Stacker 2 Xtra Energy Shots

Though this is an old shot down in the US, it is almost brand new in Canada...at least in Ontario. I actually got these earlier in the year, but didn't have the chance to try them until now. This is also my first energy shot review of the year (about time, eh?). The Redline Xtreme Triple Berry and Monster M3 don't count due to their large sizes...and the fact that I wasn't 100% sure how to label them. But these guys are energy shots for sure.

Before I start, there are a couple of things I didn't like right away about the packaging so hopefully if the guys at Stacker are reading this, something will be done in the future (don't have to, this is more like constructive criticism).

First off, when I ripped the top of the label down the dotted line to unscrew the cap and take the shot, I then realized that most of the nutritional info was on the top part of the label so when you rip it off to drink it, you can no longer see the caffeine content. So then I had to go to my garbage bin and retrieve the label. Second - I could not see the word "Stacker" anywhere else on the label below the dotted line. If it was up to me, I would sprinkle it here and there so people know what they just consumed. I know what I was taking a shot of, but come on, add that name below the dotted line.

OK, so on to the reviews

Berry

Smells a little nasty like soap and plastic with a tiny bit of sweet berry, but people don't smell shots...do they? Because they should! The taste was also pretty bad with a hit of nasty plastic, soap and a bunch of other unidentifiable chemicals. Also, I didn't really want to keep the nasty shot in my mouth to detect what other notes there are.

Immediately after the nastiness comes a hint of sweet berries which disappears veeery quickly and leaves a mix of artificial sweeteners, soap and just very subtle, very gentle , very distant berry note in the aftertaste. Did not like this at all.

Taste - 2/10

Orange

This one smells better and tastes a lot better...for a shot. The aroma and the flavor share a sour orange base with just a hint of additives, including artificial sweetener. Thanks to its sourness, the aftertaste is much cleaner than the berry, though there are still traces of the sweetener. This one is much better than the berry.

Taste - 7/10

Grape

Nooooooo...this one smells just like the berry one - plastic and chemicals with a stinky socks note??? To be honest, I took a tiny sip just to confirm this and yes, the taste is veeeeery bad. Besides the plastic, chemicals and the socks flavours (???) I got a much more subtle hint of grape at the very end and unfrotunately for this shot, the nasty socks and chemical flavours carried through into the aftertaste...nooo, get me some water!!!

Taste - 1/10

I checked the expiration dates on all shots and each had way more than a year left. The seals weren't broken either. So is this how they are supposed to taste like? Batch numbers are - CXBR L# 5, CXOR L#5, CXGR L# 5.

Energy

So shots typically do not taste that great, but work, and these guys worked very well. Each shot has 150 mg of caffeine and the effects can be felt within minutes. At first I started to feel a bit more focused and quickly got energized. For the first bit I was both focused and energized, which helped me finish up most of the review, but soon after I started to get a bit jittery and over energized...so I went out for a walk to burn it off. The jitters didn't last too long so I just felt energized after. The boost lasted for a few hours and there was no crash at the end. 

Sure, these are nasty, but they work great.

Scores:

Cost - $1.99 from Big Bear convenience store in Waterloo

Taste - read above

Energy - 8/10

Overall - from 9/20 to 15/20...I am going to have to conclude that 2 of the 3 flavours are just bad, but the orange is alright