Let me take the guess work out of buying energy drinks for you! Energy Drink Reviews

Amp Elevate is part of a new 3 flavor release by Mt Dew.  The can design is similar to the others but I really dig the blue color combo and blue pull tab!

Elevate is branded as “Focus” with L-Theanine, this is the first energy drink I have sampled that has highlighted this amino acid that is normally found in tea.  Theanine has been shown to reduce mental and physical stress and also promotes alpha wave production in the brain.

Let’s crack this open and see what we get!!!!  I spy a crimson maroon color that is slightly cloudy upon pouring in a cup. (Very similar to Chambord liqueur)  The first sip produces a very sharp taste followed by strong carbonation that assaults your tongue.  I can handle the strong carbby feel that Elevate provides, it’s not overpowering or distracting.

Elevate is listed as a “Blast of Mixed Berry” and I will agree 100% on that, there is almost any kind of berry you can think of…. blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, blackberry and it finishes up with a light citrus aftertaste and a slight filmy residue on the roof of your mouth!

As for the goodies it seems that L-Theanine is the highlight that provided a nice focus factor (which could be all BS but I thought so), only 248mg of taurine, 160mg of caffeine, 148mg of guarana and 34mg of ginseng.

I would have no problem drinking Elevate anytime, it was refreshing, not overpowering and besides the slight filmy aftertaste I’d give this 2 thumbs up!

Radioactive Energy (RE) comes in a 10.5 oz can with a vinyl overlay label. The label is pretty cool since it will glow in the dark BUT you need to hold the label to a light to “charge” it for a better view.

RE has a dull yellow color with no foamy head when poured into a glass. I really couldn’t smell a distinct aroma that was describable so I will call this a dull aroma.

Radioactive has a very sour / bitter taste that will really make you pucker up on that first sip. I did not find my first sip pleasant at all, I was ready to pour out the rest of the can….. RE is not sweet tasting by any means but it is very dry and has a blah aftertaste that I can’t pinpoint. RE is a very forgettable drink, it does not have an qualities that really make this stand out besides the name and label. I do have to mention that this drink gets SLIGHTLY better after the first few sips, but I would still have to rate this 5/10.

Save your $2 and pick a different drink!

Recoil Energy will grab your attention with the military inspired can and the long set of legs shown on this can! The can shows a tall girl with camo hot pants, holding a SKS rifle and wearing some belt fed ammo over her shoulder! I give credit to the marketing team for this design!

Here is a quick blurb from the distributors website:

“How are you going to get through a long day of work, soccer practices, and bedtime stories? Samantha’s RECOIL ENERGY is specifically formulated to give that needed boost. RECOIL ENERGY reinvigorates you with L-Carnitine, Taurine, Ginseng, and B Vitamins with only five calories per can (8.3 FL OZ). RECOIL ENERGY gives you that extra boost without the diet busting sugar. At the office or on-the-go, RECOIL ENERGY will help you outlast the competition. RECOIL ENERGY is an integral part of the Samantha Lyle Fitness Plan.”

Lets crack this can open and see what we get…. the aroma is very faint and cant really describe but maybe a slight Red Bull smell.

Recoil has a yellowish gold color that is pretty similar to multiple other energy drinks we have sampled.

The first sip of Recoil is very sweet, I think this may be due to the artificial sweeteners (this is the same for almost all sugar free energy drinks) but it is only 5 calories for those of you interested. There are very tiny carbonation bubbles that attack your tongue to produce a nice effervescent feel. The taste that recoil offers is similar to a citrus Jello, not lemon but something in that range. Unfortunately Recoil has a very forgettable taste that really stand out… Some people may like that feature but I personally like a more robust tasting energy drink.

I would rate the energy boost of Recoil similar to a Red Bull, no niacin flush feel and it doesn’t give you the shakes which is good! Recoil normally sells for $2.49/can but I want to say thanks to Adam for sending me this sample to review!

I just got word that a local C-store has Monster Heavy Metal in stock.  I need to get over there and pick up a can!!    I have quite a few other drinks to review, I have received some samples in the mail to review (thanks for those) and I will try and get to those soon!

Keep the comments coming!

Hot off the shelf from the local Speedway gas station, EDG is proud to bring you Monster Mixxd! Monster has just release another batch of new flavors and this is the first one (energy + juice) that I have found.

The can is very similar to the M80 design but with purple, not a bad looking can. The pull tab is black and has the “M” etched on it.

