Energy Drink - 555 Reviews

I feel like Indiana Jones with this drink. No lie. I had heard legends that it existed, but had never seen any proof. There were murmurs that it was at this store or that, but I would show up and there would be no truth to the stories. You see this drink came out a few years ago and was quickly pulled from the shelves by the creators, due to impending arrests. Why were there going to be arrests? It seems they were advertising on the can that this was a legal substitute for the illicit street drug of the same name. Of course this caused all sorts of rumors as to why it was pulled. Some said the level of caffeine being too high. Others claimed that there were trace amounts of cocaine in the drink. Rubbish. Things had been quite and I was settling down to a life of teaching drink archeology (I am a scientist after all). Suddenly it came down the wire from a reliable source that a tiny mini mart in the Black Rock section of town had a couple of cans. I jumped in my car with my own tiny version of "Short Round" (my girlfriend who was confused for a toddler earlier today while sitting in the back of a car) and we made our way across town. We dodged obstacles (construction and missing a turn) and made it to the store. We bounded through the doors and searched the coolers. Nothing. It seems I was misled again. Resigned to go back to teaching I sighed, turned around and started making my way towards the exit. Suddenly from the corner of my eye I notice a smaller, almost hidden, cooler by the register. There is an almost holy glow emanating from it. There before me was my Grail. I quickly grabbed a can and slammed it on the register. As the cashier and I exchanged currency for product I felt as if I was switching a bag of stones for my treasure. (Yes I know it wasn't the Grail he switched for his bag of stones.) As soon as the transaction was complete I was out the door for fear of giant boulders, or snakes.....I hate snakes Jock! Outside there was a whole mess of cop cars. (Yes I would say there was a plethora of them El Guapo...Sorry wrong movie.) Short Round Natalie and I dove in my car and got the hell out of there, before we could hear an officer proclaim "The drinks will be found! You won't!"

Back in the safety of headquarters I rounded up the troops and we cracked our treasure open. I took a big sniff of it. It was a formidable scent; it stung the nostrils. (Again, wrong movie.) There was also an undertone of strawberry. I took a big swig and the flavor was definitely strawberry. Suddenly one of the craziest burns I've ever experienced set in. It was like a ginger or a capsicum burn, similar to those in the Prometheus Springs beverages. People had described this drink to me in the past as drinking liquid razor blades. Although it did hurt, it was in a very good way. After passing it around Mike said it tasted like Faygo Red Pop. Dan said it tasted like red War Heads candy. They were both right. This is one of the craziest drinks I've ever had. It also is said to have 3.5x's the energy as a can of Red Bull. I don't think this beverage is anything close to being healthy for you, but it certainly is interesting.

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This is the warning they put on the cans now to ensure there is no legal recourse:
This message is for the people who are too stupid to recognize the obvious. This product does not contain the drug cocaine (duh). This product is not intended to be an alternative to an illicit street drug, and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot.

I love them.

This was actually one of the first drinks I reviewed for Thirsty Dudes, but somehow before the site went live the review got deleted. Here is a new review as I bought another can.

This is not carbonated which is weird for two reasons. 1. This is the only energy drink I've had that wasn't. 2. Things that come in skinny cans always seem like they should be.

Basically this is agave juice that has been transformed into an energy drink. It's really sweet, but in a non-offensive way, like a pure fruit juice.

If you're looking for an alternative to all the chemical energy drinks out there, give this a shot.

Pep? I'm full of it. Piss and vinegar? Likewise. Hater of energy drinks? This guy. To come across a juice that is an all-natural energy drink kind of intrigued me. I bought it, took a sip, and pondered...why don't all energy drinks taste like this? Why do all energy drinks taste like someone cracked open a case of Smarties, mortar and pestled them, poured them into some already disgusting drink, and called it a day? Oh, you're surprised that I know what a mortar and pestle is? I'm also full of surprises.

This drink was more of a puree than a juice or an energy drink. For that, it was actually pretty nice. I like a nice, thick drink anyhow. The flavor wasn't bad, either. Fruity up front, and since it was Stevia, just a little sweet afterward.

