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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!
07/02/08 Peptime energy shot review. Cosmo Berry flavor!
06/26/08 Review of Crunk Citrus energy drink
06/25/08 Review of Venom Black Mamba energy drink
06/23/08 Review of Fyxx Hybrid energy water
If you keep talking like that I'm going to have to charge you by the minute.
Peptime Energy Shot Cosmo Berry
Peptime is a nice name for an energy shot. I have not seen pep used a lot in energy drink names and the word pep is defined as “energy; vigor; liveliness; spirit”. That said I was interested in trying Peptime energy shots when I heard about them. Then ther is the fact that Peptime is made by DMD Pharmaceuticals which is a company that has been in the energy product business a long time. I thought I’d start with Cosmo Berry flavor first since it sounds very unique.
Packaging: Peptime Energy shot Cosmo Berry comes in the typical 2 oz plastic shot bottle. It is shrink wrapped in pinkish purple plastic. At the top is a little sun type graphic that contains a slogan and has a little plus in the middle of it. There is a faint starburst in a lighter shade of pink/purple behind this. Then you have the Name “Peptime” in a white font and “Energy” in a black font. A little to the left of the name is a bullet list touting ingredients and benefits. To the right of the name is the flavor in a white font and a little berry graphic. At the bottom is another slogan. On the back are the supplement facts. The lid has “energy shot” on it and under the twist off lid it has a secondary seal. I give them a grade of B- for packaging. It is the typical shot bottle but it has a some nice graphics and the extra seal under the lid is a major plus for me. I feel safer about the product staying fresh.
Slogan: Peptime Energy did not miss this aspect at all. They have 2 slogans right on the little shot bottle. “Kicks the can out of energy drinks” and “Mas Energia. Mas Alegria” Slogans in 2 languages! That is a first. The Spanish slogan means “More Energy. More Fun”(it’s on the bottle as well. I will give them a grade of A- for slogan
Taste: Shots are not usually known for their taste. I have noticed that over time though that companies are getting better at making strong shots that taste fairly good. Usually you either get berry, Orange, or Lemon lime. I was excited to see this flavor was different. I twisted off the lid and took a sniff. Smells like a Cosmopolitan drink! I pour it out and it is a light pink color. I take a sip and wow. It does take like a Cosmo! You can taste the orange, lime, and cranberry. I taste no bitterness at all. It’s like a virgin Cosmo. I drank the rest down and actually enjoyed it. I give them a grade of A for taste. I am thrilled to find a new flavor in the shot category and a good one at that. I don’t recommend this but I’m sure this shot would mix well with a real Cosmo or other drink.
Kick/ingredients. Here is where most shots excel. You want kick and you want it now. Peptime Energy Cosmo Berry tastes like a ladies drink but is it strong enough for a man? I drank it down and was hit with energy in minutes. I got a great buzz that lasted me 4 or 5 hours and allowed me to focus and stay alert throughout my day. Peptime Energy shot is powered by 200mg of caffeine, 2000% Dv of B6, 10000% Dv of B12, Taurine, and Glucorolactone. There is no sugar and only 10 calories and 2 grams of carbs. It is sweetened with Sucrlose. I’ll give them a grade of B+ for kick. This is definitely strong enough for a man. They threw down with the caffeine along with the B vitamins for sure
Web presence: Peptime energy shots have a website at peptimeshot.com. The site looks ok but is new and therefore a little sparse on the content. The main thing they have up at the moment is the Peptime girls and a link to buy the shots. The site for the parent company at dmdpharm.com is a lot better and you also have the Peptime girls MySpace page which is really nice as well. I will give them a C+ for web presence
Recap:
Really I can see this shot as having a good market with women due to the taste and image. Then others will like it for its great kick. Peptime has shown that you can have a unique flavor that taste great in a shot that has a potent energy kick that everyone will appreciate. I highly recommend you try these if you get the chance. It is one of the top shots available in my opinion.
Throw it up!
Crunk Citrus
Crunk is one of my favorite all around energy drinks. I was happy to hear that they were coming out with a new flavor. Citrus is not a totally new thing in energy drinks but I was really curious to check out Crunks interpretation of this flavor.
