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Well here it is. your source for energy drink and energy products. No we don't sell energy drinks but we have all the info on them you could ever want. Check back often for new reviews , news , products, and everything else your ever wanted to know about energy drinks. Make sure you subscribe to the RSS feed to stay up to date. The newest reviews are on this page but click the Reviews link on the left for a list of all my reviews!
02/25/13 Hype Energy up (with ice cool mint)
02/24/13 Pyure O.E.O energy shot
02/12/13 Epiphany energy drink
01/29/13 Cracker Jack'd power bites
01/28/13 Liquid Lightning
01/25/13 Coyote Energy drink (3 flavors)
12/30/12 Guayaki Sparkling Yerba Mate (3 flavors)
These guys designed my shirts. Get them to design and make yours!
Baby we can go nowhere but up
Tell me what we got to fear
Hype Energy up (with ice cool mint)
Like all the major players in the energy drink game Hype is not resting on its laurels. They have several different drinks and now are adding a couple more this year. The first one I received is their Energy Up drink. This is supposed to be a mixed berry with a mint finish. Sounds very interesting so let’s get to it.
Packaging: Hype energy up comes in the classic 8.4 oz slim can. The can has a really cool techno blue design for the label with the big silver Hype logo vertical up the front. I like how the energy and the UP are 2 different colors for contrast.The back has info in a couple of languages as well as the caffeine content clearly listed. This is a really nicely designed can. Not ground breaking but very smooth looking. Grade A-
Slogan: “Hype me up” is one I found for them and it is a good one. It works as an energy slogan and it is brand specific. It is easy to say and short and sweet. Grade B+
Taste: So I pop the top and I get a nice berry scent mixed with a little vitamin smell. I pour some in a cup and it comes out a maroon red color with a medium low carbonation. I take a sip and I get some mixed berry flavor which is dominated mostly by cranberry. The finish is just a tiny tiny hint of mint. The mint is very subtle and adds a little unique tingle at the finish. Truly a very well blended mix. I was worried about the mint and berries but really they nailed it and made a great and unique flavor. Wow 5 minutes later and the mint tingle is still pleasently there. Grade A-
Kick/Ingredients: Ok so I drank it down and it got me going the usual amount of time. I had a nice boos of energy that got me going when I was dragging bad at 2am on a night shift. There was only a hint of jitters but not enough to keep me from focusing. The buzz lasted me several hours with really no crash to speak of. Each can is powered by a blend of 80 mg caffeine, 1000 mg Taurine, Guarana, Ginseng, and some B vitamins. It comes with 100 calories. I’m not sure of other content since it is not listed. It is sweetened with sugar and contains real fruit juice as well. Grade B- for kick/ingredients
Web Presence: The site at hype.com is a top notch site filled with plenty of product info along with a store and a plethora of entertaining areas to check out. Really give it a look. They also have a Facebook , Twitter , and Tumblr. Grade A
Recap:
So once again Hype delivers a nice entry to the energy drink market. Cool design, above average kick, and a truly unique and interesting taste. Keep an eye out for this one and if you get a chance try one and let me know what you think.
I wanna know what you're thinking
Pyure O.E.O
As someone who drinks a lot of energy drinks and shots I always look forward to the ones that might be a bit better for you. Putting less artificial ingredients and tons of HFC and artificial sweetener into my body is probably not all that good for me. I like the idea of healthier energy products but at the end of the day I need the energy and good taste. If you’re going to offer an energy product it has to provide those two things. Pyure O.E.O(Organic energy optimization) looks to offer that. Let’s see if they do.
