tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52761826078055233202024-03-16T11:21:19.032-06:00CAFFEINE!Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.comBlogger431125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-81553668076095012782014-02-21T09:37:00.003-07:002014-02-21T10:25:22.838-07:00Review for Energems (Chocolate, Mint, and Peanut Butter)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cl-U0BnvscYkZipKD1Y-zZ8_m47MklGYfrhZBJReDqvwV2wgHG8rKheVhmAgsDBdF1ghfjTYPb4tKh-wdFS8IzcBhINhzVd6hBb1xXjDH9NivL2DBg9NJBBbBlq4_n_IKPCCzde-4pc/s1600/3-pack.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cl-U0BnvscYkZipKD1Y-zZ8_m47MklGYfrhZBJReDqvwV2wgHG8rKheVhmAgsDBdF1ghfjTYPb4tKh-wdFS8IzcBhINhzVd6hBb1xXjDH9NivL2DBg9NJBBbBlq4_n_IKPCCzde-4pc/s1600/3-pack.png" height="216" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">25
mg/gem</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—N/A</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
received these as samples, and as of yet, I’ve only seen these available for
purchase online.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—9</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
individual flavors of Energems come in sharp-looking, matte black boxes that
from the start have a way of raising your expectations; the packaging really is
nice enough to make you anticipate a premium product.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My personal favorite lookwise is the mint flavor (light
green + black = <3), but the others are in their own way satisfactory as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One tiff I have is the fact
that the caffeine content is not listed on the individual boxes (though I’m not
sure if that’s because they’re not supposed to be bought as individual boxes);
I had to look on the outside of the variety pack I received from the company to
determine the exact amount.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
the type who vastly prefers concrete information in this area; the whole “cup
of coffee” thing (about three gems, for interested parties) is getting really
tiresome.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE
(CHOCOLATE)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
might not be Swiss, but in terms of texture, flavor and general agreeability,
the chocolate flavor is at the very least on par with 95% of the impulse buy
chocolates that you find by the cash register of just about every
grocery/convenience lingerie store in the nation—the most meaningful thing I
could say here is that I like them light years more than M&M’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once or twice in the two boxes of this
flavor that I tried out I found a small granule of energy blend that proffered
a transiently bitter experience when I bit into it, but this minor annoyance
was extremely easy to overlook, and only just worth mentioning.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE
(MINT)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If
I have any complaints about any of the Energems, it might be that the
mint/chocolate balance might be slightly off on this one—I like my minty
chocolate to be a bit more on the minty side of things (think mint chocolate
chip ice cream), and that thought kept coming to mind as I made my way through
the supply I had been sent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
being said, I don’t think that my own preference took away from the actual
experience; if you like mint chocolate blends you’ll like these.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE
(PEANUT BUTTER)—8.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now,
just answer me this: how can you freaking go wrong with the mixture of peanut
butter and chocolate?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From my
experience, you really can’t, and this smart mix (equal parts chocolate and
peanut butteryness, if a concrete description is desired) just goes to reaffirm
my belief that the two are a match made in heaven. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the one flavor where I had a hard time controlling my
intake; I would open up a box with the intent of eating two or three to get my
day started and would just keep going until the entire box was gone. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
really, really awesome thing about this product is the ability to choose your
own kick—kind of like those “choose your own adventure” novels you read when
you were a kid, only with chocolate and caffeine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On days where I just needed something to clear away the
cobwebs in the morning and allow me to distinguish between the toothpaste and
the antifungal cream, two Energems (50 mg caffeine total) works as well as
anything I’ve had before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the
other end of the spectrum, a full box of nine Energems (225 mg) is enough to
give just about anyone a buzz to keep them awake through anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d personally recommend stretching out
your supply and limiting it to two or three at once—lots of energy products out
there will make you jittery, but I’ve found few products out there that are
better suited for a light early morning boost than these.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ranges
from an hour of perceptible effects with two Energems to about four and a half
hours from nine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
PRODUCT OVERALL—9.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Buy
and try Energems—that’s all I really have to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll emphasize again that my favorite use for them is for
the light morning boost you get from eating two or three (though again, you run
the risk of eating more than you intended with the peanut butter flavor);
following these guidelines a single box will last you a few days and provide a
delicious, effective, and economical* alternative to other energy products.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">*—Somewhat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My personal favorite way to start off a
day is with one of the zero calorie Rockstars (Zero Carb, Pure Zero, Xdurance, etc.),
which I can get for $1.50 each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
box of nine Energems is $2.99, so every two I consume costs me about $.99.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE: <a href="http://energems.net/">energems.net</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Energems energy candy review</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-36164852707937341062013-12-08T21:22:00.004-07:002013-12-08T21:22:43.167-07:00Review for Tweaker--Berry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yAkmfvMrIr0VGO8ETzodY748VzoQtt7BaiZ_jyncP8PrFjQyzfU-oizlHM_MJ4jiG9uUgv-bvEQn6yliAYhBe-mcL2w-2egs-RQHcFc-UwKUWh2T2pLMOyKJucWEMcWf7yzgDOJP-9M/s1600/tweaker+energy+shot++Berry+flavor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yAkmfvMrIr0VGO8ETzodY748VzoQtt7BaiZ_jyncP8PrFjQyzfU-oizlHM_MJ4jiG9uUgv-bvEQn6yliAYhBe-mcL2w-2egs-RQHcFc-UwKUWh2T2pLMOyKJucWEMcWf7yzgDOJP-9M/s320/tweaker+energy+shot++Berry+flavor.jpg" width="153" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Undisclosed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—4</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pops
up at odd gas stations from time to time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just keep your eyes peeled.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Even
if it’s not the flashiest energy shot in the world, Tweaker is attractive and
different enough from other shots to grab and keep your attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main selling point in my book is
the use of the tall 2 oz. bottle as opposed to the standard, squat version—sure,
you still know on sight that it’s a 5 Hour Energy clone, but at least it looks
different enough to make you do the double-take needed to make you stop and
consider purchasing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also
worthy of note is the name of the shot, which I like—now, the website claims
that the formula was ‘tweaked’ so many times that they started calling it
“Tweaker” and the name stuck…but I’m going to call that BS; there’s no way in
the world that I’m going to believe that an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">energy</i>
shot called “Tweaker” is not so named so because of its association with
methamphetamine (also a stimulant) users.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Lastly, I’m docking a point for failure to disclose the caffeine content
anywhere, either on the bottle or the Internet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—2</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If
something could be done about the gosh-awful medicinal aftertaste here this
might actually have been a respectable energy shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first thing that’s apparent is that this doesn’t taste
like your run-of-the-mill 5 Hour Energy clone—the berry flavor is full and
thick, and I was just barely beginning to appreciate it when I was hit with a
barrage of medicinal aftertastes (bitter, sour…you name it, it was there),
which was about as bad as I’ve ever tasted in an energy shot, and necessitated
that I take it down sip by sip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s not just the palate that doesn’t appreciate it, my stomach isn’t
happy with me, either—it’s been about five minutes since I first downed it, and
I still have a slow burn going down in my midsection.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—8.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
think the “6X The Kick!” declaration on the bottle may be a bit of an
exaggeration, but at the same time it is a pretty decent shot powerwise—it took
all of ten minutes before I was buzzing through my organic chemistry in record
time, plenty alert and jittery enough that had a marathon house-cleaning
session after I was done was in order.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
peak lasted about an hour, then decreased incrementally over the course of the
next two and a half hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
crash, though I’m more than ready for bed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
SHOT OVERALL—6.17</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Works
really well, but it’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nasty</i>—so it’s more
or less the same as most every other shot out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe worth the kick if you can stomach it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://tweakershot.com/">tweakershot.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Tweaker Berry energy shot review, zero carbs, zero calorie, zero sugar, diet</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-66825872567411356062013-12-03T10:22:00.002-07:002013-12-03T17:18:09.981-07:00Review for Endorush--Fruit Punch Fix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6J9sV4TnqVZ9J_JeJbSgvpdEeMJlf05jjhsb165in-OU7P5pFcpRheZdD6H9-9-Me3vC83TnwBubORd6ZW5j1laP-QaXRY4LqOWtOaKE8Fj6vqSgCcwNXHrvOD2wbU4l44WLb2NogoT8/s1600/EndoRush_XtremeStrenght_8oz_FruitPunch_(high_res_image).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6J9sV4TnqVZ9J_JeJbSgvpdEeMJlf05jjhsb165in-OU7P5pFcpRheZdD6H9-9-Me3vC83TnwBubORd6ZW5j1laP-QaXRY4LqOWtOaKE8Fj6vqSgCcwNXHrvOD2wbU4l44WLb2NogoT8/s320/EndoRush_XtremeStrenght_8oz_FruitPunch_(high_res_image).jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">420
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Only
one place around here that sells these locally—and it’s a high-end grocery
store with a reasonably good section dedicated to fitness supplements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeing as I haven’t seen this sold in
any other such chains, however, I’d recommend checking out supplement stores
like GNC or The Vitamin Shoppe, both of which sell this in their online store.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—9</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">One
look at Endorush will tell you that it is not geared towards casual consumers,
which tend to be attracted to things like glowing green <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">M</i>s, hardcore lettering and catchphrases that become cheesy when you
think about them too long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The red
bottle with the iridescent label is certainly attractive enough to grab your
attention, but what holds it is the way Endorush plays it straight—everything
is readily legible, attitude is kept to a minimum, and from this understatement
it becomes apparent that it is a very potent beverage that deserves to be
treated with serious respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
only thing I would change is to make the ample warning labels a bit more
legible—they’re so small that with the iridescence I can hardly read them
without straining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I suppose
as explicit as they are, they’d need a bigger label for that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—9</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
came as a surprise—I’m really not into the crap fruit punch flavor; any number
of my reviews can tell you that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This,
however, is one of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">three</i> fruit punch
flavored beverages I’ve had recently that pulls it off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something about how tart it is, how
much the flavor is emphasized over sweetness makes it very hard to stick to the
recommended ½ bottle…which, as it turns out, is recommended for a very, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very </i>good reason.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—10+</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
got cocky with Endorush.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m
not proud to admit it—any moron could have told you that it was a bad idea to
drink the whole thing at once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
did, however, and can tell you that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you had