Packaging: Crunk Citrus comes in a 16oz aluminum can. It has the familiar Crunk energy drink pattern. This time the pattern is in a green and yellow color representing lemon lime. Around the top is the some of the benefits of drinking Crunk Citrus like “Invigorate, Arouse, Refresh ect.” Across the middle diagonal is “CRUNK!!!” With a silver star behind it. The you have “Citrus” and “Energy drink above and below that. It also reads “ Contains real lemon lime” Around the bottom is a listing of ingredients. The back has the logo again along with Supplement facts. I like the Crunk cans overall because they are flashy and make me think party! I like this one even better because of the yellow and green pattern. I give this can a grade of A-
Slogan: GET CRUNK!!! It is the Crunk slogan for all Crunk energy drinks and it is a great slogan. Give it a grade of A for slogan. Hell everyone loves saying let’s get Crunk!
Taste: Citrus. I’m guessing this will be Lemon lime based on the can. I pop it open and get a nice lemon scent. I pour it out of the can and it looks like lemonade with a medium level of carbonation. I take a sip and it taste of delicious lemonade. Not too tart and not too sweet but it hits the sweet spot in between dead on. I drank the entire 16 oz can and wanted more. Normally I am not a big lemonade fan but this drink takes out everything I dislike about lemonade and puts in everything I do like about lemonade then mixes in a great carbonation. This makes for an awesome drink. You will want to drink this on a hot day. I’m guessing this will make an awesome mixer as well. I’d suggest mixing with either Vodka or maybe even a jack Daniels for Lynchburg lemonade! Grade of B+
Kick/Ingredients: Crunk Citrus has the same ingredients as regular Crunk for the most part.. Ashwadanda, Skull cap, White Willow ,Grape seed extract , Horny Goat weed, and Damiana. Then you have 194mg of caffeine, inositol, green tea, guarana, Ginko Biloba, and much more round it out(look up the complete list on the drinks website). That is a lot of great stuff! I drank it quickly because it tasted so good and of course I got Crunk right away. All I needed was a party and if I could not find one I would have to make one! I was jacked up a good 4 hours and had very little crash. B+ for kick
Web Presence: This is a new drink but Crunk has made sure that their website crunkenergydrink.com has info about it. In fact it is front and center and integrated well throughout the site. This site has all the entertainment and info on Crunk and Crunk Citrus. Truly it is one of the better energy drink websites out there. Grade of A for web presence Don’t miss their top notch MySpace page either.
Recap:
While I have not been a big lemonade fan in the past I have to admit I am now converted. Crunk has taken Citrus flavor and really made it Crunk. I really can’t wait to try this as a mixer as well. The kick is top notch and this drink has lots of support and promotion from the company. If you see this drink buy several. Trust me you will regret it if you don’t. It’s summer and this drink is made for summer for sure.
Inject the Venom
Venom Black Mamba Energy Drink
Ok so it was only a matter of time before Dr Pepper/Snapple got into the energy drink market. I’m in Texas and DR Pepper is big here and for many a way of life. With that in mind I had high expectations when I heard about the new Venom energy drinks. It’s always exciting when a big player roles out a new energy drink. I was lucky enough to find a bottle of both Venom drinks. I’ll be reviewing the Black Mamba one first.
Packaging: Wow! They really went for it with the packaging. This is bound to get your attention when you see it. Venom Black Mamba comes in a 16.9 oz resealable aluminum bottle. The bottle is deep red fading into black with a huge snake skin graphic including an evil looking red snake eye at the center. It looks dangerous and potent! The Name “Black Mamba” is at the top along with the slogan(more on that later). The name “Venom” is in a wicked red and white font with the V dripping blood. The screw on lid is also aluminum and has the slogan on it. On the back of the bottle is supplement facts and a cool little blurb that reads “When you want to stay razor sharp, with the energy to strike first and leave your mark, you need the vicious venom of a Black Mamba” I’m giving them an A++ for packaging. Truly they put a ton of effort into the packaging. This is a super cool bottle and I love the resealable lid. The Font on the name is one of the best I have ever seen on an energy drink.
