Review for NOS Active--Acai-Pomegranate-Blueberry

A special thanks to fellow reviewer and stud muffin Caffeine King for the use of this picture!  If you haven't had the chance to check his site out, make it a point to do so.

CAFFEINE CONTENT

224 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—7

Not quite ubiquitous as of yet; seems that for the time being some of the larger chains are holding off on carrying it—though it’s relatively easy to come most everywhere else.  Time will tell if these spread any further than they already have.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8

Functionally this works just dandy (good gripping section, caffeine content listed) and aesthetically I have no complaints—so I’d call this bottle a successful endeavor.  What more is there to say?

TASTE—5

Let me just say before anything else that there’s nothing disagreeable whatsoever about getting this drink down—the drink’s failing in the flavor department is the fact that there’s nothing agreeable about it.  The ill-designated “flavor” is so weak that the only time it can actually be detected is when one exhales through their nose after swallowing.  There’s really no excuse for this degree of blandness, especially with hydration energy beverages on the market so good that just drinking them is a joy in and of itself.

KICK (INTENSITY)—9

its nature as a hydration beverage, I deemed it appropriate to try it out as a pre-workout drink—and let me tell you, in this respect NOS Active won’t let you down.  In the half-hour between drinking it and arriving at the gym, I was so thoroughly energized that found it extremely difficult to sit still, and the hour I spent on Jacob’s Ladder/lifting flew by like it was nothing.  And…in spite of the fact that I’m usually pretty hammered by the time I’m done with all that, I felt just fine—plenty sharp and alert for at least two and a half hours more after the fact.

KICK (DURATION)—9

If you do the math in the above section, you get about four hours of efficacy, with no crash.

THE DRINK OVERALL—7.67

To sum things up, NOS Active—Açaí-Pomegranate-Blueberry is an invigorating energy experience, but the flavor could use some work.  Still, if you need your electrolytes and a solid energy boost, don’t let the blandness keep you back.

WEBSITE: drinknos.com

KEYWORDS: NOS Active Açaí Pomegranate Blueberry energy drink review, low calorie, hydration beverage

Review for Runa--Berry

CAFFEINE CONTENT

120 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—1

In my last post I indicated (and as I recall expressed a small degree of vexation) that the cans don’t appear to be available from the company website.  Fortunately for interested parties, 24-packs are available on Amazon.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—1

I don’t think there’s any better way to express my sentiments regarding the packaging than what I wrote in my review of the original Runa, ergo I’m going to copy and paste the text here.  You can move on to the next (more pertinent) section if you’ve already read that review.

It’s not often I get something as new and unusual as Runa, and at the same time, it’s not often that something this unique gets so little attention in the packaging department.  For starters, Runa is made from the tea of a caffeinated plant that I hadn’t so much as heard of before reviews for Runa started popping up on various review sites (possessedbycaffeine.com and caffeineking101.blogspot.com).  While you can find yerba mata and tea-based energy beverages just about anywhere (even Wal-Mart has Sambazon), Runa’s guayusa base is a first, and really deserves some special attention.  That being said, if you’ve got something as unique and cool as this on your hands, why not show it on the can?  Why would you stick it in something so bland as the bare aluminum it comes in, and leave the advertising of the guayusa at the mere mentioning of it in the small, 12-point font band at the bottom of the can?  Like I said, the fact that guayusa is very cool—but it’s something that needs to be boldly advertised with bright and beautiful imagery on every single freaking can (I know they can do it, just check out the bottles on the website!); as is this is something that most people would just pass over.

TASTE—8

Given my previous experience with the original Runa, I was pretty uneasy about what reviewing the berry equivalent would be like.  Fortunately, it tastes good—nothing life changing, mind you, but good enough that I wouldn’t have any issues with drinking it again.  As far as flavor is concerned, it tastes like a drink made from açaí more than anything else—moderately earthy, only somewhat sweet, the berry flavor generally muted, but all in all it is fairly agreeable.

KICK (INTENSITY)—7

In the absence of the need to gag down the drink, I found it all the easier to enjoy the promise of “clean energy” Runa makes and delivers.  You want to be out-of-your-mind wired?  You may need to find another beverage.  But if you’re wanting something clean and natural to add some spring to your step and make concentrating/focusing all the easier, chances are you’ll find something to like in Runa—Berry.

KICK (DURATION)—7

Three hours, no crash.