better dang well follow the serving insructions!</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last
time I had a beverage this intense, it was Spike Hardcore Energy—The
Original.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so unaccustomed to
such high doses of caffeine that drinking it just about flipped my lid, and I
gave it an unprecedented “OVERKILL” rating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The entire bottle of Endorush, however, gave me such an
enormous caffeine rush that I’m almost tempted to do the same thing for
it—except 1) I experienced it contrary to the label’s instructions, and 2) it’s
not so much the rush that tips you off, it’s how it ends that lets you know you
overdid it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—10+</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Half
a bottle (had the grape flavor also—review coming soon) should give you about
six hours of energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole
dang thing—at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very</i> least
ten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These were ten blissful hours
for me, but after it was all over, I felt like a gym towel that’s been used by
hundreds of different people and washed in the hot/heavy cycle countless times
over the years—worn almost threadbare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My nerves were so frayed that when I went to bed I slept about ten hours
(as opposed to my usual eight) and was so put off by the idea of further energy
drinks that it was about a week before I was willing to try anything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I’ve said before—stick with half the
freaking bottle.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Follow
the instructions, and I can assure you that Endorush won’t let you down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s got an excellent flavor and a
great rush suited for just about any high-endurance (i.e. physical) energy
requirement.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
bsnonline.net</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Endorush Fruit Punch Fix energy drink review, low carb, low calorie, zero sugar</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-49766271075879472492013-11-13T22:09:00.003-07:002013-11-13T22:16:30.427-07:00Review for Monster Energy--Ultra Red<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">140
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Another
Monster beverage found absolutely nowhere for the first few months after I
heard about it, then suddenly showed up everywhere overnight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re having a hard time finding
it—check the same place tomorrow.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ultra
Red follows in the footsteps of the original Zero Ultra in terms of aesthetic
appeal; I only wish Ultra Blue hadn’t had those cheesy <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">M’s</i> integrated into that otherwise brilliant frost pattern…three
10/10’s would look nice on the shelf next to each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, this can features the same
familiar texture as the other two, this time with a deep red an a paisley
pattern to the side—which somehow works exceptionally well with the red.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know how that works…something
about red and paisley just looks elegant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now I’m just waiting for Monster to introduce an “Ultra Green” with a
green apple flavor—then 1) I could really look forward to enjoying a green
apple energy drink, and 2) I could use cases of all four flavors as decorations
when Christmas rolled around.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Something
that I’ve discovered with repeated indulgences of Monster’s Ultra line is that
repeated drinking makes good energy drinks better and bad energy drinks
worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same holds true here—my
first experience with this drink was good, but not the best; the cranberry
flavor of the namesake “Ultra Red” is mellowed out to about the level of the
base citrus flavor profile familiar to those who have tried Zero Ultra, and at
first the homogeny seemed incomplete, and that the cranberry had taken a back
seat to the citrus and was not allowed to reach its potential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I’ve had it a number of times
sense (every opportunity I’ve had to buy an energy drink, actually) and I can
safely say that I love Ultra Red.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The discrepancies between the two flavors mellow out with repeated
drinkings, and before I was wondering if this wondrously balanced beverage was
the same one I had drank that first night heading home from Twin Falls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bottom line—buy this drink, and do it
multiple times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chances are by the
third time you won’t be able to get enough.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Monster
has kicked back on the caffeine a little bit in their Ultra line, and it
shows—this isn’t as potent as, say, Lo-Carb or the Rehab line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One can should be enough to wake you up
and put some spring in your step, but to be perfectly honest, I don’t actually
buy just one when I’m buying an Ultra beverage—and two of these back-to-back
makes for a heckuva fun ride, an easy 9/10 that will suffice for virtually any
energy-requiring situation and on top of all that be a joy to guzzle.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">One
can: around three hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two: five
hours, easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No crash in either
case!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
if you can’t tell, I love this drink—enough that I will be reworking my top 10
list soon to accommodate this and the other Ultra beverages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m exceptionally pleased, and don’t
doubt other consumers, be they Monster loyalists or newcomers to the energy
scene, will be as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://monsterenergy.com/">monsterenergy.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Monster Energy Ultra Red energy drink review, zero carbs, zero calories, zero
sugar, diet</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-24568723324518084642013-11-13T22:06:00.003-07:002013-11-13T22:06:42.095-07:00Review for Great Value Energy--Blueberry Acai<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfCsXkGMkjnMLOO11HPhAE6vHffRgq_dSeMSNNY7ftbCE7_xyXL5TM51Pp8b-5Trb_lMLrwdBpWqX8y9tqKOvTNW0-xXm96TBoznTCnkbSOGeUqzs2SjF44C09GGc9-xfSN8m85tqOcY/s1600/0007874207360_500X500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfCsXkGMkjnMLOO11HPhAE6vHffRgq_dSeMSNNY7ftbCE7_xyXL5TM51Pp8b-5Trb_lMLrwdBpWqX8y9tqKOvTNW0-xXm96TBoznTCnkbSOGeUqzs2SjF44C09GGc9-xfSN8m85tqOcY/s320/0007874207360_500X500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">120
mg/packet</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s
the Wal-Mart brand, so unless you live in, say, West Yellowstone, Montana, you
should be golden.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Great
Value Energy doesn’t look all that great—but who cares?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People that go for this sort of thing
are going to look for the word “Energy” on the box, and then their eyes will go
right down to the price tag—which will ultimately determine whether they will
buy it or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So is it
aesthetically appealing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does it matter?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
contrast to the other Great Value energy mixes, this one is exceptionally
finicky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too much water and you
wind up with something like bland Gatorade, devoid of any real nuance of
flavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too little, and it’s
foul—bitter and pungent and overwhelming (don’t even think about mixing in two
packets at once).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get it just
right, though, and it is, in fact, very good—you can actually discern the
flavors of both the blueberry and the açaí, something that you rarely get with
either flavor, and what’s more, Wal-Mart actually nails them pretty good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My advice: fill up a mason jar most of
the way with water, mix it in, add six ice cubes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add more water if there’s room left in the jar. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s taken me almost all ten packets to
figure that out, but now that I’ve nailed it, I’m happy to pass on the
knowledge.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">This’ll
give you an average boost without too many jitters—fairly run-of-the-mill
stuff.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Three
hours.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—7.33</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Even
though the kick’s nothing worth getting enthused about (can you tell that’s how
I feel about it?) it tastes pretty good as long as you can get the quantity of
water right, and I suspect it will do for about 99% of the general
caffeine-consuming population.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
walmart.com</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Great Value Blueberry Açaí energy mix review, zero carbs, zero calories, zero
sugar, diet</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-201738470674183572013-11-04T17:23:00.003-07:002013-11-04T17:23:19.496-07:00Review for Xtreme Shock--Fruit Punch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">200
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—4</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Best
bet is to buy this online or check out your local nutrition centers (the GNC
kind, not the natural/whole foods kind).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The supply is otherwise spread pretty thin.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
don’t feel the need to go over this four more times with the other flavors, so
I’m just going to copy and paste my evaluation (with a few edits) from the
first review below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve read
that already, just move on to the flavor evaulation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m
not really sure what to make of this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>First off, the label is energy drink to the core—bold font and colors,
lots of lightning, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the
label really isn’t the first thing that catches your attention—it’s more the
fact that there’s a bottle sitting on the shelf which looks uncannily like the
one my favorite teriyaki sauce comes in, only filled with a liquid that looks
like a translucent version of that dreadful Hog Wash garbage my son likes from
time to time (I usually get him the sugar free stuff).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result is a generally befuddled
look that grabs your attention quicker than any aesthetic appeal it might have,
and I’m not sure that inducing perplexity in consumers is really the way to go
when selling your product.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m
not sure what it is—I’ve hated the fruit punch flavor for years, but in the
last couple of months, I’ve found not one but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">three</i> that were done in such a way that I quite enjoyed them (I’m
behind on my reviews…hopefully I’ll be able to catch up on those soon, but
don’t count on it too much).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the case of this drink here, you get a triple threat to trump all other crap
fruit punch drinks—1) it’s not sickeningly sweet, owing to the sparing use of
artificial sweeteners, 2) it’s plenty sour, balancing the sweetness nicely, and
3) the flavors are actually distinct—cherry, mango, etc.—rather than the
indistinct homogeny of fruity flavors that most fruit punch beverages settle
for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still might not drink it for
the flavor alone, but if you’re into energy/beta alanine supplements <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> like a good fruit punch, this might
very well be a drink for you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
far as a pre-workout boost, this drink is excellent—the initial energy jolt is
impressive, and I did notice that my fatigue levels were considerably lower
over the course of my workout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Still, my favorite use of this energy drink is as a workout recovery
beverage—courtesy of the beta alanine (if the article I read is not mistaken),
which has been shown in clinical trials to decrease fatigue in athletes (I’m paraphrasing
here).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, it’s also
the reason I don’t think I’ll ever go back to these beverages now that I’ve
tried out all the flavors—the beta alanine makes me really freaking itchy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes it’s just the hands and
forearms, but gets extremely noxious extremely quick once it spreads to my trunk
and scalp (the last of which is particularly maddening).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So if you need a boost and have had
beta alanine supplements before and don’t mind the high price, this might be
the way to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise, I’d shy
away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just not worth the
itch, especially when I’m already satisfied with my current pre-workout
supplement (Cellucor C4—review coming soon, I hope).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—8.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Just
shy of four hours, no crash.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—8.17</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
like this drink—don’t get me wrong—but like I said, it’s not something I’ll be
revisiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re the sort
