was a ton of sour raspberries, which acted very refreshing, and little bitterness once I downed it.

Overall, this is not a bad tasting energy shot, but it is definitely not the best tasting one. For 220 mg of caffeine, the taste is more than adequate.

Energy

As I mentioned, there are 220 mg of caffeine stuffed into this 60 mL shot. The energy works fairly quickly and within 10 minutes you will be awake with a shaky knee. Unlike many of the new energy shots, there is no calming period, just a rush of energy. I can see now why this was located in an aisle with workout products and supplements.

Give the shot another 5 minutes and you will want to get up and do pushups, run around in circles, or whatever else you like to do when you are over caffeinated.

But...Does it last for 8 hours? Not for me, but perhaps it will for those that do not consume a lot of caffeine. I experienced a very nice energy boost for about 3 to 4 hours without much of a crash at the end.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Vitamin B12 - 500 mcg
• Vitamin B6 - 40 mg
• Niacin - 20 mg
• Folate - 400 mcg
• Pantothenic Acid - 10 mg
• N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine - 260 mg
• Taurine - 355 mg
• Glucuronolactone - 250 mg
• Caffeine - 220 mg

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: purified water, malic acid, natural flavors (berry), sucrose, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 from Shoppers Drug Mart
Taste - 5.5/10
Energy - 8.7/10

Overall - 14.2/20...great energy shot for working out

Kombucha Wonder Drink Green Tea & Lemon Review

I usually drink one of two things early in the morning - an energy drink or a cup of tea. I do drink coffee, and a lot of it, but not until a couple of hours after I get up. So what better time to try something that claims to be a "wonder drink" that is also tea?

Taste

Though there were several flavours, I decided to go with the green tea. The drink is pale straw in color and pours with some carbonation. The aroma is extremely disguising, it smells like vinegar with a subtle lemon twist. I checked the date and it is good for another year. The can itself was not damaged in any way, so this must be the way the drink smells.

Once I got over the aroma, I took a sip. The taste is much better. It starts off with a pleasant lemon flavour that is just a bit sweet. It then transitions to an earthy flavour that is a little bitter with a lemon twist and a very subtle green tea note, which appears for a split second and then it is gone. The finish is a combination of the earthy and lemon flavours...and this is where the vinegar strikes again. Take a sip, wait for 1-2 seconds and enjoy that vinegar taste. The good news is that it doesn't last for too long, but you still have to endure it. But wait, there is more. If you wait another 15-20 seconds, you can taste the yeast. As I kept drinking, I kept discovering new and more disgusting notes in the finish. This was a horrible start of my day thanks to the vinegar and yeast.

Obviously, I did not enjoy drinking this. It was a struggle, but I did it anyways just to see what the effects would be. The last few sips were the worst since the flavours and the aftertaste were building up. At one point I wanted to throw up.

Energy

After having struggled through half the can, I noticed that I was a bit more awake and starting to gain focus. I don't know if it is a placebo effect or this actually works. It took about 10 minutes to start experiencing an improved state. This state kept improving with every sip I and it only took several minutes for the drink to kick in. But like many poorly caffeineated products, this state did not last for more than 30-40 minutes.

Overall, it was a nice experiment to try one of these health drinks I got from the health/vegan store, but the taste was absolutely horrendous. I will stick to my regular tea and energy drinks for now.

Ingredients: filtered water, organic brewed green tea, organic kombucha, organic cane juice, organic lemon extract, carbonation.

Oh, the kombucha is filtered water, organic cane juice, organic oolong tea, yeast and bacteria cultures. Enjoy

Scores:
Cost - $1.99 from the local health/vegan store
Taste - 1/10
Energy - 4/10

Overall - 5/20...worst tasting drink I have had for breakfast

Beaver Buzz Stripped Sugar Free Berry Review

Though this one is just called "Berry", I assume it is a sugar free version of Beaver Buzz's Saskatoon Berry, which at a glance also only bears the word "Berry". If you look closer, though, Saskatoon appears above Beaver Buzz.

Taste

Pouring the drink I got a waft of the aroma, which reminded me of Juicy Fruit, but upon closer inspection, the aroma appeared to be a bit soapy with a sharp berry scent...where did the Juicy Fruit come from? Sipping the drink, I noticed a few things. First, this is very, very carbonated, which made drinking it first thing in the morning a challenge for my system. Secondly, it is very crisp. My mouth was feeling clean and fresh after each sip, but also very dry.