All in all, I would say this was a success for Nestle and I hope that Jamba is more available to the general public. I'm not an energy drink convert, but this is cleverly disguised.

Scientists have been working around the clock for decades to come up with a drug that will cure almost any problem that you could possibly have. Finally they believe they have their solution and they call it Neuro Fuel. If this does half of what it claims than it must be a miracle drug. Neuro Fuel boasts to enhance coordination, intelligence, motivation, concentration, desire, sexual function, and recovery. The can also states that it calms anxiety, relieves depression, and reduces the urge to overeat. For those of you who are familiar with the Kids In The Hall movie, they would have you believe that this is a liquid version of GLeeMONEX. Hopefully Neuro Fuel won't induce a coma in anyone where their son and grandchildren come over for Xmas in a never ending loop.

When I opened the can my first impression was how carbonated it was. One sip caused an immense burp. The second thing I noticed was that it smelled very yeasty. It was a turn off and I feared what this was going to taste like. Strangely, but fortunately, it didn't taste yeasty at all. Rather it tasted diety, fruity, and a whole other mess of things that end with the letter Y. If this weren't diet I would have probably liked it more. As it is I will finish the can, but can't say I'd ever crack open another one. Then again I never go for a second round of diet drinks.

GLeeMONEX Neuro Fuel makes it feel like it's seventy-two degrees in your head... all... the... time!

Despite Rhino's track record with energy drinks so far, I was excited to try this one. When companies add real juice to an energy drink, it usually works out well. For example, take Jason's review of Monster Khaos.

No matter how hard I try, cranberry always reminds me of Thanksgiving. More specifically, it reminds me of my great grandmother cheating at rummy and swearing during dinner. In a weird way, that's a very fond memory of mine. I'm bringing this up because this drink has a very strong cranberry taste to it. In fact, it's the only taste I can decipher. It completely masks the energy drink taste, which is good. Unfortunately, despite the memories cranberry drinks conjure up for me, I have never liked it's taste. But as far as energy drinks go, I'd drink this one over 90% out there.

I knew this was going to be like no other energy drink I've ever had before. First off, it's made with pomegranate juice and grape skin. I've never seen an energy drink made with anything other than 15 different weird chemicals. It's nice to see a few easily identifiable things on the ingredients list. 'Red Lightning' has a really nice smell to it, very deep grape smell. The taste is definitely better than most energy drinks as well. There's virtually not battery acid taste, which is awesome! There's a little bit of acidic after taste, but that is most likely due to the HFCS. It's really tart which I like in drinks. The pomegranate flavor is strong, yet not overpowering like most pomegranate drinks are.

While this is much better than most energy drinks, it's definitely still a sipping drink like other energy drinks. The additives to give it 'energy' are definitely strong and my stomach would not like me if I chugged this bottle. Once again, my hat is off to Hosmer Mountain for making a tasty drink.

I already have a hard time drinking most energy drinks. When you give me a diet/sugar free energy drink, there's no way this is going to be good. The first sip of this was pretty horrible, like swallowing battery acid. The next couple wasn't too bad. Perhaps I've already acquired the taste for this drink? Nope, around the fourth sip the first couple sips finally hit my stomach and it feels very similar to the time I had food poisoning. For three days straight, I lied on the couch while my stomach felt like it was eating itself. It was easily in my top five worst feelings I have ever felt. Any drink that can give me that same feeling is not one I want to consume.

One thing I've noticed about energy drinks is they rarely taste good. They definitely do what they're advertised to do: give you energy. Would it be so hard for them to make them taste like anything but battery acid? I can taste the citrus in this can, but it's swooped away by the acidic aftertaste. This may not be the worst tasting energy drink I've ever had, but far from the best.

And now, I'm realizing that it was a bad idea to drink this on an empty stomach.

I've gotten in the habit of smelling drinks before I drink them, as if it's going to prepare me for what it tastes like. This smells like cough syrup, which half surprised me since this is supposed to be cola flavored. But on the other hand, I should expect it since most energy shots taste pretty bad. While this isn't the worst tasting energy shot ever, it's definitely not the best. I don't really see how this is cola flavored. There is a VERY slight cola aftertaste, but it's overshadowed by the gross energy drink taste.