that’s been longing for a caffeine and beta alanine-loaded fruit punch for your
workout, then congratulations—this is absolutely your beverage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll be sticking with my C4, though.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://nutrientscience.com/">nutrientscience.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Xtreme Shock Fruit Punch energy drink review, beta alanine supplement, zero
carbs, zero sugar, zero calories</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-35646271388531290032013-10-29T18:45:00.002-06:002013-10-29T18:45:14.478-06:00Review for Xtreme Shock--Blue Raspberry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuE1XA4P8n2248dNuuX4XwXbQIDtfLW6WRo5I3M7bR4Xjd9C6n14F0ix5azo-HZvMZqwr5-EEdzOyMYAmNAkT2CpITMIYWvP8RvmnbUj6gkKXzBs6nM7X3t0c6CajTU9aMrsHq0dKRAI/s1600/XS_BlueRaspberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuE1XA4P8n2248dNuuX4XwXbQIDtfLW6WRo5I3M7bR4Xjd9C6n14F0ix5azo-HZvMZqwr5-EEdzOyMYAmNAkT2CpITMIYWvP8RvmnbUj6gkKXzBs6nM7X3t0c6CajTU9aMrsHq0dKRAI/s320/XS_BlueRaspberry.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">200
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—4</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Your
best bet when it comes to getting a hold of this one is to find a store with a
really well developed fitness supplement section, typically in the company of
Bang, Spike, Redline, etc.—and if there’s nowhere around you that matches that
description, just buy online.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not
really sure what to make of this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>First off, the label is energy drink to the core—bold font and colors,
lots of lightning, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the
label really isn’t the first thing that catches your attention—it’s more the
fact that there’s a bottle which looks like the one my favorite teriyaki sauce
comes in filled with a liquid that looks like a translucent version of that
dreadful Hog Wash garbage my son likes from time to time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result is a generally confused look
that grabs your attention quicker than any aesthetic appeal it might have, and
I’m not sure that inducing perplexity in consumers is really the way to go when
selling your product.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—9</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
contrast with its immature appearance, which leads you to expect something
sickeningly sweet and unabashedly fake, this is actually quite good—a fairly
sour version of the classic flavor we all know very well with the sweetness
dialed down to a significant and pleasing extent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most people using it to power their workout probably aren’t
going to take the time to do this, but if you get the urge, try it over
ice—it’s even better that way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Xtreme
Shock is marketed as a workout supplement, with claims of benefit including
energy, strength, stamina, focus, recovery, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would seem intuitive, then, that one would drink it
before a workout and evaluate it thusly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well…I didn’t drink this one before my workout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why on earth, then, am I posting this
review?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer is because I
found it to be exceptionally effective as a post-workout beverage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Know the feeling you get hours after a
good workout, where you feel fatigued and sore and particularly disinclined
towards movement?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I needed
something to fix that, so I went ahead and downed the nearest energy beverage—which
happened to be this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worked like a
freaking charm—didn’t take long before I was up, about, and thoroughly
energized, all muscle fatigue virtually gone and the aforementioned disinclination
vanished.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Only
problem—I’m allergic to something in this drink; it makes me itchy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pretty bearable when it’s just my
hands, but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> annoying once the scalp
and torso get involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Real
bummer to be allergic to such a nice drink.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—8.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lasts
about three and a half to four hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No crash.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—8.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
a revitalizating beverage I like this drink a whole heck of a lot; in reviewing
the other flavors I will be sure to drink them pre-workout just so I can
evaluate their performance under those circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the meantime—if you don’t mind forking out almost three
bucks and aren’t allergic to whatever the heck it is that makes me itchy,
consider this as your recovery drink.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://nutrientscience.com/">nutrientscience.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Xtreme Shock Blue Raspberry drink review, performance energy, workout supplement,
zero carbs, zero sugar, zero calories</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-18634856519087456612013-10-29T18:28:00.000-06:002013-10-29T18:28:14.307-06:00Review for Loop Blueberry Pomegranate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYiDh4K-K0TjwKa2x4uBPJhXFbUFb4VydyGgdHzr4rfMKLL8juqo1JmfcHnxtE7j2EqvuABOaaIpvGfF6k7_How-ipFr0y6mep-fi3RmmVRzf6rdZyLD-LXPK_DH0VakaCect5TDDY4vQ/s1600/spin_prod_ec_799363501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYiDh4K-K0TjwKa2x4uBPJhXFbUFb4VydyGgdHzr4rfMKLL8juqo1JmfcHnxtE7j2EqvuABOaaIpvGfF6k7_How-ipFr0y6mep-fi3RmmVRzf6rdZyLD-LXPK_DH0VakaCect5TDDY4vQ/s320/spin_prod_ec_799363501.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not
listed; est. 160-200 mg.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">K-Mart
brand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Need I say more?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—3</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
really just don’t get the concept of these drinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, I get that it’s the K-Mart brand and that they
didn’t put a lot of money/thought into it, but this looks as though people
worked around the clock just to make sure that the look didn’t make <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a lick</i> of sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First of all—why on earth would you
name it “Loop?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the good names
taken, so you just picked the first that sounded passable?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second—what’s with the funky inkblot
background?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Third—could you have
made the print job any more granulated and shoddy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fourth—the ‘Smart Sense’ stamp looks terrible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lose it as quickly as possible.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—4</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
used to like this flavor alright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Wasn’t very smooth or taste particularly like pomegranates or blueberry,
but if I was in the mood for a sugary soda of some kind I would go for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now the flavor is one of the most
overdone on the market, a least common denominator sort of beverage that ranks
down there with Red Bull clone and crap fruit punch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mere idea brings a contemptuous sneer to my face, an
aspect that now remains fixed as I make my way through the can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You want the flavor done right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grab a Xyience Xenergy Blue Pom Premium
(they might call it Blueberry Pomegranate now)—any other incarnations are
insulting and unnecessary.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
one surprising thing about these is that the sugared variants kick like a
boss—enough even that you forget for a moment that you’ve just slarged down
roughly 25% of your daily intake of carbohydrates via high fructose corn
syrup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course (in my
experience), if you don’t burn it off, you pay for it later; but in the
meantime it’s something you can easily enjoy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Five
hours; crash if consumed without ample physical exertion soon after the fact.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—7.33</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">They
kick well, but there are so many more palpable and equally effective ways to
get your kick that I’m not even thinking about recommending it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://kmart.com/">kmart.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Loop Blueberry Pomegranate energy drink review, bargain energy drink</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-67126919333970640052013-10-21T22:00:00.003-06:002013-10-21T22:00:51.403-06:00Review for NoDoz Energy Shot--Orange<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrtYAnCmsk9XupBgRY-vx6eIJ_Mv7p6HLXOQ1ocAm9dekyJJ1V6XfYH4Ibg8RxFRTkS8i2te-T6mcSTwK-gPa9oWtKp5OyD2Fy_2ewoz9lgzopDkgK2p7gU-eboaKDp3xBF2ACO-r3as/s1600/0088679000402_500X500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrtYAnCmsk9XupBgRY-vx6eIJ_Mv7p6HLXOQ1ocAm9dekyJJ1V6XfYH4Ibg8RxFRTkS8i2te-T6mcSTwK-gPa9oWtKp5OyD2Fy_2ewoz9lgzopDkgK2p7gU-eboaKDp3xBF2ACO-r3as/s320/0088679000402_500X500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">115
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If
you really need me to tell you where to find these, here—go to Wal-Mart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Odds are, however, you already know
that from your own excursions or from ads on the Internet—Novartis is being
aggressive enough about getting the word out that most people are bound to by
now.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Can’t
say I like the orange on blue quite as much as the purple on blue the berry
sported, but it’s equally tidy and still has that NoDoz logo going for
it—which, when it comes right down to it, is about the only thing that matters
here when it comes to these shots getting their spot in the market.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Like
the berry flavor, this one’s agreeable by shot standards—but all that means is
that I didn’t feel like I had to gag it down, so that’s faint praise indeed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s pretty short on aftertastes, isn’t
too harsh, and as is it’s good enough that if I were a shot guy I would prefer
it to the flavor other orange-flavored shots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do, however, have other orange-flavored energy beverages with
which I’m positively enamored, and next to them this one doesn’t stand a
chance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—6.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If
you’re like me, having been spoiled by the likes of Spike, Bang, Endorush
(review coming soon), etc., this is going to seem pretty lackluster, almost
stripped-down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If, however, you’re
generally sparing and prudent with your energy consumption, the mid-level
alertness sans jitters is going to make for a smooth and pleasant ride.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—6.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Somewhere
around two and a half hours, two hours and 45 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No crash.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
SHOT OVERALL—6.33</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If
my recommendation’s worth anything, I think you should try this at least once
and get a feel what the bare-bones energy formula does for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re a longtime NoDoz fan—chances are
you aren’t going to be let down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Enjoy your shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either
way, leave your thoughts in the comments below.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://nodoz.com/">nodoz.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
NoDoz Orange energy shot review, zero carbs, zero sugar, alertness aid,
pharmaceutical caffeine</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-56973715662323723862013-10-20T19:23:00.005-06:002013-10-20T19:23:48.872-06:00Review for NoDoz Energy Shot--Berry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0XeQ93a8W_T6tNjJ4ZojxO0Z3aoKd17RoOsntxUspJv1sBTY9QP8yPAX9MRVq1T4zNNbqS0zw4mCwbaEb2tYZz4EysBzw88zRojG1ubXyC3FkHd_me2SlJFBOEhBVhMUQKeuVk4o0OU/s1600/0088679000302_500X500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0XeQ93a8W_T6tNjJ4ZojxO0Z3aoKd17RoOsntxUspJv1sBTY9QP8yPAX9MRVq1T4zNNbqS0zw4mCwbaEb2tYZz4EysBzw88zRojG1ubXyC3FkHd_me2SlJFBOEhBVhMUQKeuVk4o0OU/s320/0088679000302_500X500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">115
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Though
still technically an emerging product, chances are you and everyone else
already know where to find NoDoz shots—Novartis is making Wal-Mart the focus of
its aggressive marketing campaign, and if the brand name means anything (which
it probably does), chances are that’s all it’s going to need…for now.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
colors are attractive, the motif is clean, caffeine content listed, no lame
paragraph lauding the excellence of the product—but chances are most people
aren’t going to care much about any of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If anything, it’s that prominent logo front and center
that’s going to reel people in, and if that’s got them hooked, nothing else is
