Rockstar Coconut Water Energy Review

It was about  year ago, give or take a few months, that the "hydrating energy drink" craze took off. There were healthy energy drinks long before then, but it was around that time that brands like Rockstar and Monster started putting out these drinks. So, when I saw this drink in the cooler at a Marc's grocery store I had to pick it up without even looking at it. I almost instinctively walked up to the cooler, opened it, took the drink out, and bought it. I didn't give much thought into what it was, except for that it was a new Rockstar drink to review. I soon noted that it was a coconut water beverage. Coconut water has also been a craze lately, last Summer someone I know had VitaCoco, a coconut water drink and told me that it was disgusting. Still, this drink is made by Rockstar which is one of my favorite commercial energy drink companies, so how bad could it be?

The Can:
I like the shade of blue used in this can, it looks alright with the secondary black color and overall works. It isn't the best looking can, but it's pleasing to the eye and definitely tells you that this is a coconut water drink, not some hardcore, caffeine-packed drink that you'll be seeing on the news sometime soon. I have no real complaints with the can, the original Rockstar drink's can design will always be my favorite though. The can contains all of your typical energy drink info, which are all things I've seen many, mnay times before.

The Drink:
The only time I've had coconut prior to this was drink was in candy, and I've never really cared for it. So, upon cracking open this drink I wasn't expecting much. Good thing, because this is the second disgusting energy drink I've tasted this month. Two other people had this with me, and we all agreed that it was sickening. This drink is truly stomach-turning, the taste stays in your mouth too. It's just gross, it sticks to your throat and roof of your mouth and tastes like bitter milk laced with caffeine, and then topped off with hand lotion. I can safely say that I won't be a part of the coconut water craze, as this stuff tastes awful. I don't care if celebrities drink coconut water, if this is what it takes then I'll gladly stick to my soda-flavored energy drinks and Funyuns. Man, I love funyuns.

The Buzz:
This drink's energy blend contains 1.15 grams. It contains 1000mg of Taurine, 80mg of Caffeine, 50mg of Panax Ginseng Extract and 20mg of Milk Thistle Extract. To be honest, I did feel more awake after drinking this and I really would've been disappointed if this drink provided no energy. I expected energy from this though, as Rockstar drinks have never really let me down in that department. The buzz lasted for a solid 3 hours or so, and got me through the rest of my shopping trip.

This drink will wake you up, but I don't think the average person could ever choke this down. It's dangerously close to not being drinkable, so I have to advise you to stay away from this drink. Even if you "like" coconut water, stop fooling yourself and actually drink something that doesn't taste like liquid death.

Monster Rehab Rojo Tea Energy Review

I do kind of like the name "Rojo Tea" as apposed to just "Red Tea". I can speak very, very mediocre Spanish, and the fact that I got a 56 on my last Spanish test pretty much just proves that. I've had so many Monster drinks before, with some drinks I can remember how certain ones from each line tasted but with Monster I can't remember how some that I had awhile ago tasted. Since the name of this drink is in Spanish, instead of telling you where I got this in English I might as well put the "skills" I've learned in my 3rd Period Spanish to good use: Yo compro Monster Rehab Rojo Tea en el supermarcado. How correct or accurate that is, I can't say but it's supposed to say that I bought this at the grocery store. Anyway, let's see if this drink tastes like straight culo or if it is in fact drinkable.


The Can:
I must say, this might be my favorite Monster Rehab can. I like red and black together in a can and I think it really looks good. The all black top on the can looks really nice too, and all in all the can just looks good. Of course, you get the same story about the most likely fictional Rehab Pool Party on the back of the can amongst some other neat information. I like how there are Facebook and Twitter logos on the back of the can, it goes to show that the Monster brand is extremely current and on top of things, or they at least do a good job of making it look like that. I like the Rehab line's can designs more than their Juice offerings, which as far as I can remember are pretty awful.

The Drink:
Upon opening the can and taking a sip, I actually took another sip right away because it tasted pretty good. That sounds very cliche, but it actually happened. I really enjoyed the taste of this, which I almost hate to say because the Protean flavor was just putrid. This drink has a definite tea taste, backed up by a smooth cranberry flavor which is easy to consume. It tastes really good, and I really have nothing bad to say about it. It's fairly unique, easy to drink, and should be enjoyed by just about anyone.