Slogans: They went all out on the slogan as well. It’s printed on the aluminum bottle several times. “Piercing Energy That Strikes Back” It sounds good but I could live with out the piercing part. Overall though I have to give it a grade of B+
Taste ect: Hmm, the bottle is red at the top. Will it be a berry or cherry flavor? Alas no. I am shocked when I twist off the top and my nose is pierced by that familiar RB clone scent. I don’t let that slow me down though. I pour some in a glass and it comes out a light brown color with a mid level carbonation. I take a sip and it is your typical RB clone flavor. It’s a pretty good RB clone with no bitterness or gumminess but nothing thrilling. I am seriously let down. Why o why do companies keep putting these RB clones out? I kind of understand why the smaller companies might stick with the tried and true but a company this size should have branched out. Monster taste like Monster, Full Throttle taste like Full Throttle. Bawls taste like bawls. They don’t taste like Red Bull. Come DP Snapple is this the best you could come up with flavor wise? I still give it a grade of C for taste. It’s just that, average.
Kick/Ingredients: I can probably overlook the uninspired taste if the kick is there. I got a good boost of energy after drinking down the entire bottle of Venom Black Mamba. The buzz lasted 3 or 4 hours and there was a slight crash. For energy per bottle you have 160 mg of caffeine, an energy blend of Taurine, L-Carnatine, Guarana, Inositol, Glucuronoactone, and maltodextrin. You also have plenty of B vitamins. There are 240 calories, 29 grams of carbs, and 28 grams of sugar. Main ingredients are Carbonated water, Sugar, Glucose, and citric acid. Once again just average. I give them a grade of C+ for kick/ingredients. It gives you energy in the normal amounts and it is a nice boost if you drink the entire 16.9 oz bottle.
Web presence: Well this is a new drink and I can find hardly anything as far as web presence goes. I’ll give them a NA for the time being.
Recap:
Venom Black Mamba had me scared. I was expecting to be struck with great taste and energy befitting the Black Mamba which is a super deadly snake. The bottle was wicked but then it turns out this is no super deadly snake. I was mistaken. It’s like I was walking along bare footed through the woods and suddenly stopped as a Black Mamba was poised to strike my foot bringing instant death. Then after I got a good look I realized it was just a common every day Garter Snake and I just moved on ignoring it.
One Thing Leads To Another
FYXX Hybrid energy water
There are a lot of energy waters out there. Most of them are flavored though. I was excited to hear about Fyxx Hybrid. It’s just a nice unflavored spring water. On top of that it has a top shelf image. It’s on the way up. Let us see how it is.
Packaging: The bottle design has recently been updated. It comes in a 20 oz blue plastic bottle. The bottle has a nice transparent stick on label. On the front is has the name “FYXX HYBRID” at the top. Below that it reads “Zero calories, Zero Carbs, caffeine infused spring water beverage” That nails it all down. There is a huge arrow type graphic that reads “Energy Water” On the back you have Nutrition facts and a cool little blurb “Big Game, Big Night, Big Test, Long Drive, Long Day, Long Face. Fyxx it! Hydrate and energize yourself the way nature intended.” I give them a grade of B- for packaging. It’s a pretty good design for a water bottle and a step above other energy water.
Slogans: Ok you have “Fyxx it” and “All Kick that’s It” on the bottle. Both are good and show they have put some thought into this area. I give them a grade of B- for slogans. Good job Fyxx
Taste ect: I open the bottle and I smell nothing. Hey it is water so I expect exactly that. I take a sip and it taste like a premium bottled water. Not just some filtered city water but a nice spring water. Spring water has a little more minerality to it. I like my water to have some taste to it. I taste no caffeine bitterness at all! I don’t know how they did it but this water taste as good as any regular bottle I have tried. Great job! Grade of B for taste.
Kick/Ingredients: I drank the bottle at an icy cold temperature on a scorching hot day. It was over 90 degrees and very humid. I needed some hydration. I chugged the Fyxx down and it was great. I had a good boost in a few minutes. The energy and the water revitalized me and got me through the rest of the afternoons work. I’d say it lasted 3 or 4 hours and there was no crash at all. The kick comes from 110 mg of caffeine and nothing else. No calories , no carbs, no sugar. Just water and caffeine. I will give them a grade of C+ for kick
Web presence: Fyxx Hybrid has a nice little site at fyxxwater.com. The site is well laid out with all the info you need about Fyxx. They have product info, a store, news, a lot of photos, and a cool lifestyles section you should check out. I just wish they had more pictures of the Fyxx Chyxx! I give them a grade of B for web presence. They also have a MySpace
Recap:
I don’t know how they do it but Fyxx takes a great spring water and kicks it up! It taste great and really will quench your thirst on a hot day. I love the fact that is just water and caffeine. It really works well and you won’t know the difference by taste at all from a regular bottled water. Grab a 12 pack and chill it down ice cold. It is a super unique drink. I think it will come in handy after a night of parties, while hanging by the pool or on the beach, or at your work place. It will look classy as well when you carry it about.