going to matter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
was actually surprised how well Novartis managed to pull this off—as many shots
as I’ve had, I knew when I saw that this was berry-flavored that it would be
prudent to brace myself for a really nasty 5 Hour Energy clone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking a whiff after I got the bottle
open, I was quite surprised to note that this actually had a pleasant berry
fragrance—shots usually smell about as bad as they taste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second surprise came in the flavor
itself—it didn’t taste half bad—I actually tasted berries, with minimal (for a
shot) interference from the artificial sweeteners, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not something I’d drink every day
for the flavor, but it’s absolutely one of the better berry shots I’ve had.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—6.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">NoDoz
tablets are, in a way, the original energy supplement, so it shouldn’t come as
a surprise that the shots stick to their roots, toting 115 mg of caffeine, and
that’s it—no B vitamins, no ginseng, no milk thistle or anything of the
sort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for effects, you can
expect a modest boost—you won’t be wired out of your mind and you certainly won’t
be jittery; if you’re used to the likes of Monster and Rockstar it will
certainly be unfamiliar territory and you might very well feel cheated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People familiar with the tablets,
however, will certainly feel gratified with the clean (and almost lenient) sense
of alertness they proffer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
advice: for a drive of medium length where you’re feeling somewhat tired or a
late afternoon study session when you need to put a few in a few more hours
before you hit the sack, hit the NoDoz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For intense fatigue or a trip to the gym, look elsewhere.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—6.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Got
somewhat less than three hours of energy out of this, no crash.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—6.33</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">NoDoz
is not my favorite energy product (or even my favorite energy shot), but I do
appreciate it for what it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Longtime fans of the tablets: enjoy your shots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Newcomers: it’s worth trying at least
once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do so, and please, all,
leave your thoughts on the matter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://nodoz.com/">nodoz.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
NoDoz Berry energy shot review, zero carbs, zero sugar, alertness aid,
pharmaceutical caffeine</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-17808966370270279232013-10-18T11:45:00.002-06:002013-10-18T11:45:21.805-06:00Review for 4C Energy Rush--Tea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFrz5bejMkoqU5iiQH1PHjpL9hpyLFXi7L6ElLcgnitYb9I5NTiAF67t7vf91YfWxc_uI06H3fKvZ3jbq5Q-hVGzm0Ijjfdyg3aGMxheS_-q2sIeAGgUXxG-dH1SVSErJ7kldCWCIT-I/s1600/4C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFrz5bejMkoqU5iiQH1PHjpL9hpyLFXi7L6ElLcgnitYb9I5NTiAF67t7vf91YfWxc_uI06H3fKvZ3jbq5Q-hVGzm0Ijjfdyg3aGMxheS_-q2sIeAGgUXxG-dH1SVSErJ7kldCWCIT-I/s320/4C.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">60
mg/serving (1/2 tsp)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wal-Mart
acquisition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Need I say more?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
with all of these water additives, points are given for making it so convenient
to carry such gratuitous quantities of energy everywhere you go, be it in a
pocket, purse or whatever; also appreciated is the listing of the caffeine
content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aesthetically, this one
is interesting—kind of like the person designing the label got creative with
different colors of chalk on a blackboard and decided it looked great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only downside is that it blends in so
easily with its neighboring water additives that unless you know where to look
you might pass it over without even knowing it, other than that it earns my thumbs
up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—7.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let
me start by saying this: tea drinkers, this is not a product for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is little to no actual tea in
here; it’s so far down below the “natural and artificial flavors” in the
ingredients list that it might as well be considered homeopathic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That being said, if your palate is not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">too</i> discriminatory, you might enjoy the
slightly sour, moderately sweetened earthiness of this concoction—not quite
instant Monster Rehab, but still a palpable enough way to get your morning dose
of caffeine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Like
the Mio Energy water enhancers (whose innovation this was doubtless inspired
by), this is an exceptionally versatile product, capable of giving you any sort
of boost ranging from mild (1/2 tsp or one serving) to exceptionally intense (3
tsp/1 tbsp or six servings…not advised on a regular basis).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Start low and work your way up, and you
should be able to find a buzz that’s right for you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">You
can get anywhere from an hour to over five with this one, depending on how much
you use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No crash recalled.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
PRODUCT OVERALL—9.17</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
is definitely not going to please everyone in the taste department as much as
it did me, but for those who do like the flavor, it’s inexpensive, versatile and
about as convenient as you could ask for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Try it and leave your thoughts. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://4c.com/">4c.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
4C Energy Rush water enhancer review, zero carbs, zero calories, zero sugar,
diet</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-52945495299341278172013-10-15T17:33:00.002-06:002013-10-15T17:33:28.777-06:00Review for Red Rain Hydroplane<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RMK5cxma8peZAS9u9xq5VTQYrfEYCDFMvway3le2__IK9PuOAoFHW409g3-sdfUn61tcNAxyAH26zXglTvuHbLE7rKnYeWmHWJ4zSOtn3Hzyy1ZlIeaL5H8k6MfAYmPdHUZy67IAWFY/s1600/3J012716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_RMK5cxma8peZAS9u9xq5VTQYrfEYCDFMvway3le2__IK9PuOAoFHW409g3-sdfUn61tcNAxyAH26zXglTvuHbLE7rKnYeWmHWJ4zSOtn3Hzyy1ZlIeaL5H8k6MfAYmPdHUZy67IAWFY/s320/3J012716.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">142
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Used
to be as easy as visiting your local Dollar Tree—though I’ve noticed that
supplies of this one in particular have dwindled considerably.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Color’s
nice, the motif generally unexciting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Besides mentioning how strange it is to see that tramp stamp design over
and over and still have no clue whatsoever what it’s there for, that’s all
there really is to say.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve
been okay with this flavor in times past—the blueberry pomegranate flavor that
doesn’t really taste like either of those things—just because of its relative
agreeability compared to numerous other (particularly Red Rain) offerings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fact of the matter is, though, I’m
getting really tired of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
flavor started out short of its potential, and short of its potential it’s
stayed—and with industry leaders coming out with powerhouse energy beverages
(think Monster’s Rehab line, or Red Bull’s Editions line) on a relatively
regular basis, there’s no excuse for this sort of mediocrity to continue the
way it has.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Know what happens to a
stagnant pool of water?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, same
deal here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Same
as every Red Rain beverage—very, very, very, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very</i> average.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Need to
be awake?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moderately
functional?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can count on any
Red Rain beverage, including this one, for that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just don’t expect anything more.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">These
last about three hours; crash ensues afterwards—unless, I’ve found, that I work
that sugar off at the gym.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—6.33</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">There
is nothing whatsoever that is even remotely remarkable about this beverage, and
the experience of drinking it/feeling the effects can hardly be called
such.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just pass this one over. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone who hasn’t read this review will
grab it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://redrain.ca/">redrain.ca</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Red Rain Hydroplane energy drink review, bargain energy drink</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-78389664626620949322013-10-14T07:06:00.001-06:002013-10-14T07:06:08.341-06:00Review for Hi Ener-G<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5qUCCn075zB_K8GumJPGVEYNul8R0wpiTSwxdiM99ELkRoIUB0wGo9pNMKYrQmoPxoj1azWD8Pe0sfsGctG4OYKXKDf_L0dfj1Yqo3Pv4FvKoHWF3JMbJ7GJmA_kmCuFKn48_qY6bvQ/s1600/20100914112834_N6384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5qUCCn075zB_K8GumJPGVEYNul8R0wpiTSwxdiM99ELkRoIUB0wGo9pNMKYrQmoPxoj1azWD8Pe0sfsGctG4OYKXKDf_L0dfj1Yqo3Pv4FvKoHWF3JMbJ7GJmA_kmCuFKn48_qY6bvQ/s320/20100914112834_N6384.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not
listed</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">This,
like the Red Rain energy shot I just reviewed, is a K-Mart acquisition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>K-Mart being the (wholly undeservedly)
nigh-omnipresent chain that it is, you should have no difficulty finding
this—unless supply varies from chain to chain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t make it a habit to explore K-Marts outside of my
own, so I have no idea if that’s the case or not.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
main aesthetic appeal of this shot is that it looks different—and by different,
I mean it’s not an obvious 5 Hour clone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The tall bottle and rich colors are a nice change from the norm; my only
complaints are 1) the failure of the company to disclose the caffeine contents
of the shots, 2) the incredibly ridiculous name/cheesy misspelling of that
name, and 3) the shrink-wrapping job on my bottle—it doubles over in front,
distorting the logo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kind of tacky
when a company is that careless about the bottling of their product, isn’t it?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—0</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
was pleasantly surprised to see in my last trip to K-Mart that this product had
been marked down—from $5.99 to a mere $2.95 for a pack of three.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw it as an opportunity to get my
hands on some inexpensive energy that I hadn’t even gotten around to
reviewing—as it turns out, however, I should have taken it as a warning.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hi
Ener-G is one of the nauseating things I have ever had the displeasure of
gagging down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ever been to an
elderly couple’s house, where the carpet and furniture have been around since
the early 1960’s an haven’t been deep-cleaned in at least two decades, and
everything is rank with the musk of half a century of accumulation of dead skin
cells and B.O.?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, now you have
the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to taste that—I say once, even though it’s
sold in the 3-pack, because I can almost certainly guarantee you will never,
ever in a million years want to do it again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
far as which elements of the flavor are actually to blame, I’m going to point
the finger at the tea flavoring (which is positively rancid) and the energy
blend (which is excruciatingly bitter)—particularly the ginseng, which is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> masked by the tea flavor as the
product description on the website indicates it should be and leaves a hot,
acrid sensation lingering in your mouth after you swallow that is as unpleasant
as anything else out there.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Whatever
the problematic agents, this stuff is foul almost beyond belief, and reason
enough to avoid the product permanently.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—7.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">All
of the above is a pity, because the kick here is one of a superb energy shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you’re in the throes of its
effects, you really feel as though you’ve taken an energizing vitamin
supplement rather than your run-of-the-mill energy shot, if that makes any
sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If not—let’s just say that
while the strength is only slightly above average, it is characterized by a
general lack of harshness or heaviness that characterizes a number of other
energy products, and feels good enough that I would return to the product