The Buzz:
Naturally, this drink contains the standard Rehab energy blend which contains 3200 mg of your standard energy drink ingredients. The blend is designed to "bring you back after a hard day's night", otherwise known as "give you something to casually sip after yet another evening of being a raging alchoholic that is dangerous to themselves and those close to them". I had actually passed on the 6 pack of Pabst and 40 oz. of King Cobra that I consume on a nightly basis on the night before drinking this, so I can't speak for if it brings one back after a night of partying. I can say that it did a great job of giving me a nice boost in energy, I like the Rehab energy blend and can safely say that it works. The buzz lasted for a good 4 hours, and I didn't "crash" or anything after it wore off.

This drink is fairly new to the energy drink market, and I hate to say it but with how things are looking maybe this will be one of the last new energy drinks for awhile. It seems like even in the last year, everyone who used to drink energy drinks that I knew has stopped, everyone's drinking "Marley's Mellow Mood" now (which I do love) and energy shots seem to still be fairly popular. I'll keep on reviewing energy drinks for sure, and I definitely recommend giving this drink a try when you see it. If you don't feel like it now, maybe you'll be able to pick it up at Big Lots in a few years where a lot of energy drinks that were a big deal a few years ago are.

Monster Rehab Protean Energy Review

I really liked the original Rehab drink when it came out, I stopped looking for Monster drinks for a few months and was somewhat surprised when I saw the three new flavors. I've already reviewed the Green Tea variety and it wasn't bad. I decided to pick up the other two varieties and give them each a try, Protean was definitely the one I was least looking forward to trying. I question why several Monster drinks have really similar designs, I really don't know. Also, I'm not lazy but I also don't do many things that getting a lot of protein would help me with like lifting weights or playing football or something. Still, it was a new energy drink to try and I was still interesting in trying it, that's for sure.


The Can:
As I mentioned, the design of this can is very similar to a few other Monster drinks out there. Due to the ingredients of the drink this design makes sense but the can design is getting old. I don't expect Monster to come up with something completely new for every drink but I think they should at least change it a bit color wise, I think a darker blue might have worked better. It's really hard to describe to be completely honest and I really don't know what to say other than that. Otherwise, it's pretty much your standard Monster can and doesn't look awful, Monster has always done a nice job with their products' designs, at least for the most part.

The Drink:
I guess I'll keep this easy and straight to the point. I've had over 100 drinks, and only once or twice have my taste buds been met with a drink as nasty as this one. This drink truly is disgusting, it wouldn't be bad at all if it weren't so thick. It tastes alright, but it's just the thickness that's bad and the aftertaste that makes things worse. Save your money unless you're in extreme need of an energy drink with protein, because this drink isn't that good. I was able to finish the can and I think most people could, but there are much better drinks for the same price or cheaper, taste-wise.

The Buzz:
If anything, at least you'll get a decent buzz with this drink. After drinking it, I felt much more energized afterwards as with most Monster drinks. The energy blend for each Rehab drink is the exact same as the next, pretty much. I would say that that buzz lasted for about 2 1/2-3 hours, but it wasn't anything extremely special either.

There are a few foods out there that I hate and others love, and it's the same with drinks. Some people just have tastes for weird tasting things. So, while I didn't enjoy this, maybe you will. However, it's very likely that you won't like the taste of it, so this will have to be the rare occasion where I do not recommend the drink that I review.

6 Hour Power Very Berry Energy Shot Review

Nothing in particular about this shot is exciting to me, it's not really original and I really don't think that it will be anything special. Still, I picked it up in a two-pack at Wal-Mart conveniently and naturally located right next to 5 Hour Energy. I'm not an expert on how energy ingredients work at all, but I really don't know how they could calculate the certain amount of ingredients that can give you one more hour of energy than the industry-leading energy shot. Still, a lot of people would see this claim as a bonus and would be willing to pay the money for a supposed one more hour of energy. With "power" in the name, I had to check the back label to see if this shot contained steroids of any kind, It didn't.