Packaging: Well right out of the gate they differentiate themselves by coming out in a unique package. Sure it is a 2 oz shot but it is in a glass bottle with a steel lid! The label is white and green with the picture of some fruit on the label and certified organic logo right up front. For a healthy energy shot this package is as good as it gets. They really nailed it and I can see people wanting healthy products being drawn in by this bottle. Caffeine content is clearly listed on the back. Grade A+
Slogan: “Pyure O.E.O is the great tasting, on-the-go energy shot that you can actually feel good about.” is on their website. It is a bit long it does work great with the overall concept. Grade B
Taste:
Kick/Ingredients: Well I tried both flavors so I had a chance to gauge the energy well. After slamming down this shot it hit me in around the usual 15 min. It was a pretty good burst of energy without any jitters. It was better than I expected based on the caffeine content. Caffeine from mate usually has more kick for me than other caffeine. I had a good solid 3 hour buzz with no crash. Somehow the buzz seemed more clean and natural in a way that’s hard to explain. Each shot is powered by 100 mg of caffeine from Organic Yerba mate, Green tea, Guarana, and B vitamins. It also has some good antioxidants from Hibiscus and Blueberry extracts. All ingredients are organic. It comes with 0 calories and carbs. It is sweetened with Stevia, erythritol, and agave. Grade C+ for kick/ingredients. Good kick with some healthy natural ingredients.
Web Presence: The site at pyuresweet.com is ok. It does not offer a lot of information though and is just a page on their overall site. They do offer a pdf file with a little more info there though. They have a Facebook , Twitter , and a Pinterest also. Grade C+ for web presence
Recap:
So in a nutshell this is a good shot only if you don’t mind the taste. I think it is a quality package and offers a healthy alternative as well as a decent kick. I just have to wonder did they actually taste this and decide this was good. It seems to me they concentrated a lot of effort on all the aspects except the taste. I know you can make a much better tasting organic healthy energy shot. Still if you want give it a try. Just have something handy to wash it down with.
So I speak to you in riddles
Epiphany energy drink
Packaging: Slim typical 8.4 oz can that at first glance looks cheesy then somehow morphs into amazing. From the crazy fonts to the bizarre graphics this can is so interesting and “outside the box”. If someone sees you with this they are going they say “what the hell is that?” Ingredients including caffeine content are listed clearly on the back. Grade A
Slogan: “Limitless Inspiration” is on the can and I think it fits well with the brand idea and it is unique. Grade B
Taste: Popping the top I get a nice apple scent. The drink comes out a golden yellow with no carbonation, that’s right it’s non carbonated. I take a sip and this is an easy one to pin down. Apple juice with a tiny hint of cherry. Let me warn you these drinks are very delicious and thirst quenching. No bitterness or aftertaste. I am so glad this was no RB clone and is instead a unique drink. Grade A for taste
Kick/Ingredients: I tried Epiphany several times and it delivered a nice coffee like buzz of energy. It takes 10 or 15 min to hit you. Nothing too intense but enough to wake me up and get me busy. It did not make me jittery and that allowed me to focus. I was alert for at least 3 hours with no crash. Even the buzz of Epiphany fits the idea behind the company. You get the Buzz from 80 mg caffeine, D Ribose, Inositol, Green tea extract, Guarana seed extract , Taurine, and B vitamins. You get all this with 90 calories, 26 grams of carbs, and 24 grams of sugars. It is sweetened with sugar and it contains 15% juice. Heck it even has 100% of you daily Vitamin C. Grade C for kick/ingredients. I like the ingredients and the buzz is as good as the same size Red Bull.
Web Presence: The site is at operationelephant.com and it is an ok site. It is more than an energy drink site so poke around some to see what the entire concept is about. They do have a store for purchasing Epiphany also. The they have all the social media sites covered. Twitter, Facebook, Youtube. I’ll give them a solid B for web presence.
Recap:
Ok so this is a very interesting concept. I am glad that they actually put some thought into the drink. I would expect most would have just had a RB clone made and slapped their label on it. Instead Memoria made their drink crazy looking and tasty as well as with a decent kick. If you get a chance to try some I suggest you do and let me know what you think.
I'm all jacked up, all jacked up
Cracker Jack’d Power Bites
So I saw a bunch of adults up in arms over the fact that Cracker Jack was coming out with caffeinated products. They are afraid the kids would be all over these. Heck even the FDA got involved. Well I don’t see that happening. These are being marketed at adults. Controversy aside I decided to see what all the hoopla was about.