When I first sipped this, it tasted exactly like Red Bull. As most people know, Red Bull is an acquired taste and I happen to enjoy it. But I was hoping this drink would be different. I was really disappointed.

But then the aftertaste kicked in. It burned my throat, but not in the usual acidic energy drink way. This burn was similar to ginger beer, but not as intense. It was really surprising in a good way.

The art on the cans of energy drinks always amuses me. This can, for instance, is wrapped in barbed wire. I understand why they would do this due to the demographic they're trying get to buy their drink, but I wonder how many people they turn off? Or inversely, how many people actually pick up this can and go "Sweet! I'm getting the drink with the barbed wire on it!"

As far as taste goes, I am disappointed with this. I assumed since it was called "dragon berry" that the flavor would be a mix of dragon fruit and berry. Sadly, there is no dragon fruit taste, and the slight strawberry taste is masked by the usual nasty energy drink taste. This is definitely not the worst energy drink I've ever had, but it's far from the best. The energy part of the drink definitely works as I've only had 1/4 of the can and I already have the energy to clean my entire house.

A carabao is a domesticated subspecies of the water buffalo found in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. This is the reason for the skull on the front of this can. Why am I rambling about this? I have no idea.

I was surprised that this wasn't carbonated, as most energy drinks are I believe. Maybe that's just how they do it in Thailand. I was also surprised how not awful tasting this was. It's really sweet and doesn't have the awful aftertaste that most energy drinks have. It has a slight pineapple taste to it. But it tastes very similar to red bull minus the bite.

Jason had previously reviewed a similar drink to this one, so I had some idea what I was getting myself into. I found this at a local Asian supermarket and was simultaneously intrigued and terrified by it. So naturally, I had to try it.

I made sure to drink this over the sink in case it was so bad that it made me puke. Luckily, it wasn't as bad I expected it to be. It wasn't the worst taste in the world, but definitely something I never want to drink again. Jason said it best; it tastes like what I imagine the water run off from a potted plant to taste like.

This is the strongest tasting mate that I have ever had. It's just sparkling water, mate and cane sugar. The first sip is so incredibly bitter. I almost considered not finishing it, but I'm glad I did. The second sip, not nearly as bad. By the fourth or fifth I was really enjoying drinking this. When I expected the bitterness it stopped being a problem, and it became something to look forward to.

A part of me wants to hate this out of principle for putting caffeine in root beer. But then, every time I drink it I'm reminded of how good this is. Bawls is known for their energy drinks, so it's no surprise that this is basically a root beer energy drink. As far as energy drinks go, it's really good! It doesn't have that acidic taste that most have. On the root beer side, it's a decent root beer. It's a light root beer taste with a very nice "froth" to it. I also love the bottles Bawls uses. The raised bumps seem weird at first when you're holding the bottle, but I've come to really appreciate them for doing something different. More companies should get creative with bottles like this.

I could definitely see this as being an acquired taste. On first sip I thought it was pretty terrible, but the further I got into the bottle the more I thought it wasn't so bad. If this was something that was around all the time, I could really see after drinking it here and there for a while, really starting to love it.
It's mate, so it has a ton of caffeine in it (which I need to stay awake tonight). It also gives it a strong bitter taste. I think the lemon lime flavor takes away from the mate flavor. I'm expecting to like the original one more.

This is it. This is what I have waited about 15 years to have again. I drank this all the time in high school (well the blue Brain Wash, this is the red one). I'll tell you something, it's still awesome. It tastes like no other soda I've ever had. This is definitely unusual. I think cherry is supposed to be the base flavor of this. You get a slight hint of it, and then the craziness sets in. I have no frame of reference for what the compare the flavor to. It's highly carbonated, and it has got a bit of a burn to it. Why is that? Oh because it has jalapeno oil in it. What other company would do that? I love it. It's also insanely caffeinated due to the herbal blend (and the straight up caffeine) in it.
Dan said it's tastes like Spencer Gifts, he's a bit off. It tastes more like something you would buy from a "head shop," which happens to be where I would buy them in high school. This drink should always have a place reserved right in-between the "bubblers" and the bootleg "live-side" Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Pepper CDs.