The Bottle:
This shot's bottle is pretty much what you would expect from the exact kind of product it is. It mimics 5 Hour Energy in a way, it has claims to it's potency in big letters on the front, there are quite a few warnings on the bottle, and there are also some berries on the front. While nothing special, it does what it was meant to do and looks alright. It's pretty obvious that they weren't trying to be extremely original with this shot, and the bottle portrays that. It's really the shot that's contained inside that counts with an energy shot of this kind.

The Shot:
Since I bought this shot in a two-pack, I gave one to my brother and kept one for myself. When my brother drank his, he said that it tasted like apple juice. I agree, it's really a mixed flavor but it ultimately ends up tasting like apple juice with a sweeter aftertaste. I like the taste, it wasn't that bad and was easy to consume. It's nothing special, but I think anyone would be able to drink it fairly easily with no problem.

The Buzz:
If you're reading this, you're probably wondering if this shot provides 6 hours of energy. Well, that's hard to notice if you ask me. I usually drink a shot, feel an effect, but it's not like I'm constantly looking at a clock waiting for the buzz to wear off. Anyway, not long after consuming this I did in fact start to feel more energized. It's not necessarily an "energy buzz", with most shots you do feel more awake and alert but it''s not energizing in the sense that you'll be bouncing off the walls with energy. This shot undoubtedly helped me get through the day, I felt up for anything and the effects did last for awhile. I really wouldn't say that they lasted for 6 hours though, probably about 4 to 4 1/2 hours or so. The effects were satisfying and despite not meeting the 6 hour claim in my opinion I did feel much more awake and I feel that I got my money's worth in the buzz department.

If you want to try an energy shot or are just looking for something different then pick this up. You're not going to get something totally unique, but you will get a fairly drinkable shot that will keep you awake and alert for a large portion of your day.

Worx Energy Shot Review

I can remember when Worx came out very clearly. I started to see their TV ads, their little displays started showing up at the cash registers at convenience stores, and they even had a brief free sample offer. I requested free samples, but never got them and then moved a few months later so if they ever came whoever lives there now has them. You're welcome. Anyway, I've been on a real energy shot kick lately so I decided to pay $3.49 and pick up this shot at the Circle K near my house. I accidentally almost bought the extra strength variety of Worx, I will buy and review it in the future but for now we're going to take a look at the original variety.


The Bottle:
To someone like me that purchases, looks at, and consumes a lot of energy products, the design of this shot is interesting. I kind of like the blue and white color design, it doesn't mimic 5 Hour Energy in any way and the overall appearance of the product let's you know that this shot is not a knockoff. The bottle also has a "wide-mouth" opening, meaning the hole where you put your mouth to drink the shot is wider than usual. Of course, there are warnings on the bottle and the slogan "Fast Acting, Long Lasting", which I like. The gears in the design on the blue side of the bottle are a bit random but don't look too bad at all.

The Shot:
When you twist open the bottle you'll notice an orange scent, and that's also how the shot tastes. It's sort of a citrus taste, but not a repulsive one like a lot of orange flavors. It's fairly drinkable, and after drinking so many energy shots lately I can say that most energy shots share a similar "bite" just like energy drinks do. This shot's taste is good, it's unique, and you shouldn't have to drink some water or something afterwards to get the shot's taste out of your mouth.

The Buzz:
The shot's energy blend contains 2000mg of ingredients. There's Taurine, Malic Acid, Glucoronolactone, L-Arginine, Caffeine, L-Tyrosine, L-Phenylalanine, Inositol, L-Carnitine, and L-Tartrate. I'm glad I've already had my caffeine fix today because otherwise I'd be tired after typing out that long list of hard-to-pronounce ingredients. Nonetheless, that hefty list of fairly common ingredients is an effective one. In other words, I drank the shot and then felt more energized fairly quickly and for awhile. About 6 hours, to be exact. I didn't crash, die, or perform Michael Jackson's signature dance move "The Moonwalk" after the effects wore off either. So, unless you're looking to perform outdated 80's dance moves after drinking an energy shot, you should definitely give this shot a try.

These shots are on the more pricey side, at about $3.50 per shot at my local Circle K. But, if you're willing to pay that price and want adequate energy that lasts for awhile and is also very easy to consume due to the nice flavor, give this shot a try.