THE DRINK OVERALL—7.33

Like I said, I can see myself drinking this again if it became readily available nearby.  It tastes reasonably good, and I enjoyed the kick.  That said, I’d love to be able to find out what sort of buzz I’d get if I had more than one can per sitting….

WEBSITE: runa.org

KEYWORDS: Runa Berry energy drink review, guayusa, all natural

Review for Runa

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CAFFEINE CONTENT

120 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—1

Got my cans of Runa as samples, but bottled variants are available on their website.  For some reason, though, I can’t seem to find where to order it in cans, so if interested, realize you’re probably going to wind up buying something different than what I’m reviewing.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—1

It’s not often I get something as new and unusual as Runa, and at the same time, it’s not often that something this unique gets so little attention in the packaging department.  For starters, Runa is made from the tea of a caffeinated plant that I hadn’t so much as heard of before reviews for Runa started popping up on various review sites (possessedbycaffeine.com and caffeineking101.blogspot.com).  While you can find yerba mata and tea-based energy beverages just about anywhere (even Wal-Mart has Sambazon), Runa’s guayusa base is a first, and really deserves some special attention.  That being said, if you’ve got something as unique and cool as this on your hands, why not show it on the can?  Why would you stick it in something so bland as the bare aluminum it comes in, and leave the advertising of the guayusa at the mere mentioning of it in the small, 12-point font band at the bottom of the can?  Like I said, the fact that guayusa is very cool—but it’s something that needs to be boldly advertised with bright and beautiful imagery on every single freaking can (I know they can do it, just check out the bottles on the website!); as is this is something that most people would just pass over.

TASTE—1

I was primed to enjoy my can of Runa—popping the can open I was hit with a wondrous earthy scent, and pouring it out into my Energy Glass I found the warm red-brown color to be quite pleasing.  That’s one of the reasons I hate to say that Runa tastes really, really, really bad.

Fortunately it doesn’t reach the depths of chemical monstrosities like Dynapep or Aeroshot, but in this case the all-natural nature of the drink is small comfort; it’s like nothing so much as very bitter carbonated straw.  It was bad enough that getting down all iced 8.4 oz was a challenge—it’s been a very long time since I’ve had this much trouble getting down so little liquid.

At the same time, I’d like to give it a try again, but knowing what awaits, I would dump in a teaspoon of raw sugar or two (organic free-trade kosher sugar distilled from the tears of joy shed by free-range unicorns, if it makes you feel any better), just to see if a little sweetness offsets the bitterness at all.  Given the chance, I will do so and report my findings at that time.

KICK (INTENSITY)—7

The other reason why I so hate that Runa tastes so bad is that I so like its kick.  This is not an exceptionally intense energy drink, loaded with anhydrous caffeine and all manner of other purported energy-boosting ingredients.  The logo “clean energy” actually describes it quite nicely—a spotless mid-range boost, free of the jittery contaminants common to most energy drinks.

KICK (DURATION)—7

Approximately three hours passed before I was ready to hit the couch.  No crash—just felt nice and tired.

THE DRINK OVERALL—5

It’s really a pity that this novel beverage tastes so bad; otherwise I’d be happy to recommend it for the all-natural ingredients and smooth kick.  I see that Runa has a plethora of drinks on their site, enough that you can justify shying away from this one in favor of one that (in all likelihood) tastes better.

WEBSITE: runa.org

KEYWORDS: Runa energy drink review, Runa Clean Energy, all natural, guayusa, zero carb, zero sugar, zero calorie

Review for Rock On--Orange Octane

CAFFEINE CONTENT

Est. 100 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—9

If you’re really dying to find this (no reason to be), go to a Walgreens.  Otherwise you’re better off just going to Wal-Mart and buying an Eternal Energy shot (assuming you’re into shots…I’m not).

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8

Probably the most irritating thing about these shots is that on the shelves, they look appealing.  I mean, they’re obviously 5 Hour clones, but they’re 5 Hour clones with bling—enough effort went into the design that it gives you the (false) hope that they were similarly attentive in the flavor and function departments.

TASTE—4

Even on ice, this doesn’t taste very good at all.  Think orange cough medicine and you’ve got the gist of it.

KICK (INTENSITY)—5

On top of really not tasting good, this one is pretty weak, venturing south of what I consider to be legitimately useful territory.  The only time I could see it being helpful is if you’ve had your full night’s sleep, but are still having a little trouble getting started.  I don’t see it putting a dent in anything more serious than that.

