Born to be Mild
Full Throttle Quick Shot Blue Agave
O boy here is another entry from the big boys of energy drinks into the energy shot category. So far it has been a mixed bag from the major players. Some have been very bad like Amp’s energy shot, others like Nos Powershot and Monster Hitman fall somewhere in the middle. I think Rockstar is the only one that has really impressed me with kick and taste. Now we have Full Throttle from Coke coming out in 2 flavors. I have always been partial to Full throttle energy drinks especially Fury sugar free and Blue Demon. Both are drinks I drink on a regular basis and have for a long time. I have high hopes for the shots from Full Throttle and am happy to get a hold of the Blue Agave version first.
Packaging: Full Throttle Quick Shot comes in a 2 oz black plastic bottle. It is a tall slim bottle like Rockstar energy shots but it only contains 2 ounces. There is room for 2.5 ounces so the look is a bit deceiving and might trick you into thinking your getting a large shot when it is really just your typical 2oz shot. The entire bottle is shrink wrapped in a blue to black fade label. The label has a matte finish and looks a little cheap at first but I think the matte finish makes the printing on the label really pop out and look crisp. At the top of the label in the blue portion is the flavor ”Blue Agave” in a black font with a white glow. In the middle is the “Full Throttle” logo in it’s usual font followed by “Quick Shot” in a really big white font. At the bottom it reads “Caution: Highly Concentrated Liquid Energy Supplement” in a blue font. The back has supplement facts. I think the matte finish and fonts really make this bottle stand out amongst other shots. I am still disappointed they used a large bottle but still only put 2 ounces in it and I find that misleading. I will give them a grade of B- for packaging.
Slogan: Nothing on the bottle. On the website you have the overall Full Throttle slogan “Go Full Throttle or go home”. I really like this slogan and think they should use it more on their packaging and advertisements. It is on of the better slogans out there. Grade A-
Taste: I twist off the lid and I get the familiar scent of Full Throttle Blue Demon. This is definitely a blue agave flavor drink. You will recognize it easily if you have tried any blue agave drinks. I pour some in a cup and it comes out a rich blue color that really looks just like Blue Demon without the carbonation. So far all is good. I take a sip and yes it does taste like Full Throttle Blue Demon energy drink up front but then I am hit with a wave of bitterness that does not go away. Definitely a shot you want to slam down. It is very thin and watery. Too bad really since it starts off with the delicious blue agave flavor but suffers from lack of a little more sweetener or citric acid to cover up the bitter medicinal taste. Grade C- for taste.
Kick/Ingredients: I hope the kick is worth the taste. I drink it down quickly and go find something else to drink to get the taste out of my mouth. In about 10 or 15 minutes it hits me. More like a love tap than a Brock Lesnar blow to the head. I did get my energy level up but it was really no better than a cup of coffee and it lasted close to 3 hours. It was one of those mild buzzes that wake you up but don’t really give you a lot of energy to get things done. So whats in this shot? 125 mg Caffeine, 200 mg Taurine, 98mg Inositol, .17 mg Guarana extract(WTF?), Ginseng, Carnitine, and B vitamins. You get 25 calories and 7 grams of carbs and sugars. It is sweetened with HFC. Grade D+ for kick/ingredients. The caffeine amount is ok but the rest is pretty weak. .17 mg of Guarana? Why even bother.
Web Presence: Well they have a site at fullthrottleenergy.com and it is fairly good and has a lot of info. It’s a flash based site and not very easy to navigate. You can find some drink info but it is a chore. Sure it is fancy but not user friendly. There is no Full Throttle quick shot info to be found. Really for a big company it kind of sucks. They went for all flash and no substance. Grade C
Recap:
As hot as the shot market is I have to say that Full Throttle drops the ball on this one. Misleading packaging, bitter taste, and mild kick. This dooms this shot I think. It had potential but it was wasted.