Rip It Code Blue Energy Shot Review

I've always enjoyed reviewing Rip It products, and it seems like they're the brand that I review most often. For a brand that you would consider a "discount" brand because their drinks are all $1, they have outstanding drinks a ton of varieties. I've had two other Rip It energy shots before, and I looked forward to trying this one as soon as I saw it. I love the color blue, and blue drinks are also enticing to me for some reason. With the exception of Antifreeze, blue drinks seem to always to taste good to me. However, this really isn't a drink obviously but I also looked forward to trying it because it was an opportunity to veer away from the standard, generic "berry" flavor of energy shots.

The Bottle:
I like this shot's bottle, the blue looks nice and everything and I like how it looks similar to a 16 oz. Rip It energy drink can in a way. However, there's somewhat of a "blemish" on the bottle which you can probably spot fairly quickly just by looking at the above picture. For some reason, they decided to place a little white bubble that says "sugar free" in it rather awkwardly above the Rip It logo. It really doesn't look bad, but it kind of throws the evenness of the design off. Still, the average person probably wouldn't notice or care. Of course, there's a box of warnings on the back of the bottle too. All in all, I think this shot's bottle looks the best out of all the Rip It shots I've tried. They're all fairly similar, but the blue just looks really nice.

The Shot:
Upon twisting open the bottle, I was met with a fairly nice scent and upon drinking the shot quickly, I was also met with a nice flavor. The flavor is a bit difficult to describe, it also has a grape flavor to it but right before you can call it a grape flavor it is mellowed out by a nice and tasty berry flavor. I enjoyed the flavor of this shot a lot, it didn't require a "chaser" at all and I think it was unusually tasty for an energy shot. I highly recommend this is you want a shot that you won't have to plug your nose to drink or anything.

The Buzz:
This shot contains a nice 100 mg of caffeine, niacin, and all of your other standard energy shot ingredients for the most part. While it's not that uncommon at this point in time, I really appreciate how they don't promise a certain amount of time that you'll feel energized (5 hours, 6 hours, all day, 3 1/2 weeks). It's gotten old to me and unless it's 5 Hour Energy it just makes the shot seem like a rip off right out of the gate. Anyway, I drank this at about 6:30 AM on what I knew was going to be a long day. I was really tired at the time and could have definitely used a lift in energy. When I left my house at about 7:00, I felt much more awake and alert. I didn't feel tired anymore and I felt like I was ready to take on the day. The buzz was really noticeable, which isn't always common with me. I felt the nice lift all day yet never felt a crash and didn't have trouble sleeping that night. I have to say, I really enjoyed the buzz this shot provided. For a shot with such a nice flavor, I was pleasantly surprised.

If you can find this shot, by all means buy it. For only $1, it's really good and I really enjoyed it. The flavor's good, the buzz is good, and it's well worth what you pay for it.

Red Rain Energy Review

Sometimes when I find a new energy drink somewhere, I feel that it actually might be a unique drink worth trying and maybe buying again. However, just by looking at this drink's name you should be able to tell that it's really nothing special. Aftershock, Red Thunder, and Loop are all drinks I've reviewed in the past that don't necessarily have unique  characteristics but are worth reviewing just for the sake of adding another review to the site and for the benefit of those who actually care about the energy drinks you often see collecting dust of the shelves of Dollar Stores nationwide. So, today we're going to take a look at Red Rain, I've seen it at Wal-Mart before but actually picked up my can at the Dollar Tree. You'll never guess how much I paid for it...

The Can:
Believe it or not, the lack of silver all over this drink's can is actually a good thing. In fact, I'll even say that I kind of like the can's design. The red and blue design is alright, and I wouldn't really expect more out of the design of such a cheap drink. It doesn't look awful, and I was actually surprised that there was a blue tab on top of the can. To be honest, this is one of the better $1 energy drink cans I've seen. Still, that doesn't mean it's a masterpiece. I really don't think they were trying to come up with an amazing can design in the first place though.