Satisfaction came in a chain reaction
Boo Koo Burner Pummelgranite
Ok it seems the next frontier in the energy drink market might be protein in energy drinks. Whey up was one of the first but now others are coming on strong. Boo Koo recently got beat up a little but they are coming out of their corner swinging with Boo Koo Burners. 3 flavors of energy drinks each with 20 grams of protein. I am reviewing their Pummelgranite flavor first.
Packaging: Right off the bat Boo Koo Burner Pummelgranite comes out swinging with a nice new can design. The can is 16 oz aluminum and solid white. Circling around the top of the can are key ingredients in sliver font with little red chrome + symbols in-between them. In the middle of the can is a little red chrome character with flaming hair and a white + symbol in the middle of its face. Below that is the drink name in a grey font with the flavor in a red font. Towards the bottom is a red circle with 20g in it and protein below it. Then you have the slogan in silver below that. The back has nutrition facts as well as a super cool blurb that reads. “It’s full of Ludicrus amounts of power, chocked full of protein for pumpification and it taste great. It’s twice your recommended daily dose of awesome, fortified with 100% jack-you-up. So drink up and go hard” Best blurb I have read on a can in a long time. I give them a grade of A- for packaging.
Slogans: Boo Koo Burner breaks out the fancy footwork with 2 slogans. On the can front you have “No Sugar. All Energy” and on their website you have “Everything else is just sugar water” Great job on the slogans that fit well with this protein energy drink. Very aggressive. I give them a grade of A- for slogans
Taste ect: I pop open the can and I’m Boo Koo burner gives me a straight shot to the nose with a scent like cotton candy and pomegranate. There is also a little bit of a wheaty smell. I pour some in a cup and it comes out a dark red color like a pomegranate drink should. There is no carbonation as expected in a protein type energy drink. I taste it and it has a nice pomegranate flavor with some berry hints and minimum sweetness. For a sugar free drink this one is not overly flavored with artificial sweetness. At the finish you do have a hint of yogurt type protein flavor from the 20 grams of protein. I drank it down pretty quickly aside from a few sips my wife had (she liked it even!). I will give them a grade of B for taste. I enjoyed it not being too sweet and the lack of carbonation made it easy to drink. Too many SF drinks are ruined by the super strong sweetness of artificial sweeteners (Sucralose is approximately 600 times as sweet as sugar) and Boo Koo avoids this.
Kick/Ingredients: Boo Koo always brings it on in the kick department and this one is no exception. I got a super burst of energy that lasted 3 or 4 hours easy with no jitters and no crash. Boo Koo Burner Pummelgranite pummeled me with energy and it was unrelenting. I was forced to get a lot of physical work accomplished. The drinks protein left me feeling full and satisfied my hunger as well and I was not tired even though I had done some hard work. Boo Koo burner Pummelgranite energy ingredients include 160 mg of caffeine, Taurine, Ginseng, and B vitamins. You also have vitamin C calcium, and of course 20 grams of whey protein. There are 90 calories and no sugar. It is sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame. I will give them a grade of B for kick/ingredients.
Web presence: Boo Koo Burner Pummelgranite throws the upper cut to knock you out with a super cool website at bookooburner.com. The site is flash based and the theme is awesome with floating cans and burning being a major part. There is drink information but not a lot of other stuff at the moment. It is a new drink so I will cut them some slack. I give them a grade of C+ for web presence.
Recap:
I really enjoyed this drink and look forward to trying the other Boo Koo Burner flavors. This is a perfect pre or post workout drink. Even if you don’t work out it’s a great way to get energy and hunger satisfaction. It’s like a protein bar and energy drink all rolled into one! It’s one of the best sugar free drinks I have tried. The bar has been raised high in this new category of protein energy drinks. Other companies are going to need to think twice before stepping into the ring with Boo Koo Burner. They might leave looking like Leon Spinks! Give it a try today!
You stuck what up a chickens butt???
Monster Khaos energy drink chicken
Ok from the time I first decided to start my site I have had the idea to do a Beer can chicken. Instead of a can of beer though I was going to use an energy drink. I know maybe you think I am crazy but hey. I’m edjunkie right! Now that grilling season is here I was ready to try it. I chose Monster Khaos because I thought it would be good for flavoring.
