Review for Rumba Energy Juice

CAFFEINE CONTENT

170 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—1

I found my can at an outlet store, which is the only place I’d seen it before or since.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—4

Like I said in my review for Samba Energy Juice—IF YOU’RE MAKING A FREAKING ENERGY DRINK, THEN FREAKING PACKAGE IT LIKE A FREAKING ENERGY DRINK!  This is not energy drink packaging, this is kid’s fruit juice packaging, and packaging energy drinks like this does not help keep stupid parents from buying these for their kids and serving them with their bologna sandwiches, which typically ends very badly.

TASTE—6

Out of the three in the line, this is the only one that doesn’t taste like apple juice.  It does taste like that tropical fruit juice blend from concentrate that you can pick up from anywhere, and is not spectacular, but will certainly appeal to lovers of such fruit beverages.

KICK (INTENSITY)—7

As with the others—average.  To clarify—this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes average does get a bit tiring, so forgive my lack of exposition.

KICK (DURATION)—7

Also (brace yourself) average, delivering about 3 hours of energy before the crash comes.

THE DRINK OVERALL—6.67

I wasn’t especially wowed by Rumba Energy Juice, but those who are fans of tropical fruit juice blends and energy will certainly have something to love in it.

WEBSITE: rumbaenergyjuice.com

KEYWORDS: Rumba Energy Juice energy drink review, 100% juice, non-carbonated, tropical fruit juice flavor

Review for Samba Energy Juice

CAFFEINE CONTENT

Energyfiend.com states that Rumba Energy Juice (orange and blue can) has 170 mg of caffeine, so I'm guessing that the same is true for Samba.

EASE IN ACQUISITION—1

Got this for 25 cents at an outlet store in Twin Falls, along with both Rumba and Tango energy juices.  To wind up at such a place, I imagine it had been stocked somewhere else at some point, but I haven’t been able to find it.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—4

I have the same tiff with this as I did with Tango Energy Juice—this does not look like an energy drink.  It looks like a kid’s fruit juice drink, and having a two-year-old, these sorts of things make me nervous.  If you’re going to make an energy drink, package it like a freaking energy drink, or at least do something to make it distinguishable from Capri Sun or Juicy Juice and the like so some dumb parent doesn’t buy it for their elementary school kid and kill them.

TASTE—6

Tango Energy Juice looked like it should taste like grape, and it tasted like grape-ish apple juice.  Tango looks like it should be cranberry or something like that, and it tastes mostly like cranberry-ish apple juice.  My own personal aversion to apple juice aside (long story), if you’re going to make a fruit juice that’s obviously supposed to have a particular taste in particular, make sure it tastes like that, rather than your run-of-the-mill fruit juice filler.

KICK (INTENSITY)—7

Kick’s average.  Wakes you up, but isn’t anything to really write home over.

KICK (DURATION)—7

Also average—you get 3 hours or so before it’s over.

THE DRINK OVERALL—6.67

For 25 cents, I wasn’t expecting anything especially spectacular, and Samba Energy Juice isn’t.  It’s for people who like 100% juice (which, I will admit, is unique and kind of nifty) and who also like energy.  If this sounds like you, get online and order a case.  Otherwise…don’t.

WEBSITE: rumbaenergyjuice.com

KEYWORDS: Rumba Energy Juice energy drink review, 100% juice, apple juice, cranberry juice, non-carbonated

Review for NOS Sugar Free

CAFFEINE CONTENT

260 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—7

Average.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—6

I’ve made note of this before in at least a couple of reviews, but now that I’m actually reviewing the beverage, I get to expound—the packaging on NOS Sugar Free isn’t all that great.  I am really not a fan of extensive exposure of aluminum when it comes to packaging on a cans—for some reason, I have a mindset that associates colorlessness on a can with flavorlessness within, and as a result, I’m always a little apprehensive when I reach for one in a cooler.  Looking at NOS Sugar Free, I couldn’t help but think that I was probably going to wind up with a watered down version of the original, with a heavy taste of artificial sweeteners.

TASTE—9

You have probably heard the phrase “can’t judge a book by its cover”, and in this case, that’s absolutely true.  I have no more qualms with this drink than I did the original, except that the you do get a bit of an artificial sweetener taste in the first few sips.  That goes away, however, and pretty soon you’re just enjoying passion-fruity goodness.

KICK (INTENSITY)—10

Most NOS drinks deliver a very curious kick—they make it so that I am extraordinarily alert, but it’s never a jittery sort of thing.  NOS Sugar Free isn’t really any exception to that—it’s about as effective as anyone could ask for, but it’s not so in-your-face intense as many similarly intense energy drinks.

KICK (DURATION)—10

No NOS drink has ever failed in this department, and you can feel pretty confident that NOS Sugar Free won’t either.  5+ hours of energy are delivered before you cross the finish line.

THE DRINK OVERALL—9.67

If you like NOS and are counting calories, I can’t think of any reason why you wouldn’t like NOS Sugar Free.  Heck—if you like NOS and aren’t counting calories, I can’t think of any reason you wouldn’t like NOS Sugar Free.  It’s an excellent all-around drink, and well worth any energy drinker’s consideration.