again, were it not for the atrocious flavor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—7.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Somewhere
between three, three and a half hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No appreciable crash.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Make
no mistake—this is a product that kicks well enough that I’m sure the company
meant well when they formulated it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Problem is I cannot in good conscious recommend it—it tastes like some
sort of poison or emetic, and no excellence in quality or quantity of kick ever
begin to make up for that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://windmillvitamins.com/">windmillvitamins.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Hi Ener-G energy shot review</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-76528719505372649952013-10-08T20:50:00.001-06:002013-10-08T20:50:28.472-06:00Review for Red Rain Energy Shot--Watermelon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj35S6zzuCDdUdZRg-kozLYvEVs9KkPxKGAt3bKz98qofvEkREBTf3KUJpQn1Kut5Ry9esIiCWp2PStaDbGsbocn2OB_vtKHcca7fsVJ_hxwPygZiq68jc0l5d7TEysJW_3StlCS9rFBk/s1600/DSCN1482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj35S6zzuCDdUdZRg-kozLYvEVs9KkPxKGAt3bKz98qofvEkREBTf3KUJpQn1Kut5Ry9esIiCWp2PStaDbGsbocn2OB_vtKHcca7fsVJ_hxwPygZiq68jc0l5d7TEysJW_3StlCS9rFBk/s320/DSCN1482.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not
listed, but certainly moderate.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Readily
available at your local K-Mart (which are themselves easier to find than they
probably should be).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
small red bottle holds some aesthetically appeal in the fact that it is brightly
colored and clean, though compared to the hordes of other energy products on
the market it’s not particularly remarkable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Points come off for Red Rain’s failure to disclose the
caffeine content and that inexplicable, tramp stamp-like design wrapping around
the bottle at the lid.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—4</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Red
Rain’s watermelon energy shot is not so bad that it can be called a perversion
of the flavor of the much-beloved summer fruit (as was Redline’s offering), but
as far as any actual appeal is concerned it is still decidedly lacking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has a recognizable watermelon
influence, but that’s where the resemblance ends, and the artificial sweeteners
and bitter medicinal ingredients take over and give it that characteristically
disagreeable energy shot bite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Watermelon fans will certainly offended, everyone else simply put off.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Average.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moderate alertness, no jitters.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Three
hours, no crash.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
SHOT OVERALL—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
you might have noticed, I’m really grasping at straws trying to get this
product reviewed—and that should tell you more about the shot than any extended
rant I could write.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This shot
offers so little by way of actual substance that it’s scarcely enough of an experience
to review.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Avoid this one in favor
of other readily available and vastly superior products.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://redrainenergy.ca/">redrainenergy.ca</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Red Rain Watermelon energy shot review, zero carbs, zero calories, zero sugar,
diet</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-47268634461611482902013-10-08T00:06:00.000-06:002013-10-08T00:06:50.544-06:00Review for Independence Energy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_S9jxCjwZcjZ_TOuI5AW1g-bAlvh8aWZm3z8yQjHDVX0DYhINriOv2V3BM7Mpda5awELqCfjy1XSxK89IcMXOQTZbYKnWn8Kpc4b3F1pCNOMzm2uA39l_31nd1sucG9D-hezwrduyGts/s1600/independence-Energy1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_S9jxCjwZcjZ_TOuI5AW1g-bAlvh8aWZm3z8yQjHDVX0DYhINriOv2V3BM7Mpda5awELqCfjy1XSxK89IcMXOQTZbYKnWn8Kpc4b3F1pCNOMzm2uA39l_31nd1sucG9D-hezwrduyGts/s320/independence-Energy1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">200
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—1</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
is absolutely one of my more random acquisitions—an unexpected find at a gas
stop/restaurant smack-dab in the middle of rural Idaho.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think things get any more
scattered than that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Strikes me as
one of those drinks that may one day flood Big Lots, if you catch my meaning.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
concept behind this patriotic energy drink is just fine—but the overall
execution is generally lackluster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On top of the cheap appearance afforded the can by generic template and
graphics that look like they were pulled right out Microsoft Word’s clip art
collection, the whole thing looks like it’s been sitting out in the sun for at
least a month—all bleached and faded, much like the recently reviewed
Bang—Champagne Cola.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d take this
one back to the drawing board—sharpen up the design, embolden the colors, make
everything look less low-end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
the company could do that, they might very have an aesthetic winner on their
hands.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—3</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Speaking
of going back to the drawing board—this flavor profile really needs some
serious work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s one thing that
it’s not at all agreeable, but the real nail in the coffin is the fact that I
cannot for the life of me tell what it’s supposed to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s sweet and heavy (a characteristic
absent from the sugar free version but present here courtesy of the HFCS), but
that’s about as descriptive as I can be—I don’t even have the luxury of calling
it anything so vague as “fruity” or “berry-like.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole thing is such a chaotic mess that it’s next to
impossible to enjoy—you spend all your time puzzling it out, half out of
sincere interest, half to place a finger on why you find it so disagreeable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
kicks much like the sugar free version—starts off awesome (9/10), then settles
quickly on the high end of average—except with this version, you feel slightly
more jittery…or at least I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Strange how things affect me like that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Good
for about three and a half hours, sans crash if you use it pre-workout (not
something I recommend—you’ll burn off all the sugar, but it still feels so
heavy in your stomach), and with plenty of crash if you don’t.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—6.33</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Frankly,
the VFW Foundation (beneficiaries of a portion of the proceeds of this drink)
deserves a better drink than this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Consumers deserve a better drink than this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As indicated in my review of the sugar-free version, I wholly
support the cause behind the drink—but the drink’s a total dud.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now…I
wouldn’t dream of discouraging you from buying this drink as I have done
without wholeheartedly encouraging consumers to get involved in the VFW
Foundation’s cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In their own
words:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Through a variety of
programs and services, VFW Foundation<b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
fills in governmental assistance gaps</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>for troops abroad, military families back in the U.S. and
America’s often-forgotten veterans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These programs <b><span style="font-weight: normal;">support </span></b></span></i><i><span style="font-style: normal;">all</span></i><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">branches of the military</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> are provided at </span></i><i><span style="font-style: normal;">no cost</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> to the recipients and
require no Veterans of Foreign Wars affiliation.”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
VFW Foundation supports programs that:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Reward
America’s military heroes and their families by sponsoring admission to popular
entertainment events and attractions.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Provide
prepaid phone time and sponsored “Free Call Days” allowing deployed troops and
hospitalized veterans to connect with loved ones.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Support
troops and their families in need of financial assistance for housing, medical
or basic assistance needs with a one-time grant.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sponsor
‘welcome home’ and ‘send off’ events to boost the morale of returning or
deployed military units.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Offer
military veterans, regardless of when or where they served, with VFW counsel
and assistance to successfully navigate VA entitlement and disability claims.”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
my mind, these are all very worthy causes, and wholly deserving of public
support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great news is you aren’t
required to drink Independence Energy to do it—to support the VFW Foundation
without buying the pint of (heavily) sweetened bile, please follow the link
below:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.vfwfoundation.org/get-involved"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.vfwfoundation.org/get-involved</span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://independencedrinks.com/">independencedrinks.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Independence Energy drink review</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-3184734545494489012013-10-06T19:51:00.001-06:002013-10-06T19:52:49.886-06:00Review for Independence Energy Sugar Free<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">200
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—1</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
and its high-calorie counterpart were found at a gas stop/restaurant in Rupert,
Idaho—and when you find things in places like that, it’s usually the only place
in the entire state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t
know where else you’d go to find it, but I’d bet on it being pretty difficult
to come by.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
like the idea behind Independence Energy; I think the packaging could use some
work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the design works and
I appreciate the listing of the caffeine content and what not, but there are
little things here and there that just need work—colors need to be bolder, everything
needs to look less pixilated, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is particularly true of the sugar free version, which is
indistinguishable from the other except for the faded color (and the miniscule
“Sugar Free” on the front).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—3</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">One
thing you cannot say about Independence Energy is the fact that the flavor
profile is not unique—that being said, I’ll be blasted if I know what the heck
it’s supposed to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t place
any adjective on it that seems to fit—not tropical, not fruity, not
berry-esque, nothing of the sort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The appearance doesn’t help, either—usually the color at least helps you
get some idea of what they were going for by its association with the flavor,
but in this case you have no such luck; the drink comes out a strange light
teal and slowly oxidizes to an equally strange mid-green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only thing I can really tell you is
that I am not a fan, and that it’s one of the less agreeable 16 ounces I’ve
been through in a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
know…I guess I can tell you that it’s not “meaty”—which is about as helpful as
anything else I’ve been able to say.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Independence
Energy—Sugar Free starts with a good deal of promise (during the first five
minutes I found myself at a satisfactory 9 out of 10), but soon settles into
something more standard—high end of average without jitters, like so many
better-tasting, more common and often equally inexpensive beverages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re into that sort of thing, grab
a NOS Zero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or any of Monster’s
Rehab line (except, perhaps, for Protean and Pink Lemonade), for that matter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Three
and a half hours, with no apparent crash.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—6.33</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m
really, really, really not a fan of this energy drink—energywise it offers
nothing new, and flavorwise…geez, do I really need to go into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i> again?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are plenty of better ways of getting your caffeine fix
without having to get through a can of Independence Energy to do it—I have named a few, and I recommend going
with one of those.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">That