Much like the Stripped Citrus, the taste is duller in comparison to the regular flavour, but at least the sugar free taste has been downplayed. It does become more apparent in the aftertaste though, especially a few minutes after you finish the drink. The berry flavour is there and it is not bad. It is sour and feels very refreshing. That, in combination with the crispness, makes this a very refreshing sugar free drink, which would work well on a hot summer day...and not very well on a cold winter morning. Unlike some sugar free energy drinks, there is just the right amount of sweetener and there is no sweetness build up. There are also no bitter notes from the energy ingredients.

Overall, I have to say that this tastes as good as the original drink for one reason - it does not have a cough syrup undertone. That is a huge plus in my book.

Energy

As expected, the can contains 200 mg of caffeine, which though may seem like 12 mg more than what you are getting from the regular drink, you would have to consume an extra 118 mL of liquid. The drink performers similarly to the Stripped Citrus I had a couple of days ago and rather going over the same lines, you can read all about it here, or the summary sentence below.

Initial effects appear within 20 minutes, caffeine kicks in 20 minutes later with minor jitters. The energy is great and lasts for about 4 hours after which comes a crash.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 2074 mg
• Panax Ginseng Root Extract - 425 mg
• Caffeine - 200 mg
• Niacin - 40 mg
• D-Glucuronolactone - 10 mg
• Guarana Seed Extract - 10 mg
• Inositol - 10 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 4 mg
• Vitamin B2 - 3 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 12 mcg

Non-medicinal Ingredients: carbonated water, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, citric acid, natural flavours, colour, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 from 7/11
Taste - 7.8/10
Energy - 8.4/10

Overall - 16.2/20...another great sugar free drink from Beaver Buzz

Beaver Buzz Stripped Sugar Free Citrus Energy Drink Review

I love Beaver Buzz. I especially love their Citrus energy drink. It became a staple during my last year of university. It was cheap and available everywhere around campus. Unfortunately, soon after, the Beaver Buzz energy drinks disappeared and I had to switch to alternatives. Now, they are back at one of the stores that used to sell them. In addition to some of the regular flavours, two new ones appeared, both from the Stripped line, which is the Beaver Buzz sugar free line. Since Citrus is my favorite, I just had to start with that one.

Taste

I poured the drink into the nearest cup and brought it close to my nose for an inspection. It smells great. It has a sweet tropical aroma with some citrus. The taste is...well...sort of weird. Lets get one thing out of the way before I go into the flavour. The drink does not taste like a sugar free drink nor does it taste like a regular one. It is somewhere in the middle. You notice the sweeteners, and they remind you of their presence in the aftertaste, but overall, the taste is not as sugar free as other drinks. I was actually impressed with this.

Now, back to the flavour. It is sort of dull compared to the regular Beaver Buzz Citrus. The same tropical flavours are present but they come out tasting like candy and not the real deal. The citrus is also present, but this time it can be noticed in the finish as well as in the aftertaste. Reading this, it sounds like the sugar free version of Citrus has all the flavours the regular has, well it does. Except that they have all been turned down a notch.

Overall, the taste is great for a sugar free energy drink, but compared to the regular Beaver Buzz Citrus, it loses in the taste department.

Energy

The can contains 200 mg of caffeine, which is fantastic. The regular Beaver Buzz Citrus comes in 355 mL tall, skinny cans and contains 188 mg of caffeine, which yields a caffeine ratio of 0.5296 mg/mL. The sugar free one comes in a 473 mL can, for a ratio of 0.4228 mg/mL. Don't be fooled. Though you are getting an extra 12 mg of caffeine with the sugar free Citrus, you will have to consume an extra 118 mL of liquid. I would go for the regular, skinny can.

Anyways, this drink works, though it does not have the same kick as the regular one. Since there is no sugar, the effects take a few extra minutes to kick in and I started to feel awake within 20 minutes. There were no jitters and I gradually went from feeling sleepy to fully awake. It took another 15-20 minutes to start feeling the full effect of the caffeine, and that made me a bit jittery and itchy to get up and run around. The energy was great though. But like all great things, there is an end...though it came hours after I consumed the beverage. Surprisingly the kick carried all the way to lunch, which was was about 4-5 hours after I drank the Beaver Buzz. The only other thing I had to drink in that period was a cup of weak green tea. Unfortunately, at the end of this great kick came the crash. I felt like it was midnight, I needed a bed. What I got instead was a cup of coffee, which helped me get through the rest of the day.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 2029 mg
• Panax Ginseng Root Extract - 425 mg
• Caffeine - 200 mg
• Niacin - 40 mg
• D-Glucuronolactone - 10 mg
• Guarana Seed Extract - 10 mg
• Inositol - 10 mg
• Vitamin B6 - 4 mg
• Vitamin B2 - 3 mg
• Vitamin B12 - 12 mcg
• Vitamin A - 350 IU