WEBSITE: drinknos.com

KEYWORDS: NOS Sugar Free energy drink review, zero calories, zero sugar, sugar free, zero carb

Review for Starbucks Refreshers--Orange Melon

CAFFEINE CONTENT

40-55 mg.  Thank you, anonymous commentator!

EASE IN ACQUISITION—6

There are only so many ways I can say this (I just finished my reviews for both of the other Starbucks Refreshers drinks)—unless you know where to look, you probably won’t find any Starbucks Refreshers beverage at your first shopping stop.  The next, however, will probably be another matter.  This is an emerging energy drink from a big company, however, and we’re bound to see it everywhere soon.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—6.5

I like the way this one, with its orange, looks more than Strawberry Lemonade’s redish-pink, but still—that dang silver band at the bottom of the can mars an otherwise passable package.

TASTE—6.5

I enjoyed the flavor of this one a little more than the others—the orange melon is just alright (maybe just a bit unremarkable), but what I liked about this one was the fact that the excessive sweetness from the stevia was very much muted.

KICK (INTENSITY)—5.5

I feel about the kick from this drink as I did about the kicks from the others—it’s there, it’s recognizable, but really not very impressive.

KICK (DURATION)—5.5

You’ll get a 2-hour boost out of this beverage.  Ordinarily, that would be something, but given the weakness of the kick, it’s nothing at all impressive.

THE DRINK OVERALL—5.83

Tastes alright, but the kick kind of makes me feel annoyed just writing about it.  I’m okay with a drink that’s not exceptionally strong, as long as it’s good for something—for example, the 10 oz. Bawls Guarana gave me just the right amount of energy to function for the rest of the day after waking up from a nap that left me feeling pretty groggy.  With Starbucks Refreshers—Orange Melon (or any of them), I have a hard time deciding what situation I’d use them for—there’s just so little to work with.  Coffee drinkers—stick with your coffee.  Energy drinkers—stick with your energy drinks.

WEBSITE: starbucks.com, specifically www.starbucks.com/promo/refreshers

KEYWORDS: Starbucks Refreshers Orange Melon energy drink review, green coffee extract, stevia, Stevia rebaudina, natural energy

Review for Starbucks Refreshers--Strawberry Lemonade

CAFFEINE CONTENT

40-55 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—6

Not uncommon, but still found more at less conspicuous locations than at major chains.  Probably will change soon enough, though….

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—6

Starbucks Refreshers—Strawberry Lemonade has the same problem as Raspberry Pomegranate in terms of the exposure of aluminum giving the can an incomplete look, only it lacks the bold, rich coloration of the latter.  On one hand, this means less contrast between the “completed” part of the can and the more-or-less bare part and therefore less of a clash, on the other hand, this lack of clash works as sort of a testament to the packaging’s slight weakness.

TASTE—6

I liked Starbucks Refresher’s Strawberry Lemonade's flavor less than I did the Raspberry Pomegranate—even if both had the same overstated sweetness, at least Raspberry Pomegranate tasted somewhat different.  Strawberry lemonade is a pretty standard, run-of-the-mill flavor, and I don’t feel as though I really gained anything out of drinking it.

KICK (INTENSITY)—5.5

Quite unremarkable and unsatisfying.  You get a mild boost, and that’s all.  Scarcely enough to be considered a kick.

KICK (DURATION)—5.5

Starbucks Refreshers—Strawberry Lemonade lasts only about 2 hours before giving out.  Given how weak the initial kick was, I’m surprised I could tell that it lasted even that long.

THE DRINK OVERALL—5.67

Well, if you’ve got to try a Starbucks Refreshers beverage, go with Raspberry Pomegranate.  Strawberry Lemonade is really quite unremarkable in every respect, and bound to please only Starbucks diehards.

WEBSITE: starbucks.com, specifically http://www.starbucks.com/promo/refreshers

KEYWORDS: Starbucks Refreshers Strawberry Lemonade energy drink review, green coffee extract, stevia, Stevia rebaudina, natural energy

Review for Starbucks Refreshers--Raspberry Pomegranate

CAFFEINE CONTENT

40-55 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—6

Emerging, so as of yet somewhat on the infrequently encountered side of things.  Given the popularity of Starbucks, however, I’m certain it will become more popular in the future.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—7

The drink would look a little nicer if they hadn’t cut off the bottom quarter of the packaging.  On the top part, you have the Starbucks logo and a deep, rich burgundy background, and it looks nice—then you cut it off towards the bottom, exposing the bare aluminum of the can.  Really leaves the drink looking incomplete.

TASTE—6

The taste is…okay.  I can taste the raspberries, and I can taste the pomegranate, but there’s a bit of an intense sweetness that I’m sure comes from the stevia, and frankly, it’s a bit much.  I could have done without that—just throw some cane sugar in and call it good, for crying out loud!  I don’t know what the big hype is over stevia that warrants its use in spite of the fact that it ruins every drink it touches!

KICK (INTENSITY)—5.5

This, frankly, was a bit of a letdown.  It never really woke me up, just left me feeling as though I was on my way to being awake.  It was an incomplete experience, and in that regard was quite unsatisfying.