Packaging: These power bites come in a small black foil pouch. The cracker jack logo is on the front but it is kind of subdued and not likely to catch a kids eye. There is also a picture of the product on the front which is not exactly appealing. The fact that it contains caffeine is also clearly listed but it is the typical”equal to a cup of coffee”. Overall not a bad package but I wish they had made it resealable. Grade C
Slogan: “Snacks with Impact” is on the package and it is actually pretty good I think. Catchy and descriptive. Grade B
Taste:
Kick/ingredients. So does the caffeine deliver? I’d say it took about 20 minutes to wake me up on top of the fact it took at least 10 minutes to eat them. They did wake me up but nowhere near an energy shot or drink would. No jitters but I was no longer sleepy and stayed alert for a good 3 hours with no crash. So each bag of bites gives you energy from caffeine in the form of 2 tbsp of ground coffee. I like the fact it is a natural caffeine. That is it for energy ingredients. Each bag comes in at 290 calories and 14 to 15 grams of fat! 37 grams of carbs and 20 grams of sugar. Wow these make most full sugar energy drinks look healthy. Grade D+ for kick/ingredients
Web presence: Ok so I could not even find these listed on the Frito Lay website. There is only a Facebook page that I could find and even it is dead. Grade F
Recap:
So much ado about nothing is all I can say. If I had a kid who was eating these my biggest concern would not be the caffeine but the fat and calories. Sure they taste ok and they do wake you up a little but I can’t see me reaching for these to boost my energy on a regular basis. They are just too unhealthy even compared to regular energy drinks.
I’m tough I think I wanna taste that
Liquid Lightning
I reviewed LL sugar free quite a while back but never got around to reviewing the original full sugar version of Liquid lightning for some reason. Recently they contacted me and offered to send me a few samples. Of course I took them up on their offer so lets check it out
Packaging: I have their 8 oz can. It is a slim 8.4 oz typical energy drink can that is easily recognizable as an energy drink. This can is solid black with minimal text and graphics which gives it a sleek and mysterious look. The only gripe I have is that it is a shrink wrapped can. For a product trying to be upscale I think this is not a good thing. It cheapens the look. I’ll give it a grade of C for packaging.
Slogan: “Energy For life” While not exciting I get the fact that they are aiming at a lifestyle with their drink. Grade B
Taste: So I pop the top and get the typical energy drink scent. The liquid comes out a golden brown color with a light carbonation. I take a sip and it is what you expect Apple, white grape, and candy. It is not gummy or overly sweet though so it has a crisp finish. Sure it is a RB clone but it is also a good one. Grade C+
Kick/Ingredients: Drinking down the can it took about the usual 15 minutes to hit me. It is a nice little buzz that is just a notch above a Red bull or other 8.4 oz energy drinks. It has 20 mg more caffeine than Red Bull. Each can is powered by 100 mg caffeine and undisclosed amounts(proprietary blend) of Taurine, Ginseng, Inositol, Glucuronolactone, and Ribose. It also contains a big dose of B vitamins and vitamin C. You get this with only 100 calories, 24 grams of carbs, and 23 grams of sugars. It is Sweetened with “corn sweeteners”. Grade C+ for kick/ingredients
Web Presence: The website at llenergy.com is very well put together. This site is sharp and delivers plenty of product info along with a ton of other content. It is a lifestyle kind of site with art, sports, music, and more all covered. There is a store and also a blog. This is a top shelf site worth checking out. They also have a Facebook and a Twitter. Grade A for web presence
Recap:
So Liquid lightning in the full sugar version is just as good as the sugar free version. It has a nice taste, a better than average kick and it mixes well. I like the can design but they really need to switch to printed cans and not wrapped cans if they want to go with the lifestyle angle. It is a quality drink so why put it a can that diminishes that image. Still grab a can if you get the chance as it is easily on par with RB but with a little more kick.
That Coyote's at my door
Coyote energy drink
I have begun to see more and more Latino themed energy drinks. Gotta expand that market. What I really love about these drinks are the unique flavors. I tire sometimes of the usual energy drink flavors. Let’s check out these drinks and see if they bring something fresh to the table.