The Drink:
There's a famous energy drink that also has the word 'red" in it's name. It was one of the first drinks I reviewed, it's expensive and it's also very easy to find. Red Rain is only similar in the sense that it also has "red" in the name. Had I mentioned taste however, we'd have another "shocking" similarity. Red Rain is basically a clone of Red Bull in a 16 oz. can. So, if you've had Red Bull you've pretty much had Red Rain and vice versa. I would go into detail and describe the taste of this drink, but if you're reading this site then chances are you've had Red Bull before. If you haven't, I don't think you're honestly missing much.

The Buzz:
I'll be honest, I originally had this drink back in October. I started this review but out of laziness saved it and forgot about it. Today I decided to finish it and publish it. So, it's not like I had this yesterday and can remember the exact effects it had on me. However, I have a decent memory and I'm positive that I would remember if this drink had me extremely wired or if it did nothing at all. On the evening that I had Red Rain, a girl I was with at the time also had some and we both agreed on the taste. She said she felt a little more awake afterwards, and so did I. Red Rain contains the pretty much standard 1000 mg of Taurine, a pretty weak 80 mg of Caffeine, plus your usual assortment of somewhat hard to pronounce ingredients such as Glucoronolactone. While nothing impressive, the casual consumer will undoubtedly feel more awake after drinking Red Rain. I definitely did, and the drink did what it was supposed to.

If you see this drink somewhere and feel like getting a cheap buzz of energy with a fairly drinkable but not necessarily amazing flavor, give Red Rain a try. Don't expect anything amazing though, because this drink was fairly mediocre. Also, if you get this drink at the Dollar Tree, throw it in the fridge or freezer for awhile before drinking it. I don't know why they keep their drinks on shelves, but for someone like me that likes to buy a drink and then drink it straight away, it's annoying.

Xtra Extra Strength Energy Shot Review

Xtra's berry flavored energy shot was actually the very first energy shot I reviewed on this site. That was about a year ago, and since then Xtra shots have apparently become a little more widespread. Believe it or not, they actually sponsor the popular TV show "Pawn Stars", and you can see ads with Rick, Hoss, "The Old Man", and Chumlee promoting these shots. It's a cool promotion, and I find it amusing that a shot that you can seem to find at a lot of dollar stores sponsors such a popular show. I was surprised when I walked into my local Dollar Tree and saw the Extra Strength variety of Xtra, I actually didn't even know it existed. Still, it caught my eye and since it was at the Dollar Tree I only paid $1 for it. I actually walked up to the counter with the shot and something else and the cashier felt the need to yell "$2.14" before she even rang up my items. I've been thinking about applying for a job at the Dollar Tree, since math has never been my specialty. It didn't really help that the cashier forgot to give me half of my change before closing the register and I had to wait for someone else to check out to get the rest of my change either.

The Bottle:
This shot's bottle isn't really anything special.The actual Xtra logo is kind of bland looking and I think it would look better with some more vibrant colors. I feel like the flames on the bottle don't really fit in either, but nonetheless the bottle looks decent and informs you of the shot itself. It provides all of the ingredient information you would expect and it of course has a big black box full of warnings on the side. I don't know if there is an extra strength version of every flavor but this particular one is grape which is why the bottle is purple.

The Shot:
I did something a bit risky when I drank this shot. I was in a car with no other liquids to chase the shot down with, so if it tasted bad I was out of luck. I twisted upon the bottle and quickly drank the shot, not surprisingly it was drinkable but didn't taste the greatest. It tasted and smelled like grape cough syrup, but not nearly as thick. It tasted more like grape juice than any other grape flavor I can think of. The flavor definitely lingered in my mouth and wasn't completely intolerable, but I definitely would've liked to have some water or something to chase the shot down with.

The Buzz:
Unfortunately it's been awhile since I've had a regular Xtra shot and I threw away any bottles I had, so I can't necessarily explain how this drink is "extra strength" without a regular list of ingredients to compare this shot's to.  But, this shot's energy blend contains 2200 mg in total. It contains Taurine, Malic Acid, Caffeine, Glucoronolactone, N-Acetyl, L-Tyrosine, and L-Phenylalanine. To someone like me, most of those ingredients are familiar despite how hard they are to pronounce. That's also a decent list of ingredients and one that's bound to provide some sort of buzz. Not long after finishing the shot, I immediately felt more awake and very alert. It was a good feeling, I wasn't extremely hyper nor was I edgy, the buzz was just right. It lasted for about 4 1/2-5 hours and once it mellowed I didn't experience a crash, which is supposedly because of the ingredient Glucoronolactone.