KICK (DURATION)—5

About an hour and a half to two hours without a crash—though that’s not saying much, because it really didn’t have much of a boost, either.

THE SHOT OVERALL—4.67

Even by shot standards, this is pretty bad.  It’s overpriced, underpowered, poorly flavored, and is in all other respects fairly inferior stuff.  Avoid.

WEBSITE: Walgreens.com

KEYWORDS: Rock On Orange Octane energy shot review, zero carb, zero calorie, zero sugar, zero appeal, diet

Review for Rock On--Grape

CAFFEINE CONTENT

Circa 100 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—9

Available at Walgreens stores.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8

Intriguing, and in that respect deceptive.  In previous reviews, I’ve mentioned that I find these shots attractive, and the effort that went into the packaging seems to translates in one’s mind as effort in flavor/energy—which has turned out not to be the case.  These are kind of like the anglerfish’s lure—they lull you in, but only to get chomped in the end.

TASTE—5

Definitely less harsh with ice than without.  It’s still somewhat bitter and not especially pleasant, but the grape flavor is a little cleaner and more perceptible, and the sensation that I was gagging this stuff down was greatly diminished.

KICK (INTENSITY)—5

Sucks, sucks, sucks, sucks.  In terms of efficacy, these are some of the worst I’ve had, second only to that ‘Up to 10 Hour’ garbage I picked up from the local grocer’s.  In contrast with the latter shots, however, which make you feel angry and agitated and render you all but useless, at least it can be said of these that they are merely weak, delivering only enough of a boost to keep your feet from dragging from point A to point B.

KICK (DURATION)—5

Lasted all of two hours, but as weak as the boost was to begin with, it might as well have been 15 minutes.

THE DRINK OVERALL—5

Tolerable in terms of flavor, all but useless in terms of energy.  Avoid.

WEBSITE: Walgreens.com

KEYWORDS: Rock On Berry Blast energy shot review, Walgreens brand energy shot review, zero carbs, zero sugars, zero energy, diet

Review for Rock On--Berry Blast

CAFFEINE CONTENT

Est. 100 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—9

Available in packs of two at every Walgreens store.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—7

This has the same handsome appearance as all the other Rock On shots—electric guitar, flashy lettering, etc.—but I take a point off for the use of the phrase “berry blast,” which is about as overused as you can get when it comes to describing something berry flavored.

TASTE—5

While the aftertaste is still very bitter (bitter enough that I don’t plan on revisiting it on account of the taste alone), the ice does seem to bring out the berry flavor, enough that I can actually forgive them for calling it berry…and enough, maybe, that I can actually say myself that I believed them when they said it was.  One of these days someone will have to try the ice with one of the better 5 Hour clones (maybe that new SK berry shot) that doesn’t have any of the bitterness and see if they can actually get it to taste good.

KICK (INTENSITY)—5

For those of you who read my last review of a Rock On energy shot—is there really any need for me to reiterate that their kick sucks?  The fact that it takes a bit to get started would be forgivable were it not for the fact that the payoff is so lackluster—it’s not strong at all, just enough to make you feel a little more awake than you were before, and the longevity…wait.  Need to save that for the next section.

KICK (DURATION)—5

The longevity is far less than satisfactory—only two hours.  Maybe I would feel a little more forgiving in this regard if it weren’t for the fact that you can hardly feel the effects to begin with…two hours of mediocre energy is vastly more irritating than having no energy at all.

THE DRINK OVERALL—5

So while ice with the shot may be enough to make it palpable, nothing can save Rock On—Berry Blast from its mediocre kick.  If you really love these berry energy shots, buy an Eternal Energy shot from Wal-Mart—they cost a great deal less, and actually work better than any other 5 Hour clone I’ve had.

WEBSITE: walgreens.com

KEYWORDS: Rock On Berry Blast energy shot review, zero carb, zero calorie, zero sugar, zero efficacy, diet

Review for Liquid Ice Sugar Free

CAFFEINE CONTENT

80 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—1

Very scattered.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—3

Want to drive customers away from your sugar free beverage?  Take a leaf out of Liquid Ice/Amp’s book and package it either in white or bare aluminum.  Nothing connotes bland quite the way either of these do, and if it weren’t for the fact that most companies tend to make these look so bad, I think more people would be into low carb/sugar free drinks.  Liquid Ice—look to Monster and NOS.  Both have low-calorie versions of the classic beverages, but make them look nice.  Just don’t do what NOS did and neuter the caffeine out of your sugar free drink.