Non-medicinal Ingredients: carbonated water, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, citric acid, natural flavours, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate

Scores:
Cost - $2.99 from 7/11
Taste - 8/10
Energy - 8.4/10

Overall - 16.4/20...a great tasting sugar free alternative to the regular Beaver Buzz, though I would still go for the original

Mana Energy Potion Review

Having tried and reviewed the Health and Love Energy potions, I had to go on with the Mana one.

Taste

Before opening this, I had no idea what it would taste like. After opening it and smelling it, I had no idea why this never came to mind - blue jello/cotton candy. Yes, the aroma is sweet with a nice sour punch. The taste is pretty enjoyable. It is very sour at first, but once you start to swallow, the sweetness kicks in. The sourness returns in the finish and helps it become refreshing. I cannot really pinpoint the exact flavour, but as mentioned, it has sweet notes of cotton candy and blue jello. It reminds me a little of blue raspberry juices that have a ton of citric acid added to them, the ones you think its raspberry, but you are not too sure. The flavours do their job and mask any bitterness the energy ingredients might have, because I was not able to detect anything off putting in the taste or the aftertaste. The bottom line is that this shot has a very unique taste and I like it.

Energy

Out of the three potions, this one has 2 grams of energy ingredients, almost double that of the Love potion. Out of the 2 g of energy ingredients, 160 mg are caffeine, which is on par with the Health potion. The energy delivery is similar, but there is the added bonus of the sourness. Sour tasting drinks and foods give me a small jolt, which acts immediately but has a short duration. Well, in this case, it helped enough for the energy ingredients to start kicking in. I was starting to feel awake and becoming more focused within 10 minutes of drinking the Mana potion.

Unfortunately, when the energy ingredients started to kick in more, I started to lose my focus. Yep, that lasted a good 5 minutes, before something was telling to get up and do laps around the room...and that was before the caffeine had started to kick in. In another 15-20 minutes, I was experiencing the shaky knee again and this time I really wanted to get up and do something physical to use up burst of energy. Like the Health potion, the energy you get from the Mana potion would be better used on physical activities. Personally, I do not like to play games when I have a lot of energy, but some people might.

The kick from the mana potion lasts a bit longer in my opinion and performs better than the other two. I had a great buzz for 3 to 4 hours, though there was a crash around lunch hour. I had a bit of coffee and I was back to feeling just great.

Energy Potion (2 g): Glucuronolactone, Malic Acid, DL-Phenylalanine, L-Taurine, N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine, Caffeine

Enzyme Blend (400 mcg): Amylase, Lactase, Cellulase, Lipase, Protease

Other Ingredients: purified water, glycerin, natural flavours, citric acid, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, Ethyl ..... (cannot read the second word as the label is warped), FD&C blue 1

Scores:
Cost - $20 for 3 Health and 2 Mana Potions from HarcosLabs
Taste - 8.2/10
Energy - 8.1/10

Overall - 16.2/20...taste better than the Health potion, has the same amount of caffeine and a slightly better kick

Health Energy Potion Review

A few days ago I reviewed the Love Energy Potion, made by Harcos Labs. Well, the story doesn't end there. When the good folks from Harcos contacted me to try their new product, I asked if I could also receive some Health and Mana Energy Potions since I was having troubles buying them online from sources like ThinkGeek. Every time I put in an order, they would not be available. Well, they were nice enough to send me a couple of potions to try and here is the review of the Health Energy Potion.

Taste

Since I tried the Love Energy Potion first, I would be somewhat inclined to compare the other two products to it...which would make scoring for the other two difficult since Love had an excellent taste. Starting with the Health potion, I detected some salami notes in the aroma...OK, I am somewhat joking, but the apple and cinnamon notes do give off a strange salami aroma. The taste is surprisingly well done. Just like the aroma, it is a sour combination of apple and cinnamon. The sourness tends to stick to the apple flavour while the cinnamon adds little to the taste, but a lot to the finish and the aftertaste. The mouth-feel is fairly thick and reminds me a little of the Blood Energy Potion I tried a few months ago.