For $1, you might as well check this shot out. The flavor isn't the best, but it's not completely repulsive either. The shot also packs a nice potent buzz and does what it advertises and what it's supposed to. All in all, I was satisfied with the shot and might pick it up again sometime in the future.

Rip It Red Zone Energy Review

photo from www.bevnet.com

For a few years I've been drinking Rip It energy drinks and I can safely say that Rip It has always been one of my favorite brands. Last summer, Rip It released three new flavors. I've only seen two of them, 3 Way and of course Red Zone. The third one, Le MOAN'R is yet to be seen by me, anywhere. Red Zone caught my eye mainly because it was new to the Rip It cooler at the store I frequent. To be completely honest, I was probably the least excited to try Red Zone out of all of the new flavors. Despite it being a strawberry flavor, which is actually somewhat of a rarity, I like trying really unusual flavors which strawberry obviously isn't. Let's take a look at how Red Zone fares in the can, drink, and buzz categories.


The Can:
I think Rip It really did a nice job with Red Zone's can. You might know that all Rip It cans follow the same design but differ in color, some wording here and there, and as of late the little picture under "energy fuel" on the front of the can. You could argue that they have too many red cans. Power, A'Tomic Pom, and F Bomb have red color schemes along with Red Zone but it's the shade of red that they use that make them different. I really like the shade of red they chose for Red Zone, it's appropriate for a strawberry drink and I just think it looks good. The strawberrys on the front are a nice touch, and unlike some I'm so used to the silver on Rip It cans that I actually like it. I've always been fond of the design of Rip It cans and really can't imagine them looking any other way.

The Drink:
When I tried this yesterday, or last year, I wasn't necessarily surprised when I took a sip of the drink. Don't get me wrong though, I think this drink tastes phenomemal. If you're familar with the unusually "Midwest" soda known as "Red Pop", imagine that with a nice energy drink bite to it and a great strawberry flavor in the background. "Red Pop" is exactly what it sounds like, red pop. I guess you could refer to it as "Red Soda" or "Artificially flavored carbonated stuff that's red". For those not familar, Red Pop tastes kind of thick in a way, but not in a bad way. It has a mellow flavor that's somehow almost rich, it's really hard to explain but that's how it tastes. But, that's the base flavor of the drink and it also has a nice little "bite" to it. As for the strawberry, I found it to be a prominent background flavor that stayed in your mouth even after finishing the drink. All in all, I really enjoyed the taste of Red Zone. However, I must say that the two new Rip It drinks I've had didn't really taste like Rip It drinks, if that makes sense. The new flavors seem to have more prominent and strong tastes, and that's certainly not a bad thing.

The Buzz:
Red Zone  contains a decent 1010 mg of Taurine, 85 mg of Taurine, 100 mg of Inositol, and 3 mg of Guarana. There are also some B Vitamins, Vitamin C, and 25 grams of sugar per serving. That's honestly not the most impressive energy blend I've seen, but it's definitely not the kind of energy blend that's not going to do anything at all. In fact, not long after finishing the drink I felt wide awake and fairly alert. I don't know if one enters the "red zone" after consuming this drink, if the red zone involves listening to music, eating chex mix, and watching the movie Gran Torino starring Clint Eastwood, I was definitely in the red zone (don't ask).  Rip It drinks never disappoint in the buzz category, they always provide some sort of lift and I've never had one that's been ineffective. The buzz surprisingly lasted for about three hours and once it mellowed out I did not "crash", "fall into a deep depression" or "listen to Dubstep". I felt fine, as a matter of fact.

For only $1, Red Zone provides a great taste and a nice energy buzz. I suggest picking it up, it's pretty tasty and it's actually hard to believe that Rip It drinks are only $1 since they're so good. I know I've probably said that before, but it's true and will remain true as long as Rip It continues to put out good drinks.