Packaging: 16 oz can with a unique image on the front. Is it supposed to be a coyote? It really looks more like a tiger to me. I like the sharp angles. The label is full but not overly busy. The flavor and the slogan are prominently displayed. Grade C+
Slogan: “Energy with the taste of my land” is right on the front. Sure for some this might not mean anything but for the target market I think it nails it. Grade A-
Taste:
Kick/ingredients. So having tried all 3 flavors I had a good chance to determine the kick and energy. It took the typical 15 minutes then you get a really good energy buzz going. Not quite jittery but close. It is pretty much on par with a 16 oz Monster or Rockstar I believe. The buzz last 3 to 4 hours with a slight crash from the sugar. Each 16 oz can of Coyote energy drink is powered by Caffeine(undisclosed amount), Taurine, Ginseng, Inositol, Glucuronolactone, L-Carnitine , and B vitamins. It comes in at 200 calories, 50 grams of sugar, and 54 grams of carbs. It is sweetened with cane sugar, Sucralose, and Ace K. Nothing amazing but a good solid B-
Web presence: The site at coyotedrinks.com is just ok. I’ll cut it some slack since it is new for now. While it looks nice there is not much content yet. No ingredients info or anything. It has some potential. They do have a Facebook and a Twitter. Grade C
Recap:
So I think overall Coyote Energy drink is a pretty solid entry into the energy drink market. They have a growing target market, the flavors are unique and super tasty, and they deliver a kick that is on par with all the major players. If you get a chance grab a Coyote and tell me what you think!
Tiny bubbles
Guayaki Sparkling Yerba Mate
Here we have a more healthy choice for your energy needs. I like Mate drinks and prefer carbonated drinks myself so the idea of a sparkling version really appeals to me. They have 3 flavors and I’ll be reviewing them all here.
Packaging: These drinks come in a slim 12 oz can. The can is a bright yellow color with some tribal type colored decorations that vary depending on which flavor it is. I really love the overall design as the colors really pop. There is just the right amount of text to tell you what the drink is all about and yet not be cluttered. On the side there is a little paragraph explaining about the drink and a list of it’s certifications. Caffeine content is clearly listed also. Grade B+
Slogan: “Welcome to where flavor, effervescence, energy, and rainforest meet” Is on the can and while it is kind of long I like it. Grade B-
Taste:
Kick/Ingredients: Having tried all 3 I had a good chance to evaluate the kick of these drinks. They hit you in the typical 15 minutes and give you a nice mid level natural caffeine buzz. It’s a notch above your typical 80 mg caffeine drink. For some reason the caffeine from Yerba Mate always seems more intense to me and it last 3 or 4 hours with no crash. Each can is powered by 80 mg of naturally occurring caffeine. They are all sweetened with stevia . The calories and carbs vary with the Grapefruit Ginger being the lowest. Check the site where they list exact details. Grade B
Web Presence: The site at guayaki.com is very informative and filled with useful info on their drinks as well as what the company is all about. They have pretty much every social outlet covered from facebook to pinterest . Check their site for links. Really though you can tell they put in a ton of effort and there is a store of course so buy something. Grade A
Recap:
I really enjoyed these sparkling Mate drinks. I like Mate and the added carbonation made them even more refreshing. Top that off it has a good kick and is natural and earth friendly. Then of course it is low cal. Really there are a lot of good things about these drinks and they are a great way to start out the new year.