Ingredients: 1 Tyson 100% all natural whole chicken, a few shakes of Slap Ya mama Cajun seasoning, 1 can of monster khaos energy drink(or any other energy drink you want to try).
Prep: Remove chicken from bag and dispose of the giblets.
Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry.
Season the outside and inside with the Slap Ya mama.
Fire up the grill and get it good and hot.
Cook: You can use just the can but I prefer to use a special rack like this one since it is more stable.
Drink half of the energy drink.
Sit the chicken down butt first on the can so the can is inside it (no easy way to put this).
Place the chicken on the grill with the drink on the grating away from the coals.
Close the lid and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours until done. You can cook in the oven at 400 degrees if you don’t have a grill.
Taste: So I cooked the chicken about 1 hour and 45 minutes until golden brown. I checked the temp of the meat using a digital thermometer to make sure it was done. I let it rest about 10 minutes and then carved it like a Turkey. The meat came out very moist and even the white meat was moist. It tasted mostly like a nice roasted chicken wit a little of the heat from the seasoning and a hint of fruitiness from the Monster Khaos.
Kick: Hate to tell you but I really experienced no kick from the energy chicken.
Recap: So I have to tell you it was damn fun. The chicken tasted awesome and was very very moist. It smelled and tasted great. I got no kick but overall it was fun. Think of all the fun you will have at your next cookout when you tell everyone you’re cooking an energy drink chicken. Sticking things up a chickens butt is fun in the first place but sticking your favorite energy drink up a chickens but is twice as much fun. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Yeah the world would swing if I were king
King 888 Gold
I heard of this drink and immediately was intrigued. There are a lot of Vegas inspired energy drinks but most of them lean towards the modern Texas hold 'em Vegas. King 888 however is more of the classic Vegas of the 1950’s and 60’s. Old school if you will. Think Rat Pack, mixed drinks, The Sands Hotel, black ties, beautiful women. You get my point. Will King 888 Gold channel the spirit of classic Vegas?
Packaging: Right out of the gate King 888 Gold comes in a classic 16oz aluminum can. The can is solid gold with a square dotted pattern all around most of it. There are some black stripes around the top and bottom. Close to the top it reads “Original Gold” 3 times. Below that is a black square with the King 888 logo. The logo is super cool with a nice gold and black font and a crown in a white oval. The logo also has the words “Las Vegas, Nevada” in a small gold font. Below the large logo it reads “Energy Drink” and “Superior Strength and Quality” in a black font. The back of the can has Supplement facts and a little black box with a blurb about the drink and the Slogan. I give them a grade of A+ for packaging. I love this classy gold can and I can imagine anyone being cool with being seen drinking from this can. I have to tell you this shiny gold can was very hard to photograph.
Slogans: I see two slogans on the can. “Stay Cool, The King 888 way” and “Triple Your Odds. Bet On The King” I love the second one and it really fits well with the product image. I give them a grade of A for slogan.
Taste ect: Popping open the top I get a nice scent of things to come. It smells like citrus mostly with a hint of ginger ale. I pour some out it is a nice light gold color with medium carbonation. Taking a sip is amazing. It is ginger ale up front mixed in with a nice lemon finish. Like a ginger ale with a slice of fresh lemon. I had never thought of that combination but it was great. This drink was finished quickly and I longed for another. I’m sure it would make a great mixer as well. Grade of B+ for taste.
Kick/Ingredients: So we have a great tasting energy drink in a classic Vegas cool can. Of course it is an energy drink so we gotta have kick to go along with all that. I drank the 16 oz can pretty quickly and got jacked. Soon I was jumping about like Sammy Davis Jr doing a tap dance. I had energy like the rush of drawing a straight flush in high stakes poker when your down to your last chip. The buzz lasted for 4+ hours and I did not crash hard. You get this energy from taurine 2000 mg, ginseng 100 mg, Guarana 100 mg, caffeine 160 mg, glucuronolactone 50 mg, L-carnitine, Inositol, and plenty of good B vitamins at the 100% range. 220 calories, 56 grams of carbs, and 56 grams of sugar. Hfc is the sweetener. Pretty solid in the kick department. I will give it a grade of B for kick. Not over the top but pretty damn good.