being said, I am absolutely a fan of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation,
the non-profit organization that this drink was designed to benefit (a portion
of the proceeds from the sale of these drinks go towards said foundation).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wouldn’t dream of discouraging you
from buying this drink as I have done without wholeheartedly encouraging
consumers to get involved in the VFW Foundation’s cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In their own words:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Through a variety of
programs and services, VFW Foundation<b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
fills in governmental assistance gaps</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>for troops abroad, military families back in the U.S. and
America’s often-forgotten veterans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These programs <b><span style="font-weight: normal;">support </span></b></span></i><i><span style="font-style: normal;">all</span></i><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">branches of the military</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">,</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> are provided at </span></i><i><span style="font-style: normal;">no cost</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> to the recipients and
require no Veterans of Foreign Wars affiliation.”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
VFW Foundation supports programs that:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Reward
America’s military heroes and their families by sponsoring admission to popular
entertainment events and attractions.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Provide
prepaid phone time and sponsored “Free Call Days” allowing deployed troops and
hospitalized veterans to connect with loved ones.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Support
troops and their families in need of financial assistance for housing, medical
or basic assistance needs with a one-time grant.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sponsor
‘welcome home’ and ‘send off’ events to boost the morale of returning or
deployed military units.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-left: 0in; mso-para-margin-right: 0in; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Offer
military veterans, regardless of when or where they served, with VFW counsel
and assistance to successfully navigate VA entitlement and disability claims.”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
my mind, these are all very worthy causes, and wholly deserving of public
support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great news is you aren’t
required to drink Independence Energy to do it—to support the VFW Foundation
without buying the pint of sweetened bile, please follow the link below:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.vfwfoundation.org/get-involved"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.vfwfoundation.org/get-involved</span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://independencedrinks.com/">independencedrinks.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Independence Energy Sugar Free energy drink review, zero carbs, zero calories,
zero sugar, diet</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-7576986809283148122013-10-06T00:45:00.002-06:002013-10-06T00:45:16.788-06:00Review for Bang--Champagne Cola<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHfmmmu5cSOcOOEFX5FOwuEHqdeFegjkRZorBB6S-OTQrXsKK1263UFF6LsryyThCRt5n0SNIC20FQMqnUq_PiXsgmXtjC3SFyPULQDs1Hh7_SCM8Kt_Nu3woTMc-NNpY5B6dIz9VYnk/s1600/VPX-BANG-357-Champagne-Cola-610764863591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHfmmmu5cSOcOOEFX5FOwuEHqdeFegjkRZorBB6S-OTQrXsKK1263UFF6LsryyThCRt5n0SNIC20FQMqnUq_PiXsgmXtjC3SFyPULQDs1Hh7_SCM8Kt_Nu3woTMc-NNpY5B6dIz9VYnk/s320/VPX-BANG-357-Champagne-Cola-610764863591.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">357
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If
interested, keep an eye on the supplement section of your local grocery store
(it is absent at larger chains) or fitness-oriented nutrition centers and
chances are you should be able to get your hands on it—otherwise it’s available
online.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
is a can that had the potential to look so good and yet turned out so…not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a few things that could have
been done to improve the look considerably—employ a matte finish to saturate
the colors (as with this drink’s fruit punch counterpart), lose the grossly
pixilated bullet, tweak the VPX logo so it doesn’t clash so badly with the rest
of the can—but as is it looks semi-bleached and bland, almost appears as though
it’s been sitting in the high desert sun for a month or so.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">When
I was down in Guatemala, I was acquainted with a few folks from El Salvador,
who raved regularly about a beverage available there called “Kola
Champagne”—Eng. champagne cola, which is what we have here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never had the chance to try it
myself, but descriptions of the flavor ranged from bubble gum to cream soda to
a non-alcoholic champagne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only
being acquainted with those first two (I’m a teetotaler), let me say that 1)
this doesn’t taste like either of those things, and 2) I don’t know how the
devil to describe the way this tastes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I do know that I quite like it, and could drink it for the flavor alone
(if it weren’t so d*mn strong that I’d hesitate to indulge myself in that
regard more than once a month), but that’s about all there is to say on that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—10+</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bang
is hands down one of the most potent energy beverages I’ve ever had. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s so strong I’m feeling the need to
go back and demote a number of energy drinks to which I assigned high intensity
ratings—it’s drinks like this that tend to put a reviewer into perspective.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">But
let’s break it down bit by bit, so you have an idea of what you should
expect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chock full of stuff like
creatine and 357 mg of caffeine (should have known from the parallels I could
draw to a powerful revolver caliber that this would pack a punch), I drank this
before my evening at the gym, about 30 minutes before I headed in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time I was ready to hit Jacob’s
Ladder, I was vibrating under the influence of a truly explosive degree of
energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tore through that thing
like I never had before (583 calories burned), and even though I had begun to
feel the effects of not hydrating properly beforehand about 20 minutes into it,
I only slowed down marginally, and finished strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a very long draft of water at the drinking fountain
and a slight break to let that get into my system, I set about my pectoralis
major/triceps brachii workout, constantly on and often pushing myself past the
edge of my physical limits.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">After
the fact, I headed home, and about seven hours after I drank it, I should have
been ready for bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember what
I said about drinking it in the evening?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Big mistake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I lay there
tossing and turning for at least a half hour before I dozed off, and even then
I felt like I was just barely beneath the surface, almost like when your head
is tilted back underwater so that your eyes are covered but your nose and mouth
aren’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was like that for about
an hour before my wife coming to bed woke me up, and I settled in to a deeper
sleep.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bottom
line—this is a gym beverage, suited to hardcore fitness junkies more than
anything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also an
enormously potent beverage, not to be underestimated or drunk casually by
anyone—including the aforementioned junkies.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—10+</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
I indicated—seven hours of energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Probably more than that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
woke up the next morning still a little uncertain about whether it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">had</i> worn off or not.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m
giving my “thumbs up” for the drink, but I’m a little uneasy about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an immensely powerful supplement,
and needs to be treated with due respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So…if you’re in excellent health, are of age and have need of such a
thing, go for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise, do be
smart and get your boost from something significantly less potent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://vpxsports.com/">vpxsports.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Bang energy drink review, workout supplement, zero carb, zero calorie, zero
sugar, sugar free</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-55149275901525773852013-10-02T08:13:00.002-06:002013-10-02T08:13:18.692-06:00Review for SportMax Energy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaauZUZ1JzLxeYV0P88pREoqXsptqIk4Ww5UOvoXRfRSf_JX2h455_MnA9oWvWoK_QCbyRw5k8ZNOjll1yT6dACK8ORnEak2ejc-UQscvV6bYm1LxChVENNFOj8ud7qMlr5N2P34GJdrQ/s1600/sportmax_bottle_side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaauZUZ1JzLxeYV0P88pREoqXsptqIk4Ww5UOvoXRfRSf_JX2h455_MnA9oWvWoK_QCbyRw5k8ZNOjll1yT6dACK8ORnEak2ejc-UQscvV6bYm1LxChVENNFOj8ud7qMlr5N2P34GJdrQ/s320/sportmax_bottle_side.jpg" width="137" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">140
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—1</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">From the ‘Retailer Info’ section of the company
website: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Retail distribution is
in the process of being established in local markets. We'll provide information
as it develops. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the meantime,
order online in our online store.<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">”</span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">SportMax
Energy is a rather straightforward energy product, employing in their packaging
the approach of the country preacher who told his congregation what he was
going to tell them, told them, and then, once he had finished, told them what
he had just told them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything
about it declares its intent as an energy product geared towards athletes or
just about anyone leading an active lifestyle—the very name “SportMax”, the
graphics traversing the midsection of the bottle (who look uncannily like the
running 5 Hour Energy guy doing a whole lot more than just running), slogans,
the mini-informative paragraphs on the front—there’s really no mistaking their
intent, which, from what we will see in the “kick” sections, works out just
fine. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—6.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
was told that this was intended to be a tropical fruit-flavored product—something
which, from my experience with the product, I don’t suppose I ever would have
guessed on my own, so it’s well that I asked to clarify so I wasn’t guilty of
putting forth false information regarding it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First thing I noticed when I opened the bottle was that this
didn’t smell like a 5 Hour Energy clone—which I appreciated; you have no idea
how tiring those clones get after reviewing so many shots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first swig woke me up really
quick—it had an extremely sour peachy flavor, with a thickness that reminded me
a bit of the light syrup a canned fruit cocktail came in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t mellow any with subsequent
sips, and by the time I was finished I was okay with the fact that I was only
getting two ounces of the stuff per shot—it’s a bit intense for more than
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Additional noteworthy
details include the fact that there is no medicinal aftertaste that plagues
most (read: almost all) energy shots, and that the presence of stevia as the
sweetener wasn’t tremendously obvious—a blessing, considering I find the taste
of it hard to stomach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all
I’d say this is one of the more pleasant energy shots I’ve had, but it’s not
something you would drink for the flavor alone.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
get sample requests quite often, but it’s pretty rare to have a company
actually make it a point to invite me to make comparisons between their products
and those of the industry leaders—in fact, I think that’s only happened twice
now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, interested in taking
them up on that, I decided to match this against a new favorite of mine that I
was sure would perform well (I don’t let products I get as samples off easy,
especially when they’re gutsy enough to challenge me to make comparisons): 5
Hour Energy Extra Strength—Sour Apple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In both cases, I took these just before I went to the gym.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were away for the seven-week break
between semesters, and I didn’t get a lot of lifting in during that time, so
the first week was pretty brutal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
workout entails 30 minutes/3000 feet/565 calories on Jacob’s Ladder, followed
by a three-minute break or so and then a half hour of weightlifting.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
