Derek Neuland - 489 Reviews

Yesterday I embarked on a 6-week tour with the band Lemuria. We left DC this morning and just made it to The Fest in Gainesville, Florida. This is the longest tour I've ever been on but I'm excited to see a lot of the US and Canada that I've never seen before. I'm also obviously excited to find and try new drinks along the way.

Our first rest stop after leaving DC was a Wawa near Richmond, VA. If you've never been to Wawa, it's a chain of gas stations that have tons of great flavors of iced tea. They have soft pretzels too which are delicious. But back to the iced tea, it's really good. It's made with real sugar and is just really refreshing. Sometimes iced tea can taste way too much like the flavor it has in it with barely any tea. Wawa knows how to balance it out and it's more like an iced tea with an orange aftertaste.

I'm kind of glad there isn't a Wawa in Buffalo. If there was, I'd drink their iced tea so much I'd probably eventually get sick of it. It's a great treat when you're on a trip.

My first experience with Jolt, like most people, happened when I was a kid. I had heard a lot about Jolt for years. This was a time before energy drinks so the tales of the pop with so much caffeine it makes you jittery would be passed around all the time. I finally came across a bottle at a corner store after school one day when I was 12. I was so excited to find it, but to my dismay it was flat. The store must have had it in the cooler for ages because it tasted like someone opened it up and let it sit for 3 days. It lacked even a single bubble of carbonation. For this reason, I never sought out Jolt again. I was so disappointed by my first experience it killed all the years of anticipation for this soda.

Skip to present day and I come across this bottle. Seeing as I now am more opened minded than I was in my adolescence, I decided to give Jolt another try. Verdict: it's a pretty basic cola, nothing much to it as far as flavor goes. It definitely does have more caffeine than a normal bottle of pop. I'd liken it more to a cup of coffee. In the present world of energy drinks, this is child's play.

So let me get this straight, this is an ALMOST diet Dr. Pepper? Sure I'll give it a try! Hmmm, it's much lighter than the regular variety, but doesn't have the gross taste the diet version has. I don't normally care for Dr. Pepper (or it's many brothers and sisters), but this isn't that bad. In addition to tasting lighter, it also has less of the traditional bite this classic beverage is known for.

The most interesting thing to me about this is that high fructose corn syrup is the main sweetener, but there is also aspartame in it. Since it's a little further down the list, I'm assuming there's less in there and the corn syrup helps mask its usual gross taste. Good work chemists at Dr. Pepper! I'm going to put this right with the Dublin variety, still not amazing but better than the original.

This morning I had to go to the DMV. As I type this, I can already hear your groans. It has been several years since I've been to the DMV and stand up comedians and movies have ingrained in my head that the DMV is never a pleasant experience. Let me be the first (at least on this website) to say that I had a quick and easy series of transactions there today. I waited a total of 5 minutes, plus all my documents and paperwork were in order and acceptable. 20 minutes in and out and I now am the proud owner of an enhanced ID (which allows me to enter Canada).

Now I'm not going to give this energy shot all the credit for making my trip a success. I stayed up until 2am making sure my application was filled out correctly and I had all the necessary forms of identification needed to prove that I do indeed exist and that I reside in New York State. But when I woke up at 7:15am, which is about 5 hours before I normally get out of bed, I definitely needed something to keep my eyes open. Since there was no coffee shop between my house and the bus stop, I grabbed this before I walked out into the chilly morning air.

It obviously didn't warm me up the way a nice cup of coffee would have, but at least it tasted good. You know those little cans of mandarin oranges that are swimming in syrup? That's what this tasted like, but without the heavy syrup. It definitely kept me awake as well until I got downtown and could procure a cup of coffee. Not the strongest energy shot, but at least it tastes good.

I was going to write a witty post involving Ghostbusters and tie it into the drink because Azul is very close to Zuul. But then two things happened: 1. I got really tired and 2. This drink wasn't that good. This is a shame because the other Tropical Azul drinks we've had so far by Cintron have been delicious, as have their energy shots. Unfortunately not this one. It's pretty bad when a drink looks like mouthwash and after you drink it, you wish it would have tasted more like mouthwash because then it would have tasted better. It did give me energy so I'll give it that much. Sorry Cintron, I guess you can't win them all!

Last night I saw Pleasure Leftists and they were incredible. Even as I type the word incredible, it seems like an understatement. They were easily one of the best bands I've seen live in the past 6 months, and I go to a lot of shows.

My housemate Brandon did the show so naturally the band stayed here last night. I had been up since 9am playing host to my friend Shira who was in town from DC, so by the time I got home at midnight, I was exhausted. I would have loved to have hung out with my friends and the band but I didn't have it in me. Even though I was already tired, I knew the sound of the stereo downstairs might still keep me awake so I opted to grab this from the fridge to be sure I could fall asleep.

While not as strong as Marley's Mellow Mood, this definitely did the trick. Two or three episodes of The Big Bang Theory and I was asleep. It tasted good too which is always a good thing. It reminded me of a very light grape soda. It had a nice grape flavor to it, but very light carbonation. It allowed me to sleep through a party in my house so I think it's pretty awesome.