Web presence: So far king 888 Gold is kicking ass like a Vegas bouncer on a guy counting cards. They don’t skimp on the website either. They have a nice site at king888.com. The site comes in 3 languages even(Spanish, English, and Arabic!) it is well laid out and has all the info on their drinks and their company. They also have a store wher you can order drinks as well as some super cool apparel. I really like the King 888 basketball jersey in a large if anyone wants to buy me one J. They have a nice photo gallery as well. King 888 also has a good myspace page here. I’ll give them a solid B for web presence.
Recap:
King 888 Gold is one of those rare drinks that does well in all the categories. I highly suggest you grab some ASAP. I love the unique taste which is to me totally unique. The Class of the packaging and logo also are great. Break 1 or 2 out at your next Texas Hold’em tournament. Remember the slogan. “Triple Your Odds. Bet on the King.! Even if you don’t play poker people will be impressed when you roll in drinking king 888 gold. I am looking forward to trying their other drinks as well.
Better Run Through the Jungle
Make sure and read my interview with Amazon energy
Sambazon Amazon Energy
Well I know that all the HFC and or sugar as well other unhealthy ingredients in energy drinks are not good for me. I was excited to see a healthy alternative. Now I was looking for a healthy energy drink that tasted good and provided a nice kick to boot. When I saw Sambazon was releasing an energy drink I was hoping it would fit the bill. Sambazon is well known as a quality company who makes some great super healthy juices and smoothies. There main thrust is organic Acai (ah-sigh-ee) berry which is considered by many to be a superfruit packed with powerful antioxidants.
Packaging: Amazon energy comes in a tall slim 12oz can. The can is a nice metallic purple with some background graphic stripes. They might not be stripe exactly look like they might be palm leaves. Acai berries are purple and they grow on palm trees so that explains a lot about the design. On the front is the word “organic” at the top and below that is the Sambazon Logo with some type of Amazon chieftain in green and purple. Below the logo is “Amazon: in white and “Energy” in green. At the bottom is the phrase “Pure Positive Energy” and below that is “Acai Berry” in green. On the back of the can you have a large paragraph about the drink ingredients and nutrition facts. All in all this is a nice can. I like the mix of purples and the green text. They get the message across that this is a healthy organic energy drink. I’m giving them a B for packaging. They did a great job on this one.
Slogan: Well the main one would be “Pure. Positive. Energy”. That really covers what this drink is all about. They also throw in their usual “Get with the purple berry” slogan that they use on all of their Acai products. I’ll give them a B+ for slogan. No it is not exciting but it gets the message across very well.
Taste: I have had drinks with Acai as the flavor but I expect this one to have a little more Acai than your usually Acai flavored energy drinks. It comes out of the can with a nice organic berry scent. It is a purple color with a medium level of carbonation. It has a nice light berry taste. There is some tartness to match well with the Acai flavor. The tartness comes from the Acerola. The carbonation really works well with the Acai and Acerola and makes them better than they usually are. There is also a hint of an earthy organic flavor most likely from Yerba mate and Green tea extract. Really I have enjoyed the flavor of this a lot. It is not too sweet and not to organic tasting. It’s a perfect balance and I could drink this on a daily basis I think. I will give them a solid B for taste. For a healthy drink I don’t think you could find one better tasting than this one.
Kick/ingredients. This is the area where a lot of organic all natural energy drinks fail. It’s supposed to be an energy drink. How does Sambazon Amazon Energy stand up though. Quite well really. You get 80 mg of naturally caffeine which is on par with a Red Bull and many other energy drinks. There are 120 calories, 30 mg of carbs , and 28 mg of sugar. There is also 750% of your rda of vitamin C. You get all this from organic evaporated cane juice, organic Acai juice, organic Acerola juice, organic Guarana, organic yerba mate, and organic green tea extract. Acerola contains 10 to 50 % more vitamin C than oranges! Acai contains 30 times the antioxidants of red wine. Wow those are some top shelf healthy ingredients. I got a good buzz each time I tried Amazon Energy and it lasted several hours and there was no crash. To top that off actually felt like I was doing something good for myself after drinking this. I will give them a grade of B for kick. It’s not over the top but it is average in kick to most other drinks. I bumped it up to a B though because of all the great ingredients.