Bust a left, a right, I'm outta sight I'm throwed
Monster “Dub Edition” Ballers Blend Punch
Damn it’s getting hard to keep up with all the new Monster drinks. They keep coming out at a rapid pace. Really there is only so much room in a store’s cooler. I guess they think if you carry their full line of drinks there won’t be any room for the competition lol. Really though I been wanting to see Monsters take on a punch drink so let’s check it out
Packaging: 16 oz black can with a similar logo like the original Dub Monster. I do like how they use red, silver, and gold on the black can. Very Blingy! Around the edges of the logo are 2 dragon like creatures that remind me of monster import. The only part I don’t like is the little gold boxing glove at the bottom. I know it’s a “Punch + Energy” drink but the glove just does not fit in well with the rest of the design I think. Overall a damn nice looking design. Grade A-
Slogan: “Ballers Blend will keep you going strong through the last round” is on the can. It is inside a little paragraph on the back but I think it work pretty well with the punch theme. Grade B
Taste: Popping the top you right away get a nice Fruit punch scent. For me cherry seems the most prevalent scent there. Pouring some in a cup it comes out a punch red color with a low carbonation level. Taking a sip it is a pretty damn good fruit punch. Like the scent cherry seems to dominate but it also has a multitude of mixed fruit flavors to it. It is sweet like a fruit punch should be but not over the top like some fruit punch drinks I have tried. The lower carbonation make it very chuggable. I really taste no background energy drink flavors at all and not bitterness. Just a nice fruit punch. Good job. Grade B+
Kick/ingredients: So I drank this down quickly and got the expected full on jittery full sugar buzz I expect from a Monster. I had a good crazy amount of energy and was very talkative and somewhat unfocused. It is the typical Monster 16 oz energy buzz we all know and love The blend (5000mg per can) is typical of most Monster drinks and has Taurine, Ginseng, Guarana, Inositol, Glucuronolactone, L-Carnitine , Maltlodextrin, and B vitamins at the 200% level. Caffein comes in at 160 mg. You get this with 200 calories, 52 grams of carbs, and 50 grams of sugars. It is sweetened with sugar, glucose and sucralose. There is 5% juice in this drink also with Mango puree, Cranberry puree, cherry juice and banana puree. So that is a plus. Grade B
Web Presence: No need to go through this again. The site is at monsterenergy.com and if you like extreme sports, hot chicks, and tons of multimedia they deliver in spades. They also provide some product info. One of the best out there. My only gripe is the lack of quantitative ingredients info. Grade A- for web presence.
Recap:
Ok so another good entry for Monster. It comes in a cool blingy can(if you are into that), Has a nice fruit punch flavor, and provides the expected Monster energy kick. Then as a bonus I am impressed by the use of actual fruit! The fruit actually works this time unlike in the old Monster Mixxd which is discontinued. If you like Energy and you like fruit punch you really should give this one a try.
Flyin by on the Hawaiian roller coaster ride
Hawaiian OLA Energy Shot
Ok so there is a lot of news about how sugary drinks are bad for you. With all the general concerns about energy products in general being unhealthy(not that I buy into that) what are your healthier options you might ask. I recently found one that I really like a lot. It is Organic, GMO free, fair trade certified, 100% Vegan, and has a lot of health benefits. One of its main goals is to support Hawaiian farmers. O and of course a good dose of caffeine. Let’s check it out.
Packaging: Hawaiian Ola energy comes in a really attractive 2.5 oz shot bottle. It is wrapped in a bright yellow label with some purple and green accents. There are some tropical trees on the label and combined with the colors it really has a nice tropical feel to it. The word energy stands out on the front which tells you a lot. There are also badges for organic and fair trade on the front which will appeal to health and social conscience consumers. It might be a little cluttered but they seem to be trying to tell you all the great aspects of the shot. Caffeine content is clearly listed on the back as a bonus. Grade B+
Slogan: “Choose Sustainably” is on the bottle. I get it and it may be a big point to this product but I don’t see it as a real good slogan. They need to incorporate the other aspects in a good slogan like energy and juice. Grade C
Taste: Ok so this stuff is healthy and packed with good for you stuff. That kind of stuff does not always make me think it will be delicious. Twisting off the cap I get a nice fruity scent combined with some mate scent. The liquid inside is not exactly pretty. It is brownish with some sediment and kind of thick. Don’t spend your time looking at it. Taking a sip I get a pretty tasty flavor. There is some mango and pear mostly combined with the Mate and green tea at the finish. I found it to be one of the best tasting healthy shots I have tried. If you can get used to the consistency you will really enjoy it. I like the sweetness of the juices with the slight tea bitterness at the end that sets it all off. Don’t go in expecting your typical artificial clear liquid energy shot and you will be pleasantly surprised I think. Grade A-