the case of 5 Hour Energy Extra Strength, I felt noticeably more alert, sharp
and focused, and my workout did feel reasonably facilitated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was still dead tired by the time I
hopped off Jacob’s Ladder, and the moment of rest after the fact was still most
welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to get through
the rest of my workout just fine, and sit through my classes all focused and
what not.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
the case of SportMax, I didn’t feel that same alertness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t feel particularly sharp or
jittery or chatty or anything like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In fact, I only felt slightly more awake than I had before until I
started exercising—at which point I felt unstoppable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jacob’s Ladder was as close to being a breeze as it’s ever
been, and when I was finished with that, I felt no need for a break—just needed
a long draft of water before it was on to the weights, which I got through with
surprising ease (considering how long I’d gone without lifting).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Showered up and got to class, and after
about 45 minutes or so, started feeling a bit drowsy—but then, this was never
advertised as an academically-oriented energy shot.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
figure this will do for you just fine as long as you’re reasonably efficient
with your workout—I figure if I need to be at it for longer than an hour to get
any results, then I’m doing something wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those crazy all-day people might have a different experience
entirely—I don’t know for sure how long this lasts as far as physical energy is
concerned, because I only spent about 60 minutes at the gym, and after it took
just a bit to wear off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I do
know is that for my purposes, it was absolutely fantastic.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
SHOT OVERALL—7.33</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
you might have figured by this point, I am absolutely a fan of SportMax.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know in times past I’ve raved over
diverse products that I’ve found to be helpful at the gym—and those reviews
still hold, but none of those products have facilitated my workout to the same
extent as this one, and I am absolutely looking forward to having this shot in
my gym bag at all times.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://sportmaxenergy.com/">sportmaxenergy.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
SpotMax energy shot review, physical energy, workout shot</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-55458256199021756562013-09-28T22:52:00.002-06:002013-09-28T22:52:48.002-06:00Review for Redline Xtreme Shot--Watermelon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SK4x2s5UwbBmKt9c4vvUpjzqPJeE-rMfNi6rnZ7Pz37QBN-DRnNENE8XYmQ6SzLOMllhHE_VSbV6ld0cJkJxcdG0LLVkcnLy3Y6xSxcPuQkwKMlmY5VwAAw6S2m5KkQXU37cgBrJQek/s1600/DSCN1481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SK4x2s5UwbBmKt9c4vvUpjzqPJeE-rMfNi6rnZ7Pz37QBN-DRnNENE8XYmQ6SzLOMllhHE_VSbV6ld0cJkJxcdG0LLVkcnLy3Y6xSxcPuQkwKMlmY5VwAAw6S2m5KkQXU37cgBrJQek/s320/DSCN1481.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">300
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
can’t remember whether I bought this at Walgreens or Rite Aid—one of those
drugstores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either way, it
shouldn’t be too hard to find.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
is entirely appropriate that these should be found so consistently in drug
stores, because as products they lie far more on the dietary supplement/drug
end of the spectrum than the bona fide energy product end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it comes right down to it, they
don’t really look all that much like energy shots—they’re not terribly flashy, there
are no claims of energy awesomeness slathered haphazardly all over the label,
and enough warnings, supplement facts, etc. to rival any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drug on the market—and there’s really nothing wrong with that; I don’t think
they should be viewed by the consumer as such.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aesthetically, there’s not much to talk about; functionally
all their ducks are in a row.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
more is there to say?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—3</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s
times like these I think that VXP should consider releasing their Redline
products exclusively as pills—for one thing, they are for all intents and
purposes pharmaceuticals, and for another it would keep them from releasing
products that taste like this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is something very perverse about this—watermelon is a happy,
summery flavor, crisp and juicy and sweet and fit for all ages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This…this is an apothecary of
supplements and artificial sweeteners and flavors in watermelon masks prancing
around and urinating drunkenly on your tongue (I think that’s about as vivid as
I’ve ever been in describing a flavor—I like it).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t be fooled by the innocuous-looking watermelon slice
graphic wrapped around the top portion of the bottle—there only enough of a
semblance of watermelon flavor in here to prevent the company form being
charged with perjury.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—9</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">And
now…we get to the final and most conclusive evidence of the true, nature of
Redline products.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your standard
energy products (ideally) tend to be geared towards making you feel awake,
sharp, and focused, maybe even a little jittery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Redline, on the other hand, goes way beyond that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You feel the full supplemental blast of
all 20-some odd constituents of the proprietary blend, much as though they were
being administered in pure form via IV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It sits like a pool of energy magma just beneath the surface, never
erupting in full force, but slowly rising to the periphery as you shake and
buzz and do whatever else it was you intended to do under its influence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take my advice and only drink half the
bottle (I drank the whole dang thing), and only for prolonged, intense physical
activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This really isn’t suited
for anything else.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—10+</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Another
good reason to only drink half the bottle is the fact that the whole thing will
last you seven full hours, assuming you’re as caffeine-sensitive as I am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it comes right down to it, most
people don’t need seven hours of this kind of energy—unless, I guess, you are
in really good health (see the label for contraindications) and are involved in
construction or some similar career.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—7.67</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">What
am I supposed to say?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it
comes to supplements like these, speaking of the flavor as enhancing or taking
from the overall experience seems kind of pointless; either you’re looking for
dead serious energy or not—if so, I guess you could go with this or any other
Redline shot, if not seek your boost elsewhere.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://www.vpxsports.com/fat-loss-energy-supplements/redline-rtd">http://www.vpxsports.com/fat-loss-energy-supplements/redline-rtd</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Redline Xtreme Shot Watermelon review, zero carb, zero calorie, zero sugar</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-39516409010297658472013-09-28T12:58:00.000-06:002013-09-28T12:58:10.032-06:00Review for Hansen's Energy Pro<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_l3PncFNGIwnqlBCuuf5h-EBScFNQ_gBFGmL6I4SXHzL_9c6hWAC-mNlFS37R3x6Eg2077m5f48X0BZ3LgYdB5baKabt5IDqH2oAGBOeU3kcwEcy-rRUbvRdMZ-pApOXkB0gfZT4_2I/s1600/2995698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_l3PncFNGIwnqlBCuuf5h-EBScFNQ_gBFGmL6I4SXHzL_9c6hWAC-mNlFS37R3x6Eg2077m5f48X0BZ3LgYdB5baKabt5IDqH2oAGBOeU3kcwEcy-rRUbvRdMZ-pApOXkB0gfZT4_2I/s320/2995698.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
site energyfiend.com claims that it’s only 57 mg of caffeine, but even they
admit that the actual quantity is unavailable, lost inside the drink’s 2500 mg
functional blend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d guess it’s
closer to 75 or 80 mg.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—3</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Like
all of Hansen’s other inexplicable efforts to broaden its energy drink base
(notwithstanding the fact that they’re the makers of Monster, which is about as
big a base as you can get outside of Red Bull) by appealing to niche consumers,
this one is sparse at best; your best bet is to find it at grocery outlets
(Yoke’s in Washington, for instance) with a larger-than-average specialty
beverage selection.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not
by any means ambitious, but there’s certainly no ambiguity as to its
purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If all you really care
about is knowing that this is an energy drink, then you probably have no complaints
whatsoever about this can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If,
however, you like the feeling of holding something that someone 1) put effort
into designing, or 2) discloses the caffeine content, you might feel a bit
insecure with this in your hands.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Again…not
very ambitious, but very to the point—you know what the makers of this beverage
were going for when they made it, and don’t deliver any more or any less.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this case, they’ve put out a
full-bodied lemon-lime drink—a little bit sweet and not quite sour enough, but
if there is such a thing as a consumer niche of aficionados for such beverages,
I’m sure that they’re going to be all over this one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">And
here’s why I don’t believe that this contained a mere 57 mg of caffeine—because
it works just fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not
remarkable—delivering about as much of a kick as a Red Bull of the same side,
only without the mental focus and a few more jitters—but it does the trick,
assuming a moderate boost is all you need.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—6</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">About
two hours and 15 minutes passed before I felt that I’d be down for a nap, or
something a little stouter in the energy department (but since I’m not addicted
and trying not to get addicted again I can’t do that sort of thing anymore).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—6.33</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m
not wowed by Energy Pro, but I’m sure that there are people out there that will
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re into drinks like
what I described above, grab a can and let me know what you think.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://hansens.com/">hansens.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Hansen’s Energy Pro energy drink review</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-81706485167850106772013-09-28T10:43:00.003-06:002013-09-28T10:43:53.383-06:00Review for Havoc<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Somewhere
around 70-80 mg/8.4 oz. can</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—1</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Found
this at a Grocery Outlet in Twin Falls, Idaho—same place where I found Shark,
EX, etc.—for 50 cents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No idea where
else you’d go besides the website (where you buy them by the entire freaking
case, if you feel thus inclined).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—2</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
major failing of this packaging job is the fact that it appears to have been
assembled entirely out of energy drink can clichés, and as a result is very
nearly invisible on the shelves—I didn’t even catch it on my first run down the
energy drink aisle, something that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">never</i>
happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s break it down, bit
by bit, so you get the idea (if not terribly interested, just skip to the last
paragraph):</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Black
background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Has been employed
effectively in times past, but by and large it’s just a second-lowest common
denominator (right after bare aluminum), fallback sort of color.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Distressed
font.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Terribly overdone.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Very
lame slogan—“Disrupt the Ordinary.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Catchphrases like that all too often tend to signify anything but out of
the ordinary.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bare-bones
energy blend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the plethora of
functional beverages on the market formulated for all manner of situations,
this one-size-fits-all trash is now long obsolete.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">No
flavor indicated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
short—Havoc looks like it should be another Red Bull clone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, it’s not—we’ll get to that in a