Web presence: Sambazon Amazon Energy has a nice website at sambazon.com. The site is well laid out and has tons of information about all the Sambazon products. Since the Amazon Energy is so new there is not a lot of information about it there beyond nutritional info and a store to buy it online. Still there is a lot of stuff to look at on the site. There is a blog to check out, a store to buy stuff, a mission statement. You will learn that Sambazon is company that you can feel good about supporting. I will give them a B for web presence. Nice site that is fun to spend some time on and they also have a Myspace page and a facebook page.
Recap:
If I had this drink available at my corner store I think I would grab every day instead of the usual suspects. I really enjoyed it in the morning as a healthy way to get the day started. Give it a try and see if you don’t agree that it one of the best organic energy drinks out there.
BANG BANG shoot em' like a firing squad!
Spike Shotgun
Wow as soon as word got out that Spike was releasing a new 16 oz drink there was a lot of excitement here at edjunkie headquarters as well as all over the internet. Spike Shooter in the 8 oz can was already one of the top of the line drinks in terms of pure energy. I could not imagine what a 16 oz Spike drink would do to a normal person. Fortunately I am neither a normal person nor did I have to wait.
Packaging: Spike Shotgun comes in a 16 oz aluminum can. The can is very similar to the original Spike Shooter can. The can is black with red and gold rings at the top. The top of the can itself is a gold color. I can always pick out spike drinks mixed in with other energy drinks in my fridge just by the gold top. Makes them easy to find. The Name “Spike” is diagonal in gold font with “Shotgun” in a smaller white font. At the top it reads” Read entire label before drinking” in a red font. On the front it also says “Hardcore Energy” and “Get Spiked” On the back you have a funny little paragraph that pokes fun at Monster and Red Bull. You also have your Supplement facts on the back. I will give them a grade of B for packaging. I love the little paragraph on the back and the overall can design fits the hardcore image of Spike well.
Slogans: I see two possibilities. “Get Spiked” and in the little paragraph on the back “Spike Shotgun as real as it gets and it’s hardcore to the bone” I give them a grade of B+ for slogan. The definitely put some effort into it.
Taste ect: A lot of people think Spike Shooter was bad tasting. I did not agree. I thought it tasted ok. I was anxious to see how Shotgun improved on the taste now that they had more liquid to get all the caffeine mixed into. I cracked it open and it smelled of berries. I poured some in a cup and it came out a reddish pink color with a lot of carbonation. I took a sip and it was very very sweet and tangy. It tasted of mixed berries but mostly it reminded me of strawberries. The carbonation leaves it quickly so it is easy to drink down. There was a small amount of bitterness at the finish. I will give them a grade of C+ for taste. It is very sweet and you can tell it is sweetened with Sucralose. I like the Strawberry flavor but it can be overpowering.
Kick/Ingredients: Well Spike Shotgun is a hardcore energy drink. There is a warning label on it. It’s not for kids. Of course I could not wait to experience the kick! I drank about 90% of the can pretty quickly. Within just a few minutes I was seriously jacked up. Within 15 minutes I was sweating and I was experiencing a kick unlike I have felt in a long time. I would say I was seriously wired for a good 4 hours and barely finished the can because I actually was as wired as I wanted to be since I was indoors! Spike Shotgun per can has 350 mg of caffeine, 33,333% of your DV for B12, N-Acetyl-L-tyrosine, and Beta-alanine. There are 0 calories and o carbs. I will give Spike Shooter a grade of A+ for kick. This is now the drink I will judge all others by when it comes to kick. Seriously be careful drinking this and read the label. I myself will look forward to drinking more of these when the time is right. This is not something I would drink if I was just going to be sitting around doing some paper work or watching TV. If you plan on kicking someone’s ass, Pounding out some weights, or doing any sport considered “Extreme” then this is the drink for you.
Web presence: This is the one area where Spike Shotgun does not excel. They have a website at SpikeShooter.com but it is out of date and unfinished. It also mentions nothing about Spike Shotgun. I’ll have to give them a grade of D for web presence. After drinking a Spike Shotgun though you won’t be able to sit around surfing the web anyway
Recap:
Amazing it’s like if someone shot at you with a shotgun and missed by a hair. How much adrenaline would be pumping through your system and how wound up would you be. How fast would your heart be pounding? Now imagine that kind of feeling lasting for 4+ hours. Spike Shotgun is one awesome energy drink. I suggest you give it a try. Take it slowly though and gauge how much you can handle before slamming the whole can. This is an adult drink and should be consumed by those over 18 as the warning on the can states. Like I said this is the drink to judge all others by when it comes to kick. Can you handle it?