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

Today I found a can of Amp Traction at the local C-store this morning and had to pick it up. The can looks cool but the $2.69 price tag was not… (OUCH) but me being the energy drink whore I couldn’t pass it up.

Amp Traction (AT) has a black & purple can with a purple pull tab releases a heavy grape aroma once opened. The grape aroma is very inviting, smells good and so far the whole package is looking nice. Once we sample the AT we discover a very faint grape taste, the aroma does not even come close to matching the taste at all… I would compare this to a mild tasting Mountain Dew Pitch Black, it was a very forgettable taste that left me disappointed.

AT has very minimal carbonation, light metallic tingle on the tip of your tongue but does leave that filmy residue on the roof of your mouth. I would give this drink a high “hawker factor”… you could produce a mean high volume hawker to spit after just 1/3 of a can of Amp Traction.

Traction includes taurine, guarana, caffeine, d-Ribose, ginseng, HFCS and B vitamins.

Overall I could drink a whole can of this with no problem, but it tastes like a plain dull grape soda.

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!

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!

I am going to get straight to the point! THIS STUFF ROCKS! (no pun intended)

I was a huge Rockstar Guava fan but it looks like Punched is going to give it a run for the money! RS tropical punch makes Hawaiian Punch taste like water!

I really enjoy this drink, its refreshing, crisp, good robust flavor, nice inviting red/pink color,  mild carbonation and the best part is that it finishes cleans and no dry aftertaste!  If you are trying to decided between BooKoo Punch and RSP there is no contest, put that bookoo down and go straight for the RSP unless you enjoy cottonmouth!

RSP comes in a 16 oz can and also includes the red pull tab with the etched in RR on it.

The goodies include: 2000mg taurine, 300mg ginkgo, 240mg caffeine, 50mg guarana, 50mg inositol, 50mg ginseng and 40mg milk thistle.

It’s Friday and we are sampling a BooKoo punch this morning!  BooKoo comes in a 16oz can and has a red/blue color combo that looks good.

Once we crack this can open you get that standard fruit punch aroma similar to Hawaiian Punch!  When i first tasted this it gave me a metal-like taste on my mouth, does BooKoo grind up some aluminum foil to put in this drink?  You will notice the medium carbonation and the tingly bite on your tongue after a few swigs.  This drink has made me add a new category called “cotton mouth”!  Once you swallow this drink the drying effect sets in and now you’re thirsty.  BooKoo is not a thirst quenching beverage by any means, it’s actually a pretty disappointing drink in my books and rough on your throat.  This gets at least 1 thumb down from me!

BKP does include 2060mg of taurine and 206mg of Ginseng.

Monster “BFC” I’m sure you all can guess what the “BFC” stand for! This is 32 oz of energy packed into 1 can! If you want to be bouncing off the walls this is right up your alley!

We have reviewed Monster before and most of you have sampled it so we will pass on the review but just admire this beast of a can. I have a standard 16 oz can next to it for reference.

-Enjoy

<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!

I wonder if Chuck Norris will ever come out with an energy drink??? If so the Chuck Norris drink would kick Steven Seagal’s ass!

Cherry Charge Lightning Bolt (CCLB) gives off an Asian vibe with the writing on the can but not the best design out there. CCLB offers you 16oz of Juicy Juice cherry flavor packed with an interesting twist. This drink is like no other that you have tasted, I don’t know what it is but I am not sure if its a good thing either???

The minute you crack this can open it smells like Juicy Juice cherry, if you have had juicy juice before you know exactly what I mean… it is a very distinct aroma. CCLB offers a deep red color, mild carbonation and that first sip is not very pleasant. The only way I can describe this is a cherry flavor that turns into a plum aftertaste once you swallow this liquid. The taste gets a little better after a few swigs but I am will not be buying anymore of this drink….. I won’t be drinking anymore of this even if you give it to me!

The ingredient list for CCLB includes some rare finds like Tibetan goji berry, organic cane juice + Asian cordyceps but also gives you some of the usual suspects like caffeine, guarana, ginseng, ginko and B vitamins.

Feel free to sample this if you like… but remember that I warned you!