Kick/ingredients. I really liked this shot and I had one pretty much every day for a week. It takes the typical 15 to 20 minutes to get you going. It provides a great kick though similar to your typical 5 hour energy shot or any of the other mainstream shots out there. It is not jittery and I feel it last a bit longer than most energy shots with no crash at all. Drinking these shots made me feel good and productive. I will go a bit more in depth about the ingredients of this shot since that is a huge aspect of a product like this. Each shot is powered by 140 mg caffeine(from green tea and mate), and a good dose of B vitamins so that is a good dose of energy there. The main ingredients otherwise are quite impressive. Organic Hawaiian Noni Juice, Organic Fair Trade Certified Mango Juice, Organic Pear Juice, Organic Apple Juice, Filtered Water, Organic Fair Trade Certified Evaporated Cane Juice,Organic Lilikoi Juice. It also contains Organic Goji Purée,Organic Açaí Purée, Organic Yerba Maté (Extract), and Organic Green Tea (Extract). So that is a lot of stuff. You get all that with 70 calories, 18 grams of carbs, and 12 grams of sugars. Grade A for kick/ingredients
Web presence: Web Presence: They have a site at hawaiianola.com which is a really nice site. It has a nice professional look and contains a ton of great info on the product and it’s ingredients. It also explains their mission and has a store so you can buy some shots. Really educational and enjoyable to poke around on for a bit. They also have a Facebook and a Twitter. Grade B+
Recap:
So I’m not gonna lie. I am not a big health nut and you typically won’t find me shopping at the Whole foods market wearing my organic hemp clothes. That said I am damn impressed with these shots and really enjoyed them. I would drink one daily if I could. They are packed with antioxidants, and are supposed to be anti-inflammatory both of which are things I need. They contain a ton of good for you juices and help support Hawaiian farmers. That’s all fine and dandy but then they top it off with great taste and a good strong kick. Really if you have a choice why would you choose an artificially sweetened and chemical loaded energy shot when you could have one of these instead? Try one and let me know what you think.
Stop right there this is a Red Alert
8 Hour Alert
It has been quite a while since I reviewed an energy pill. The pill gets a bad rap. It seems too much like you’re taking a drug in a lot of people’s minds I think. That said it is a great way to get the energy ingredients into your system. I have had some pretty good energy pill so I an anxious to see how this 8 hour alert performs.
Packaging: There is only so much you can do with a little pill bottle but MHP makes the most of it. The bottle itself is a blue plastic. It has a blue label with some nice yellow texx which is very eye catching. Around the lid it reads “14 servings” which it touting its value since a bottle is around 9 dollars. It is a little cluttered but it gives you a lot of useful info. Only thing missing is caffeine content. Grade B
Slogan: “Save on Enery is printed on the lid and then you have “High Voltage Energy” on the front label. Combined they work pretty well as far as representing the product. Grade C+
Taste: Well it is a pill so hopefully you don’t taste anything since you are supposed to swallow it. It went down easy with no bitterness like some pills might leave. Grade NA
Kick/ingredients: I took one of these pills when I arrived at work and 15 minutes later I was not feeling much. Then at about 25 minutes it hit me pretty good. The first hour was a pretty good energetic buzz like from an energy drink with no jitters. The thing is that energy level dippied a tiny amount over the next 5 or so hours. I easily had a good strong energy with a lot of great focus for a solid 6 hours. I was impressed with how good my focus was and how long the energy lasted. Each pill deliver from Caffeine(undisclosed) Taurine, Glucuronolactone, L- Theanine (great for focus), L-tyrosine, L-Phenylalanine, Phosphatidylcholine and good doses of B vitamins. These pills are time released so they last. There are of course no calories or sugar or carbs. Grade B for kick/ingredients.
Web presence: The site at mhpstrong.com is not a bad site especially if you are in to body building. It is well laid out and easy to navigate. It provides some product info as well as a lot of body building info like goals, videos, and a store. There is plenty to check out and you could spend a little time digging around and you would probably enjoy it. They also have a Facebook and a Twitter. Grade B
Recap:
So I have to say this is one of the better energy pills I have tried. They deliver much longer than your average energy drink or shot for sure. The value at under a dollar a pill is exceptional as well. Of course they are portable and don’t take up a lot of space so take them everywhere. I have to say I am impressed and I think you will be too. Give them a try if you truly want to achieve 5 + hours of energy. Many claim to deliver long lasting energy but 8 Hour Alert is one of the few who actually deliver on that promise.