Lets crack this open and see what we get…. very little carbonation upon opening and minimal fizz when poured into a glass. Mixxd has a deep purple color that almost looks like a cola from certain angles and light conditions. The first swig of Mixxd is very interesting….. it reminds me of a diet cola mixed with prune juice. (yes, that bad) I had to call in a second opinion from my coworkers to confirm my findings and they all agreed on the prune juice flavor and smell. I have to admit that Mixxd gets better after a few swigs, that first one really shocks you!! I had left a few sips in my glass while I took some phone calls and I decided to drink that about 20 mins later. WOW, what a difference 20 mins made on this flavor! The horrible prune taste has disappeared and now we have smooth apple / grape taste that is smooth, finishes cleans and no aftertaste at all! I didn’t know energy drink were like fine wine, we have to sample certain type at specific temperatures!

Mixxd includes all your standard goodies that previous Monster drinks had (taurine, ginseng, B vitamins, guarana, inositol and L-carnitine)

Overall I rate this as an average drink, I will not be running out to buy more but if someone gave me a can I would be more than happy to drink it.

If you don’t like it….. Monster will refund your $$$ (Limit 1 refund per customer)

Seems to be a big run on “punch” flavor drinks lately…. But let’s get to it and start off 2008 with NOS Fruit Punch!

NOSFP comes in a red can with their trademark style logo and similar to the other drinks in the NOS family. When you first crack open this can it gives you a strong Hawaiian Punch aroma that makes you wonder if this really is an energy drink….. Now that you’re done sniffing lets take a swig and see what we get: we start with medium carbonation that lightly tingles your tongue, the flavor has some bite on the back of your tongue and it changes as it sits in your mouth. I would venture to say that NOSFP tastes like a generic fruit punch flavor that has hints of cherry near the end. I was totally stoaked after drinking Rockstar Punched so NOSFP had some big shoes to fill and NOS totally let me down… I was not pleased with this drink, you will be better off with a RS punched or even a BooKoo Punch.

Cottonmouth…. unfortunately NOSFP will give you some cottonmouth and that is not very refreshing or thirst quenching.

Overall I was rather disappointed with this drink!

Hello readers, I am going to give you a quick peek inside the Energy Drink Guru labs! I have been drinking energy drinks for a few years now and it all started with an excel spreadsheet, my co-workers and few dixie cups. I would bring in a Red bull or a Monster and my co-workers would always ask: “do those really work” or “what do they taste like”…… One day I brought in a can of Monster, grabbed a few dixie cups from the water cooler and setup a make shift bar and I had everyone sample some Monster. As time went on I would bring in a Red Bull, Rockstar or whatever else I could find back in 2003 and I would record all my co-workers ratings in an excel spreadsheet and we’d compare notes every so often. We thought it was crazy once our spreadsheet reached 40 drinks!

Fast forward to Sept 2007…. I have sampled over 160 different energy drinks, I still have a lot of the cans (not sure why I’m saving them) and the energy market is exploding with new drinks every month! I now have friends, customers, co-workers and even some EDG readers bringing/sending in energy drinks that they found for me to sample. I would like to say THANKS to all of you that have donated to my habit!

Hope all of you had a good 2007 and let’s see what 2008 brings!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all EDG readers!

<excuse me while I rinse my mouth with gasoline>

Diablo… I don’t even know where to start. I guess I should say thanks to Jeff for bringing me this drink back from Canada, but then again after drinking it I wish he would have left this in Canada!

Diablo claims to use natural ingredients and not manufactured ingredients….BUT did you really want White Willow Bark in your drink.

This is nasty vile swill… whoever the person was that gave this drink the “OK” for production should be forced to drink it first! I was able to take (1) one sip and I almost puked in my mouth.  They try and give this a fake berry flavor but that doesn’t help at all.

Diablo = violent liquid assault on your tongue

If you see this, RUN AWAY as fast as you can!

NOS Grape offers an eye catching can with colors similar to Rockstar Guava. This high performance energy drink delivers that trademark artificial grape smell… snow cones, gum, suckers, candy or kool-aid. If there was dictionary with smells, this is what would be listed for grape.

Now that we are done sniffing that artificial grape aroma let take a swig of this drink…..WOW, artificial grape flavor to match that aroma! If I blindfolded you and had you sample this you would think it was grape soda. There is no energy taste at all, just lots or robust artificial grape flavor. I happen to like grape soda so this drink taste good to me, but I don’t wanna pay $2 to drink pop.

NOS grape offers the usual suspects: 2000mg taurine, 400mg L-carnitine, 250mg caffeine, 200mg inositol, 100mg panax ginseng and B vitamins.

If you like expensive grape pop/soda… I got the perfect drink for you!