This review is a big stepping-stone for me. Until now, I have not reviewed any unsweetened iced tea. This has been by choice because until recently I hated any iced tea that wasn't loaded with sugar. The turning point was when Jay and I were on a road trip this summer and he freaked out when he found a lot of this jasmine tea for $1 each at a Big Lots. It was a really hot summer day so he opened one in the car and offered me some. I quickly understood what the fuss was all about. It was delicious.

Then a couple months later I realized, I had been looking at unsweetened iced tea completely wrong. I kept thinking it would have as much flavor as sweetened iced tea but obviously it won't due to the lack of sugar. Knowing this has allowed me to enjoy iced tea that is better for me now.

Since I'm new to the unsweetened iced tea world, you'll have to forgive my ignorance with this review. I was expecting this to have a stronger mint flavor than it does. I thought it was going to be like a mouthful of breath mints, but it's more of a mint aftertaste. Green tea isn't my favorite, but this is good and light. I could see this being really refreshing on a hot day, so I probably shouldn't have waited until it was 48 degrees in Buffalo to drink this.

It's weird when a drink tastes exactly like the flavor it's supposed to be. Many times it's advertised to be something, but somewhere between the taste testers and the packaging department something went awry. Not with this Slap energy drink, it really tastes like a crisp apple with a slight green tea aftertaste. I'm glad it's not strong on the green tea because I am not a huge fan and was kind of dreading this drink for that reason.

This is a great energy drink because there's no gross taste to it. If you wouldn't have told me, I would have just thought it was an apple green tea soda. I wanted to write this review about someone slapping this can out of my hand and not caring, but I couldn't do it because it tastes too good.

I hate these damn kids who are trying to be vampires. I know people who work in banks are always afraid of being robbed, but who would have thought a blood bank would be robbed on a regular basis? Have there always been teenagers who want to be vampires? Bram Stoker wrote Dracula back in 1897 so they have been a part of popular culture for over 100 years. I obviously wasn't alive back then but I can only assume it inspired some kids to want to drink blood. The earliest vampire craze I can remember vividly is when Buffy: The Vampire Slayer came out but I was still delivering papers back then. Ever since these stupid Twilight books and movies have become popular, I've had at least 3 nerdy teenagers a week trying to steal blood while I work the overnight shift.

Luckily I've discovered something to outsmart them. Harcos Labs makes this Blood Energy Potion that looks just like a pouch of blood. I've started to hang them up in front of the real blood pouches so when the kids run in and grab them, they don't get the good stuff. The jokes on them because this stuff tastes like bubble gum that's been soaking in a cup of fruit punch. The high-energy content will also make them twitch. I can only hope that it solves the problem and these kids get a life.

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We originally reviewed this for a Halloween drink article we did for Auxiliary Magazine. To read the full article and to check out the awesome magazine go to http://auxiliarymagazine.com.

Apparently I just drank history. After drinking this bottle, I decided to do a little research and I found out that Red Rock is one of the oldest carbonated beverages in the United States. It was founded in 1885 in Atlanta, Georgia. This probably is why it has a very classic cola taste to it. It's not trying to be fancy (despite the "premium" label), and it really works. If you like Pepsi Throwback, you'll love this.

The most interesting thing I found out was that Babe Ruth endorsed this soda. This is a big deal because this was the only product he ever personally endorsed in his lifetime. Look at this iconic poster and tell me it doesn't make you want to try it:

It feels nice to consume an energy drink for a change that doesn't feel like it's killing you. I know a lot of people who think Rumba is the best energy drink on the market. I can understand why; it's 100% juice, it delicious, and it's much better for you than other energy drinks.

But what about the Samba flavor? It also is 100% juice but I got a mouthful of a flavor I don't really like when I sipped it: cranberry juice. I've been trying for over 20 years to like cranberries, but I still can't do it. They are one of my most hated fruits. If you love cranberries then you'll love this. You might even want to marry it. Although, if you're like me, and cranberry anything makes you gag, stay away from this fun looking can.

Jason Draper is a wimp. Yes, that's right, I'm calling him out right here and now. Last week, he reviewed the Tweak Extreme Berry and said it was one of the most intense energy drinks ever. This surprised me because I had previously tried the Grape flavor and I didn't think it was that crazy.

So I had to see for myself. I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me this morning so I cracked this bottle open. It tastes good. It's not amazing, but it's a decent non-carbonated energy drink with not much energy gross taste to it. After I was done drinking it, I noticed the bottle said you're not supposed to drink more than 8 of the 12 oz in one day. Well I did, and on an empty stomach nonetheless (not on purpose, I was just so busy that I forgot to eat). Not drinking it on an empty stomach is another warning it gives you. Oops!


You know what? It didn't bother me. Compared to how insane the Redline Energy Drink was, this is nothing at all. It did not make me jittery, and it didn't make me any more energized than a couple cups of coffee would. So I challenge you Mr. Draper to try Redline (I have purchased a bottle for you) and then tell me if the Tweak Extreme you had is truly as strong as you thought it was.

