The devil come a callin', I ain't gonna be around
Black Ice Raging Energy Shot
Black Ice seems to be a hot item at the moment. At least the phrase that is. With the new CD from AC DC being titled “Black Ice” This shot caught my eye at the check out counter of the local Truck stop. The lady at the check out counter said it was nasty but I did not let that dissuade me. It’s my job.
Packaging: Black ice Raging Energy Shot comes in your typical 2 oz plastic shot bottle. It does have a wide mouth for quick drinking which is good for a shot. The entire bottle and lid are shrink wrapped in a red and black label. On the lid portion it reads “Feel it Now” in a white font. Below that it reads “Sugar Free” And “0 net carbs” in mostly white font except for the 0 which is black. You can hardly see the 0 on the black label. Who uses a black font on a black label? It just looks like “Sugar Free” and “Net Carbs”. Next you have “Black Ice” in a nice little white ice font followed by “Raging Energy Shot” in red font. At the bottom it reads “Hours & Hours of Energy” and “No crash Later” in red and white font. There is a lot of lightning imagery in the back ground and then offset to the right is the face of a vicious wolf baring its teeth. The wolf looks pretty cool but I don’t get the connection unless it is to the raging energy part. Back has supplement facts. I will give it a grade of D+ for packaging. The whole package just looks amateurish and a little jumbled. It is unique looking I have to say though.
Slogan: “Feel it now” is all I could find. Too bad since the cheesy packaging really cries out for a cool cheesy slogan. Grade D
Taste: Ok so I had already been told it was “nasty” so I had a stick of gum ready just in case that was true. I twist off the lid(no secondary seal) and I see a dark reddish brown liquid. The smell is fairly unpleasant and I’m kind of scared. I take a sip and guess what? It is not that bad. It has a berry/cherry flavor and a mild hit of bitterness at the finish. It’s not super sweet and it’s not too bitter. Overall not bad and different then most shots flavor wise. Grade B-
Kick/Ingredients: I had several hours of boring country driving to do so I slammed it on down(did not need the gum) and roll on out. I was never hit with a massive burst of energy but I was definitely alert and energized. In 3 or 4 hours of non stop driving I never once felt fatigued. I’d say I got a good 4 hours of smooth energy. I was not over amped and aggressive either which is good since there was a lot of traffic moving at a high rate of speed the whole trip. The energy comes from caffeine (about the same amount as a cup of coffee), Glucuronolactone, N Acetyl L Tyrosine, L-phenylalanine, Taurine, Malic acid, and B Vitamins including 8333% of DV for B12, and 2000% DV for B6. They also include a 1 mg enzyme blend of Amylase, Protease, Lipase, Cellulase, and Lactase .You get 167% of your DV for Vitamin C as well. There are 15 calories and no carbs or sugar. You know what? I think this is exactly the same as the Kickin Energy shot I reviewed a while back. Same ingredients in the same quantities, same color and very similar flavor. Same Grade of C+ for kick/ingredients. A different company makes this shot but otherwise it is the same.
Web Presence: They do have a website at tryblackice.com. The site is ok but mostly it is just a sales site and it has very little info on ingredients. It’s definitely low budget but not in a charming small time company way. It does have the wolf on it and a locator that works well. That is about it. I will give them a D for web presence
Recap:
I think with a little polish this could be a good shot. It has the taste and a decent amount of kick. They need a better web presence and better packaging and maybe they would have a chance. It is still worth a try if you are on a long road trip. Don’t let the look scare you off.
