Energy Drink Guru

Frappio is gonna take a stab at the coffee energy drink segment with this ashwangandha infused espresso latte. Frappio is non carbonated, light brown in color, slight coffee aroma, taste like coffee grounds at first but then you get a taste of the milk and then the lingering coffee aftertaste on the tongue. If you pour it into a white dixie cup it will stain the cup really nice and leave a film behind. Frappio packs in the caffeine at 288 mg (15 oz can) and you will feel that for sure! This drink was $.60 at Big Lots; thats steal compared to $2 for a Java Monster! If you like coffee drinks I would say Frappio is worth a try and you decide for yourself!

Goods: milk, pure cane sugar, caffeine (288 mg) , ashwangandha root extract (which is supposed to give you energy boost with out the shakes) and vitamin A.

Today we have another Gazzu offering from Circle K / Boo Koo Beverage Co. Mango Orange has a solid orange color, average to medium carbonation that fizzes well and an orange Kool-Aid aroma. Your first swig taste like liquid smarties thats makes you really pucker up! After a few swigs you start to notice the flavor of good ‘Ol orange Tang. Gazzu leaves a light after taste on your tongue that last for a few minutes. How would I rate this…….. I am going to give this a 6 (out of 10), nothing spectacular.

Now for the goods: 16 oz can of Gazzu contains 2000 mg of taurine, caffeine, inositol and B vitamins.

Today we have a different style entry….. it may not be classified as an energy drink but it’s what I am drinking this morning! This 13.7 oz bottle will run ya $2.00, so in that sense it’s similar to an energy drink price wise. I will admit, not every morning I have the taste for taurine, inositol and guarana so if I am having one of those mornings I will stop and grab one of these foo-foo coffee drinks. I have one of my buddies that will ask “what is your husband drinking” if I tell him I bought one of these! (He doesn’t like energy drinks so I’m not sure how valid his comments are!)

I personally like the taste, they are easy to get (no waiting in line with coffee snobs) and the flavor isn’t too bad! This drink will give ya 130mg of caffeine so you get a nice little boost after sluggin’ one of these down!

“Twice the energy, half the price, no bull!” TF comes in a 16 oz can and we bought it for $.60 over at save a lot. This “fantasy” has a deep red color, mild carbonation, fruity aroma that reminds you of Hawaiian Punch.

Tropical Fantasy is bottled by Brooklyn Bottling and there is a little bit of history behind this product that you can read about on wiki.

The “Tropical Fantasy” may be the headache that this drink gives you after you consume it. The fruity taste is that same flavor as generic bulk fruit punch mix that you find at a 5 yr old birthday party at a rec center. I did enjoy delayed carbonation tingle on the tongue but that was the only enjoyable part of this drink.

Even at $.60 I would not buy this drink again!

Rip It Power (Energy Fuel) comes in a 16 oz can for $1 and there are 3 other flavors available. Rip it is yellow in color, lightly carbonated and has a fruity aroma. The can design is kinda bland….. but the contents make up for the lame artwork.

Power offers a nice refreshing taste that is tropical and tangy, finishes clean and doesn’t really leave an aftertaste! I could actually drink this as a thirst quencher, you will have no problems chugging down all 16 oz.

The Rip It line of drinks are a great score for a buck, good flavor and a nice energy boost that gets you moving!

The goodies include taurine (2000 mg), guarana, caffeine, inositol, folic acid and B + C vitamins.

If you see this drink, you owe it yourself to spend the $1 and try it - 2 thumbs up!

What is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)? HFCS is found in many soft drinks, energy drinks and even sports drinks…. but what exactly is this stuff?

HFCS is a type of sweetener that is made from corn grown here in the US. Regular table sugar is composed of 50 % fructose and 50 % glucose. HFCS 55 (which is normally used in soft drinks) contains 55 % fructose and 45 % glucose. Corn.org will give you the lowdown on how corn is processed if you are bored and nothing else to search for!

*HFCS is cheaper that sugar since the US is loaded with corn.

*HFCS allows products to maintain a longer shelf life and protects freshness.

*HFCS is easier to mix into beverages since its a liquid.

*HFCS does not contain any artificial substances.

There is still some controversy about if HFCS is natural or is it safe… I’ll leave that up to you to decide! Go to the fridge and grab yourself a drink and take a look on that label for HFCS!

Energy drink sponsorships are popping up all over the place…. motorcycle racing, car racing, airplanes, X games and you name it there is probably a Red Bull, Rockstar or Monster sponsorship somewhere at that event!

I am a huge MotoGP racing fan and there are a few racers in the series with energy sponsors; Hopper #21 has changed his energy sponsorship from Red Bull (2006 season) to Monster and I don’t even want to know what that cost!

Be sure to tune into SPEED channel this Sunday to watch the MotoGP race from Japan!

Bacchus-D comes in a 100 mL glass bottle, product of Korea and manufactured for Dong-A America Corp for US distribution. This drink has a dark yellow color, is non carbonated and has a strange aroma that is hard to describe once you screw the top off.

Bacchus contains royal jelly, what is royal jelly you say? Royal jelly is a honey bee secretion that is used in the nutrition of the larvae. So basically a bunch of bees puked in this drink.

This drink has a strong taste with hints of pineapple and/or apple… but that strong taste comes with a pretty brutal aftertaste that hangs around for a while. It’s probably not a bad drink but it was just not working for me !

The most amazing thing about this drink:

2000 mg of taurine in 3.3 oz.

Most 16 oz energy drink usually have approximately 2000 mg of taurine, thats almost 5x the taurine content and I assume that’s why this drink gave me the shakes (and gave me a slight headache)!!

I spotted this Gazzu Energy at Circle K, (Made by BooKoo but Circle K is the exclusive distributor of this beverage) they were offering a 4 cans / $5 promo so I grabbed all 3 flavors and an extra green one that we are reviewing today. Gazzu is light gold in color, has heavy carbonation and produces a fruity aroma! When you take that first sip you are greeted with a sour bite that shocks you a little bit and grabs the back of your tongue! GE has a slight aftertaste but it doesn’t last very long.

16 oz Gazzu contains: caffeine, taurine (2000mg), inositol and B vitamins.

Velocity Energy Tea is brewed from black tea leaves using filtered water (no high fructose corn syrup here) and some natural flavors. VT has a deep gold color, non carbonated and mild fruit aroma that offers plenty of antioxidants!

I really enjoyed the Velocity Tea, it has a solid brewed tea flavor with a fruity overtone. The first sip may seem kinda strange but after that you really start to enjoy this fine beverage! Velocity gives you a nice little energy boost without the shakes!

VT contains a whole list of goodies: caffeine, guarana, taurine (2000mg), panax ginseng, inositol, ginkgo bilboba, grape seed, bee pollen, B vitamins, milk thistle and gotu kola.

Purchased 16 oz can at big lots for $.60 but this drink is worth $2/can!