Adventure number two in the return to the world of Skeleteens didn't go as amazingly as number one. The Black Lemonade is still pretty rad, but it's not something that I'm going to crave.
On first sip, I was in love. This is really strong bitter slightly carbonated lemonade. The problem is it's a bit too strong. About 1/3 of the way through the 12oz bottle I could already tell I was starting to get a stomachache. I took about an hour break, and now I'm back into it.
Now that I'm at it again, it now tastes like carbonated lemonade that had some candy dissolved into it. You know how cola tastes when you drink it through a licorice straw? It's a similar effect as that, but with a different candy.
This also has all the crazy herbal ingredients in it, so I'm sure I'll have an energy freak out shortly.
Oh and they weren't kidding. This stuff is black. Hold it up to a light and it is just darkness, it doesn't have a red or blue tint at all.

You know how when you have plants in junky pots you generally put a plate underneath them. It catches the water that seeps out of the dirt after you water them. This tastes exactly like I would expect that runoff water to. I couldn't get more than one sip into me. Our friend Dan also likened it to "sweet creek water." If you're into either of those gross dirty waters, boy do I have an energy boost for you!

Back in the mid 90's when I was in high school, New Age Creations and Showplace Theatre (a local music venue) used to sell the Skeleteens line of soda. I was obsessed with it. It was overly caffeinated, and I remember some of them felt like you were drinking liquid smoke. After a few months they disappeared from the shelves. There were a bunch of rumors floating around as to why, most of them being about how there was actually some sort of illegal drug in the ingredients, or that one of the ingredients had been banned. This was about a decade before energy drinks really hit the market hard, so things heavily caffeinated seemed insane. Remember how people went nuts about Jolt back in the day?
I quickly forgot the company even existed. About two years ago I started searching for info, but no one knew what I was talking about. Even my friends who used to get them with me, barely remembered them existing. It didn't help that I couldn't remember the name of the company. Finally someone remembered they were called Skeleteens, and I scoured the internet. I found out that although the Skeleteens company is no more, Real Soda has taken over and on occasions small runs of the drinks were made, unfortunately I could only find them at distributors in California, and shipping was astronomical. I searched for them everywhere I went, with no luck. Then for Xmas this year, my girlfriend's parents ordered me a bunch of sodas from Galcos. I got one of each Skeleteens flavor, and boy am I ever stoked.
Okay forget the back-story, on to the review. As soon as I popped this open the smell hit me, and I totally felt like I was 15 again. It's crazily carbonated, but this one unfortunately didn't have as strong of a liquid smoke feeling as I remember (I now liken that feeling to crazy strong ginger beer). It starts off as a grape flavor, but then it switches directions and heads somewhere out west. I have no idea what to compare the flavor to, but I really love it. Maybe it's all the crazy herbs that are in the drink. Here is a list: Siberian Ginseng, Jasmine, Buchu, Dillweed, Ginko Biloba, Clove, Echinacea, Damiana, Kola Nut, Dong Quai, Brazilian Guarna, Gotu Kola, African Capsicum and Chamomile (I don't get why this one was in here). It's a weird mix of energy releasing and sexual stimulation herbs and those to promote a healthy immune system. Shear insanity. I've only gotten halfway through the bottle, and I already real insanely caffeinated. I have yet to have any sexual stimulation, so I'm calling their bluff.
Oh, and the label does nothing but scream 90's counter-culture. It's such an "alternative" company. Here are some of the things printed on the label: "arousing carbonated drink", "True love ain't cheap", "It's a turn on", "Helps to keep your heart on", "Nine inches full of wetness", "Not to be used alone unless you're into self-satisfaction" and my personal favorite (right above the ingredients) "What you'll be swallowing is these."
I don't know if it's just nostalgia or what, but I'm giving this a five-bottle review. I really love the way it tastes. I was hoping that I would think it was disgusting now that I'm older, so that I wouldn't have to worry about finding it again. Oh well. Now I'm going to have to find the pink variety of this. If anyone has any hook ups of how I can get this without it costing me a million dollars in shipping, please, please, please let me know.