The future was wide open
Open 1
So here is a drink I have never heard of. That in itself peaks my interest since that is unusual. I mean I do a lot of research and have a lot of connections. This should be a really cool review to do since I have no idea what to expect. Lets check it out.
Packaging: So it comes in a slim 12 oz can that has a super cool interlocking logo. The overall design is pretty sharp and mature looking. It has a guide on the side since it is listed as 3 servings which is a nice touch. The only let down for me is a shrink wrapped can. Printed cans are much more professional. 1 thing that really does shine is the unique cardboard 4 pack. It really is a thing of beauty and will grab attention if it shows up on store shelves. Caffeine content is clearly listed. Grade B+
Slogans: “Healthy Mood Lift” is really not a slogan but I do think it kind of works as one. They are aiming this less at the energy drink market and going for a more wholesome mood boost direction. Grade B
Taste ect:
Kick/Ingredients: So I tried these drinks several times and each time they really got me going. I got a huge blast of energy but it was also very focused and concentrated. This is a great drink for work or studying since it allows you to concentrate even though you are very buzzed. Each full can is powered by unique and interesting ingredients including 120 mg caffeine, Inositol, Gaba, Phenibut, Theanine, 5-HTP, Hordenine, and B vitamins. You get all this with 75 calories, 27 grams of carbs, and 18 grams of sugars. It is sweetened with cane sugar and Erythritol. Grade B+ for kick/ingredients. Great mental and energy ingredients.
Web presence: They have a site at open1.com but it is not really going yet so I will give them a grade of NA. They do have a Facebook however which is a good source to find where to get some of their drink
Recap:
Ok for a relatively unknown drink I have to say they are really on to something here. The kick is strong but they include a really nice mood/brain/focus blend unlike any I have seen. If you’re looking for a drink with these functions for work or school especially I suggest you try and gets your hands on either flavor. Both are provide you with some delicious focused energy.
I want red, there's no substitute for red
Red Bull Red edition
So on to the Red version of the new Red Bull edition drinks. Like I sadi before any time Red Bull comes out with a new drink it is big news. I’m not going to rehash the kick/ingredients on this review since it is the same as the other edition drinks. I’ll concentrate on the taste. Let’s see what this Red is all about.
Packaging: As with the other edition drinks they changed the graphic design of the can. It is still the typical 8.4 oz can but I think they really improved their design and it has a more modern feel to it. The Red and silver look well together. I really like the silver bulls logo up at the top. It is still obviously a Red Bull product but this design is a real improvement over the original I think. Kudos for clearly listing caffeine content on the back of the can Grade A+
Slogan: I found this on the can “The Taste of Cranberry. The effect of Red Bull” add to this the usual “Red Bull gives you wings” and you have some great slogans Grade A
Taste: So I pop the little top and get a nice cranberry scent. Pouring it in a cup it comes out a nice deep cranberry red with a medium carbonation. Taking a sip I am surprised at the mild cranberry flavor. It is not as strong or tart as I am used to cranberry drinks being. It is kind of creamy with just a hint of tartness at the finish. Thus is a very unique take on cranberry I think and I enjoyed it. Grade B
Kick/Ingredients: Ok so who reading this has not tried a Red Bull already? This drink is exactly the same energy wise so you know what to expect. I got a nice boost of energy with no jitters that lasted me 3 hours with no crash. It is powered by 80 mg caffeine as well as Taurine, inositol, Glucuronolactone, and B vitamins. It comes in at 110 calories with 28 grams of carbs and 27 grams of sugars. It is sweetened with sugar and glucose. Grade B
Web Presence: The site at redbullusa.com is really more about image and extreme sports than anything. In this area they really deliver with a ton of multimedia content and loads of entertainment. Red Bull really promotes themselves as a lifestyle as much as anything. Not only is there extreme sports but there is music as well. Still you will find some product info there especially these new editions which have their own Faq. Grade A
Recap:
So this is my second of the new Red Bull drinks. I think it was very tasty and obviously would make a great mixer. I don’t like it as much as the Blue edition but I believe it is a close second. If you like cranberry you definitely need to give this drink a try. I like the fact that Red Bull has come out with all these bold new flavors instead of just another classic flavored drink. Try it and let me know what you think.