KICK (DURATION)—5.5

The drink worked for about 2 hours, which would have impressed me just a bit more had the kick not been so weak to begin with.

THE DRINK OVERALL—5.67

I’m a little behind on my reviews, so this is late getting out, so for those who have not already tried this drink: there’s really nothing special about it.  It tastes okay, but the kick is pretty darn weak.  If you must try it, make sure you’re not really dragging, as this drink will fall far short of most energy requirements.

WEBSITE: starbucks.com, specifically www.starbucks.com/promo/refreshers

KEYWORDS: Starbucks Refreshers Raspberry Pomegranate energy drink review, green coffee extract, stevia, Stevia rebaudina, natural energy

Review for Rip It--Citrus X

CAFFEINE CONTENT

200 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—7

Only as common as the dollar stores in your area.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—5

Citrus X has the same quasi-tribal sunburst thing as all the others; the only thing that makes it distinguishable from the rest being is the color combination—shades of gray for the tribal design, yellow-ish for the background.  In terms of how unremarkable it is, it’s actually quite remarkable—I don’t think I’ve seen a drink this drab looking before.  Unless you’re really keeping your eyes peeled for it, it’s really pretty easy to pass it over in the energy drink section.

TASTE—5

Pouring this out into my Energy Glass (yes…I have a flare pilsner exclusively for 16 oz. energy drinks), I found Citrus X to possess an opaque, toxic fluorescent orange color—very reminiscent of Sunny D, the sugar-and-industrial-solvent drink that most of us remember from our growing-up years.  Taking a drink—it’s about that, just less sugary (as far as taste is concerned; in terms of content it’s got enough HFCS to make one think that an entire corn field went to filling a single can) and not quite as strong, which I can’t decide if that’s good thing or a bad thing—it could be good because Sunny D doesn’t taste particularly good, and it could be bad because it tastes like the drink doesn’t really have the balls to go all-out on the flavor.  Either way, it really just sucks—one of the most mediocre flavors I’ve ever experienced.

KICK (INTENSITY)—9

As pitiful as the taste is, if you drink Citrus X, you’ve got a pretty solid kick waiting for you—it’ll wake you up fast and hard, and should be sufficient for all but the most persistent fatigue.

KICK (DURATION)—8

Not so long-lived as it is intense, but still satisfactory.  Anticipate 3½ hours of functional energy before the end.

THE DRINK OVERALL—7.33

So the kick’s nice, but the taste sucks.  Decide for yourself whether or not this is worth your consideration.

WEBSITE: ripitenergy.com

KEYWORDS: Rip It Citrus X energy drink review, bargain energy drink, cheap citrus taste

Review for Rockstar Punched--Orange Mango Passion Fruit

CAFFEINE CONTENT

330 mg/22 oz. bottle

EASE IN ACQUISITION—0

It’s been discontinued, and has been for a while—before I started really getting into energy drinking, if I remember correctly.  It’s a miracle that I managed to find this bottle at all (at a sports store in Buhl, in case you were wondering), and I have serious doubts as to whether I will be able to again.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8

This one came in quite a nifty bottle—thick, solid, and dark, almost opaque blue, with an orange diamond metal label with the Rockstar logo and other useful things—such as the flavor—in the foreground.  Felt nice and weighty in my hand, and I liked the resalable aspect—more drinks need that.  Not that I ever really use it, it’s just nifty to be able to if needed….

TASTE—9

This is pretty dang nice stuff—good enough that I’m sorry that they discontinued it.  It tastes exactly like what it says it will taste like—first you get the flavor of orange and mango, then a passion fruit finish.  One complaint I do have with it is that it has some pretty substantial fruity bitterness in the aftertaste—which disappears after a few swallows, but it still bothered me enough to dock a point.  Other than that, it’s what one hopes to get in a fruit punch drink when one can’t get their hands on Venom Energy—Death Adder.

KICK (INTENSITY)—10

Given how long this stuff had been off the market, I was worried about two things that might happen from all it's time on the shelf: 1) a flat drink, which proved not to be a worry, and 2) a lackluster kick—which also proved not to be a worry.  Making my way through the bottle, I was hit by what I’d call a nice blast of energy—kind of like going from 0 to 240 in, say, 3.5 seconds.  Needless to say, I didn’t have much trouble getting my work done for the rest of the day.

KICK (DURATION)—10

This drink lasted me a solid 5, 5½ hours before I crossed the finish line, at which point I experienced something that was more like drifting to a halt rather than a violent crash.

THE DRINK OVERALL—9.67

My experience with Rockstar Punched—Orange Mango Passion Fruit was positive enough that I’d for sure go for it again—if they hadn’t discontinued it, which is really unfortunate, since it’s such an excellent drink.  If by some miracle you can find it (maybe at a wholesale store or something?), buy a bottle or two and glory in the fruitiness and the energy.

WEBSITE: rockstar69.com, but don’t look to find it there—remember it’s gone, probably for good.

KEYWORDS: Rockstar Punched Orange Mango Passion Fruit energy drink review, resealable bottle, discontinued, no longer available