The taste is very unique and very well done for an energy shot, considering that there are 160 mg of caffeine crammed into this tiny bottle!!! With this much caffeine, it is surprising that there are no bitter notes in the taste, finish and aftertaste. I do like the taste of the Love Potion better, but compared to other energy shots on the market, this one is pretty damn tasty.

Energy

Yes, 160 mg of caffeine in 50 mL!!! I have had energy shots with more caffeine, but when the taste is that good, this deserves to be pointed out. Compared to Love Potion's energy delivery, this one is much more intense and wakes you up within 15 minutes. I experienced a shaky knee without a calm and focused period, but damn, this was intense. I am not saying this because I got a free Health Potion, this is actually pretty strong.

Another 10 minutes later and I was experiencing most of the caffeine effects. I was ready to get up and run around. Unlike the Love Potion, this provides you with a lot of raw energy and will be better suited for those doing physical activities...including WoW. I have been bored to death (OK, sleep) multiple times waiting for my flight to reach its destination, going through my achievements, thinking what I should focus on next.

The energy lasted much longer than the Love Potion and it was pretty damn good. It was clean, and there was no sudden crash at the end, though I did start to get tired. Overall, this is a very solid energy shot with a ton of caffeine and easy to swallow.

Energy Potion (1.58 g): Glucuronolactone, L-Taurine, DL-Phenylalanine, N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine, Caffeine, Ginseng Extract, Elderberry Juice Concentrate

Other Ingredients: purified water, vegetable glycerin, citric acid, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, sucralose, natural flavors, FD&C red 40

Scores:
Cost - $20 for 3 Health and 2 Mana Potions from HarcosLabs
Taste - 7.8/10
Energy - 8/10

Overall - 15.8/20...raw, awesome energy that tastes like apple pie

Love Energy Potion Review

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, manufacturers are trying to appeal to romantics everywhere. This is no different with caffeine junkies, we still have hearts pumping blood...somewhere. So out comes the Love Energy Potion, made by the same guys who brought you Blood Energy Potion, Zombie Blood Energy Potion, and Health and Mana Energy Potions.

The makers of this new energy product contacted me and shortly, a bunch of samples appeared on my doorstep...during the Snowpocalypse. The lone brown box, sitting in front of my door, was blocked by the piles of snow.

Taste

Cracking open the tiny potion bottle, releases an inviting berry scent, which surprised me very much. Energy shots are usually very concentrated and do not offer much in terms of taste. The taste is also very surprising with a lot of berry flavours attacking the taste buds. Hints of lemon/lime appear and give the potion a nice sour kick, which is not too weak and not too strong. It finishes on a sweet strawberry note with lemon/lime traces. The aftertaste lingers for a while, but don't worry, it is very pleasant and somewhat refreshing from the citrus hints. There are no noticeable bitter tones from the energy ingredients, which is always a huge plus. Great taste overall.

Energy

The energy blend is 1.05 g, which sounds like a lot, but the actual caffeine content is around 90 mg. That is enough caffeine to give you a nice jolt, just a tad more than what you can find in a small can of Red Bull. Where this shot differs from Red Bull is the energy delivery. The 1.05 g of energy ingredients helps the caffeine reach your system in a very gradual way, eliminating most of the shakes along the way. I started to feel calm within 15 - 20 minutes and started to focus on my work more. The caffeine started to kick in another 15 minutes later and the energy was clean. I felt awake and energized, but did not want to run around in circles. The kick lasted for almost 2 hours and there wasn't a crash at the end. The good thing was how well the potion performed for the 2 hours. I was focused and felt great for almost the entire 2 hours.

If I have to write a conclusion here, it would be that this is great for those who need energy in an office environment.

Love Potion Blend (1.05 g): taurine, glucuronolactone, malic acid, n-acetyl l-tyrosine, caffeine, l-arginine, hydrochloride, maca extract, ashwagandha extract, american ginseng extract, damiana extract, horny goat weed extract

Other Ingredients: filtered water, organic evaporated cane sugar, natural flavors, citric acid, sucralose, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, xantan gum, FD&C red #40

Scores:
Cost - $3.99 from ThinkGeek or a 6 pack for $20 from HarcosLabs
Taste - 8.4/10
Energy - 6.9/10

Overall - 15.3/20...one of the better tasting energy shots, which comes also comes with a nice kick