You'd think at 3:30am I should be reviewing one of the many relaxation drinks in my queue. Nope, not tonight. I have a lot of work to do in the next 36 hours so I'm going to power through the night at work. In order to do this, I need energy obviously. That's where this wonderful little bottle comes in. I went with a Cintron energy shot tonight because they have a good track record of making delicious drinks. This isn't ground breaking, but it's definitely good as far as energy shots go. The mango flavor is nice, but the citrus mixed with the energy flavor leaves a bad aftertaste. Luckily the bottle is all gone now and I'm already feeling more energized. Back to work I go!

I found this in a gas station between Bloomington, Indiana and Cleveland, Ohio. There were 4 different flavors and they were $1 each so I decided to get all of them because they were cheap and I had never seen them before. It turns out this is an exclusive energy drink to Speedway gas stations. It's a pretty standard energy drink. It tastes like Mountain Dew Code Red with an energy drink aftertaste. I'm glad this was only a dollar because it's not worth much more than that.

All my life I've been told I am 'nice'. Some have even said I'm too nice, whatever that means. Once after someone said I was too nice, I tried being an asshole but then I realized I don't know how. It's a problem I have. Pretty serious huh?

My instinct to try and not be nice when I saw the name of this soda. I thought I was going to be gross and allow me to easily do this, but then it had to be a good grape soda. Although, by good I mean it was much better than I expected it to be. It's really generic in taste, but for a run-of-the-mill grape soda it's pretty good. See! It's hard for me not to be nice. Even though this would be considered boring to most people, I still have to give it a nod. Oh well, I guess I'm cursed.

Dear Mr. Zuckerberg,
It has come to our attention that people are becoming annoyed at the constant layout changes you've been making to The Facebook. I'm sorry, I was just told Justin Timberlake told you to drop the 'The' and it's now called just 'Facebook'. Anyways, if you don't do something drastic and awesome soon, I think people are going to jump ship and join Google + more rapidly. Sure you could clean up the layout, make privacy settings better, and a whole slew of other things, but I have a better idea!

An energy drink! Kids these days love energy drinks. Have you seen the energy drink sections at corner stores lately? It's bigger than the juice section! So you get this energy drink in the hands of kids and they will be so wired and hyperactive they will want to post a million photos and status updates.

Ready to hear the name I thought of? You're going to love it: Facedrink. Isn't it great!? What's that? Oh.... apparently there is already an energy shot called Facedrink. Its tag line is "the social drink". Hmmm, well great minds think alike I guess. Lemme give it a try. Not bad at all! Most energy shots are gross, but this one is pretty good. I already feel energized and ready to post about this on Facebook. See! It's working already and I'm not even the target demographic.

Sincerely,
Derek

A month ago I went to a show in Boston. It's a town I've always wanted to visit but never had the chance to until now. My friend Cory, who runs the blog Tokyo Hipster, lives there and suggested I check out Leo's Place because they had a good selection of root beer. He was definitely right. Their selection was pretty awesome for a hole in the wall diner. I wish I had more money at the time because there were a lot that I had never seen before.

I went for this one because it looked the most "small brew" of the bunch. I figured it would be the hardest to find this one again. I really was right because I can't even find a website for this company. I also was hoping that since it was a small company that it would be really interesting and stand out among the others. Sadly, this was not the case. It was a good root beer, but nothing to write home about. It didn't have much bite to it, nor any crazy flavors or aftertastes. It was just a simple root beer. Maybe that's what they were going for. If that's the case, job well done!

We were privileged to be given an advance taste of this drink. Apparently Europe has not allowed companies to have drinks on the market with stevia in them yet so they sent us a bottle of it without the label. This is the same Oggu 100% Organic Cola we have already reviewed, but sweetened with stevia. I loved the original so I was excited to try this low calorie version.

My thoughts are as follows: it's good, but not as good as the original version. It has the same complexity as the one sweetened with cane sugar, which is great. The stevia is throwing me off though. It's not as bad as most diet drinks, but I've definitely had ones that mask the stevia taste better. If Oggu is trying to be a competitor to drinks like diet coke and diet Pepsi, they will win hands down! But, this isn't as good as the cane sugar version of their delicious cola.

I wish I had found kola champagne sooner in my life. I've always enjoyed bubble gum flavored sodas, but the only one I was ever able to find was the one Jones makes. I know a lot of people hate bubble gum flavored pop, but I love it. This is the first dark kola champagne I've had. Until now, the one's I've had have been orange in color. This threw me off a bit because it has a cola color, but tastes just like other kola champagne. It's still good, but definitely tastes a little 'heavier' than others.

I didn't even have to open this to determine what it would taste like. The can is obviously trying to replicate Monster energy drinks so I was guessing that the insides were as well. I assumed correctly because this tastes just like the low carb Monster: melted candy with a diet energy drink aftertaste. Not bad per se, but not groundbreaking. This should try and find its own energy identity and stop trying to emulate one of the best out there.