TASTE—8

Opening the can, I am immediately hit with a strong smell of blue raspberry and a sense of nostalgia—Liquid Ice was the first non-major brand energy drink I had, so I kind of have a soft spot for it in that respect.  Anyway, sentiments aside, the drink poured out an extremely pleasant, vivid mid-blue color, which got me even more excited for the first sip—which was plenty agreeable.  The blue raspberry flavor is just as tart and strong in the sugar free version, and I’d even go so far as to call the end result as a whole more drinkable because of the enhanced smoothness proffered by the removal of the large amount of sugar in the original formula.  Given the chance, I wouldn’t mind buying this again at all.

KICK (INTENSITY)—6

80 mg isn’t a whole lot, but hey—turns out it works just fine.  Think the equivalent of the same size of Red Bull in terms of intensity, except perhaps without the sharpened alertness and enhanced concentration delivered by the more popular beverage.  Still, if you’re just waking up from a long nap and feeling groggy or just got out of taking two tests and have a headache from not eating for about six hours, this’ll do you just fine.

KICK (DURATION)—6

Two and a half hours, no crash.

THE DRINK OVERALL—6.67

Not the best energy drink in the world, but not bad by any stretch of the imagination.  If you’re looking to break away from the norm and are careful about calories, this is the way I’d recommend going.

WEBSITE: liquidiceenergy.com

KEYWORDS: Liquid Ice Sugar Free energy drink review, zero carbs, zero sugar, zero calories, diet, bland can

Review for Rock On--Pomegranate

Been a while since I’ve reviewed an energy shot, and you know what?  I’m pretty okay with that.  As I’ve said in times past, for the most part I don’t like energy shots, and I’m perfectly content with this being primarily an energy drink blog.  Nevertheless, these have been sitting on my shelf for a while, and I figure it’s about time I get them reviewed.  To see if it makes any difference in the normally horrible flavor, I’ve decided to try this lot of 5 Hour clones (the predictability is one thing I don’t like about them) on ice.

CAFFEINE CONTENT

Not given—‘equal to a cup of the leading premium delicious awesome bad*** coffee.’  I’d guess about 100 mg.  Not all that much.

EASE IN ACQUISITION—9

Exclusive to Walgreens stores, which are most everywhere except really small towns—even Rexburg’s not so small that it doesn’t have a Walgreens.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8

You know, I know these are 5 Hour clones and everything, and it’s kind of sad, because they at least look like they could be next-level, really good energy shots.  I know it’s too much to hope, but with the sparkly text, the guitarists, the black and grey sunburst background, and the frankly attractive wrapping job—all the stuff that looks to me like effort—it’s enough to make me at least want to believe.

TASTE—7

So now we come to the moment of truth—does ice actually help the taste of these bitter, nasty 5 Hour clones?  The answer, in this case, is yes—it doesn’t make it pleasant per se, but it’s still light years ahead of what I experience with most clones.  That said, in this instance the effect is also extremely unusual—are you familiar with the aroma of Yankee Candle’s Red Berry and Cedar?  No?  One of my favorite scents, actually…but anyway, I don’t know how else to explain it, but Rock On—Pomegranate tastes like the smell of that candle.  Like red berries and cedar.  It is a strange experience to be sure, and one I’m really not certain if I can recommend or not—are energy shots supposed to taste beautiful-smelling candles, or is that just plain wrong?

KICK (INTENSITY)—5

It took about 15 minutes to get going, but let me tell you, once those 15 minutes had passed, I was…awake.  Not jittery, not even particularly alert.  Just awake, nothing more, nothing less; and let me tell you, I expect way more out of an energy product than this.  8.4 oz. Red Bull beverages (including the spectacularly delicious Blue Edition) deliver a boost that’s light years ahead of this in terms of useful energy, and that with only 80 mg of caffeine and a mix of B-vitamins—that being the case, why on earth would you settle for something like this?  Furthermore, if Red Bull’s minimalist blend works so well, how on earth do you wind up with something so unsatisfactory?

KICK (DURATION)—5

Two hours, sans crash.

THE SHOT OVERALL—5.33

Well, the ice might have made a difference in terms of the flavor, but as far as buzz is concerned, this shot is definitely a bust.  Just avoid it altogether if you’re even remotely concerned with the utility of your shot.

WEBSITE: Walgreens.com

KEYWORDS: Rock On Pomegranate energy shot review, Walgreens brand energy shot, zero carbs, zero sugar, zero kick, diet