second—but Havoc pulls the part off so thoroughly completely that it almost
appears as though it were the work of madmen trying to fool the masses (newbie
and seasoned reviewer alike) into thinking that it was, in fact, such a thing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
was so ready for another Red Bull clone—so <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">freaking</i>
ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had my rant all planned
out, venom dripping from my fangs, poised and ready to strike at the audacity
of releasing yet another traditionally-flavored energy drink in a market almost
completely inundated with mediocre examples of the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of that went away when I opened the
can, along with just about any preexisting desire to drink it—Havoc has the
smell of crisp, very sweet piss.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
don’t use this description lightly, and I do not exaggerate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve ever wondered what sparkling
diabetic’s urine smells like, get yourself a can of Havoc and pop it open!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now…moving on to the taste (Yeah, I
drank it even after observing it smelled like urine…what can I say?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m an energy drink reviewer to the
core.), Havoc doesn’t necessarily <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">taste </i>like
piss (if you’re ever had the experience of being the father of a newborn boy
and changing his diaper, you can imagine what horror proffered me that
knowledge), but it tastes like the company did the best they could with the
flavors of apple, pear, and grape juice to approximate it as best they could.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">While
I am confident saying that this product in all likelihood does not contain
actual urine, it’s close enough that I wouldn’t even consider recommending it
for any reason. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not
that there’s any real reason to recommend it, foul taste aside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boost is pretty miserable (enough
to wake you up, but not enough to really be able to benefit from or enjoy it), and
about what you’d expect given its stripped-down functional blend.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Maybe
an hour, hour and a half.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slight
crash.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—3.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Don’t
even think about it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://havocsales.com/">havocsales.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Havoc energy drink review</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-26777292356658737892013-09-24T08:48:00.001-06:002013-09-24T08:48:04.047-06:00Reveiw for 5 Hour Energy--Raspberry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNszMPVVM3zMsatuvEPBRXxA1_KyG2pbBc77c2Y60iopCmswR9w_M6_c2xTMn6m5VwvsDks_KJSDbzIneG28KHv8wde9VbFlkvE6J2iPEFETV-X2I0vMhbOyiAR3ipBLwPdP7RG0Avvw/s1600/Raspberry_Bottle_Glossy_Esko-470x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNszMPVVM3zMsatuvEPBRXxA1_KyG2pbBc77c2Y60iopCmswR9w_M6_c2xTMn6m5VwvsDks_KJSDbzIneG28KHv8wde9VbFlkvE6J2iPEFETV-X2I0vMhbOyiAR3ipBLwPdP7RG0Avvw/s320/Raspberry_Bottle_Glossy_Esko-470x1024.jpg" width="146" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">200
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Emerging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anticipate seeing it just about
everywhere in time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
much as I love seeing the 5 Hour Energy running dude sprinting up mountains, I
find it hard to find fault with this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you’re not going to go with the usual, it makes sense to saturate the
bottle with colors deep and agreeable enough to make up for it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">5
Hour Energy is actually getting pretty good at this.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">When
I initially went through the company’s lineup last year, I freaking hated
them—the energy was pretty good (okay, okay, I’ll admit it—the energy was
insanely awesome, with the exception of that extraordinarily useless ‘Decaf’
shot), but they tasted <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">abysmal</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was almost as though making an
energy product both concentrated and tasty was impossible, and the company had
resigned itself to the fact and was selling them at a ridiculous price.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Such
is not the case with these new shots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>5 Hour Energy has not grown complacent as the industry leaders—it seems
as though they’ve recognized the bitter and sickeningly sweet shortcomings of
their previous product and have been busy finding ways to make it so that their
new products are not brought down by them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this case, you have a product that 1) almost tastes like
actual raspberries, and 2) lacks a lot of the aftertaste that made earlier
shots so hard to get down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
still there to an extent, but this shot still represents a major step in the
right direction (maybe just a bit less of one than their Extra Strength Sour
Apple shot), and is actually starting to make a 5 Hour Energy fan of me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">5
Hour Energy shots are not exceptionally intense, though they are exceptionally
effective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re looking to
get wired out of your mind, go elsewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If, however, you are looking for the feeling of being fairly awake under
your own steam and fairly alert and focused (a really excellent energy state to
find one’s self in, let me tell you), this is absolutely the way to go.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
original strength 5 Hour Energy is true to the namesake—need I say more?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
SHOT OVERALL—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If
these recent releases, with their relative palpability and high efficacy, can
make a fan out of me, I think they are well worth consideration on the part of
the general public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try this one—newbie
and 5 Hour veteran alike—and let me know what you think.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://5hourenergy.com/">5hourenergy.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
5 Hour Energy Raspberry energy shot review, low calorie, sugar free</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-19232465583020777622013-09-11T17:28:00.003-06:002013-09-11T17:28:20.589-06:00Review for Muscle Monster--Vanilla<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXA7ERwipxqgaREOuf9CqjrZMIzRmCnoXWzxSrRi-06QWJkQm9IvZ3oVrbB_AXUgoJKjCH1NMVAKwuQAFMOeNxpIPkEZ6-Tx_CgWdm-wF-y1XFKJXSFNTJd1PCbTt8k-qW8oR9jXe7P8Q/s1600/muscmonstvani.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXA7ERwipxqgaREOuf9CqjrZMIzRmCnoXWzxSrRi-06QWJkQm9IvZ3oVrbB_AXUgoJKjCH1NMVAKwuQAFMOeNxpIPkEZ6-Tx_CgWdm-wF-y1XFKJXSFNTJd1PCbTt8k-qW8oR9jXe7P8Q/s320/muscmonstvani.jpg" width="184" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">157
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">When
I first found these, they were in that obnoxious
impossible-to-find-for-everyone-but-me stage of distribution—if you’ve ever
tried to find Monster Energy—M3, you know exactly what I’m talking about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having travelled a bit since that day,
however, I have seen them just about everywhere—seems that I was just in the
last place in the freaking continental US to get them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hate it when that happens.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
I indicated in my review of the chocolate offering, the lighter the background
of Muscle Monster products get, the lower the quality of the print—in this
case, the iconic Monster <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">M</i> and that
awesome “MUSCLE” spanning a lower portion of the can don’t do a thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The yellow-ish can is ugly and
cheap-looking, and I can actually see casual consumers turning their nose up on
this in favor of one of the tastier-looking dark cans.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—4</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
pre-drinking turning up of the nose, as it turns up, would be entirely
appropriate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If, as you are
scoping out the different Monster beverages in their ginormous fridge, you feel
the inclination to pass this one over, I encourage you to follow that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Muscle
Monster—Vanilla is gross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems
as though I’ve been over a thousand adjectives in my head, and I keep coming
back to that one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having turned
out perfectly delicious energy shakes in the forms of the coffee and chocolate
flavors, I can’t for the life of me figure out what they were thinking
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It tastes like cheap,
almost-sour tapioca, and is very hard to choke down.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If
my experiences with drinks like this is in any way indicative of the future of
this particular beverage, you can probably expect to see it populating the
shelves of Big Lots soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my
opinion, it can’t get there soon enough.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Having
been through this with other two more delicious beverages, I almost feel as
though I don’t need to go through this again—but here we go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a perfectly stout Monster
Energy beverage, a bit heavy for anything but weightlifting but functionally
adequate for the purpose.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Three
and a half hours (about), slight crash.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—6.67</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Drink
one of the other two, skip this one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://monsterenergy.com/">monsterenergy.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Muscle Monster Vanilla energy shake review</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-76411613223527576872013-09-11T17:05:00.002-06:002013-09-11T17:05:27.353-06:00Review for 5 Hour Energy Extra Strength--Sour Apple<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXxdMv_Hxr7BWhyphenhyphenmVEumXUGBBbbbGTQD_6JXuph2KtneJLUOKCAzYAsiuKZbLM18gcdG4sxtjWQOPBlhMtJajS8Etx0oTok7y1TodNfAVv1SN8sc7JIBF6oXiqPPC4fNe0qQ4xJ6ulhw/s1600/5+Hour+Extra+Strength+Sour+Apple+3-500x500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXxdMv_Hxr7BWhyphenhyphenmVEumXUGBBbbbGTQD_6JXuph2KtneJLUOKCAzYAsiuKZbLM18gcdG4sxtjWQOPBlhMtJajS8Etx0oTok7y1TodNfAVv1SN8sc7JIBF6oXiqPPC4fNe0qQ4xJ6ulhw/s320/5+Hour+Extra+Strength+Sour+Apple+3-500x500.JPG" width="192" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
get conflicting reports on the caffeine contents of these shots—I’ve been told
that these Extra Strength shots contain anywhere from 200-250 mg of caffeine,
with the most credible source (Consumer Reports) listing the content at 242
mg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe I should check with the
company proper to find out if they’re into officially disclosing that sort of
thing—If even Monster’s doing it now, 5 Hour Energy should only be able to hold
out for so much longer….</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
may seem scattered for now, but I guarantee you that there is probably somewhere
in your town selling it now, whether it’s Wal-Mart or a local grocery store or
a gas station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if it isn’t,
just give it a few days.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">One
of my favorite things about 5 Hour Energy (funnily enough) is the look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if I’m not wild about shrink wrap,
I’m big into cardio, and I’m big into sunsets—so a runner sprinting up a
mountain at sunset can’t be anything short of awesome in my book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, this new shot doesn’t
have any of those things but the outline of the runner—with an inexplicable
camouflage background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would get
it if this were anything about the flavor that was directed towards hunters
(deer musk flavor?) or if a portion of the proceeds went towards PTSD treatment
for veterans of the U.S. Military (please note the worthiness of that
suggestion, 5 Hour Energy folks), but as is, the whole thing looks kind of
thrown together without apparent thought—albeit neatly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—7</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
times past, I’ve made clear in no uncertain terms my distaste for 5 Hour Energy
and its multitudes of clones, having generally found them to be foul-tasting
and badly overpriced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I
might still begrudge them the $3.49 I spent on this (it was NOT purchased at
Wal-Mart), but I cannot deny that as far as flavor is concerned, this is a most
successful offering and a definite improvement over the shots they’ve released
in the past, especially of the Extra Strength line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First things you notice once you open the shot are 1) the
distinct, unadulterated smell of sour apple, and 2) the same general appearance
as their berry shots—call me crazy, but I don’t think that apple shots or apple
products in general should be faint pink in color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first swig is pretty intense, a blast of sour apple
flavor and energy ingredients and artificial sweeteners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Small swig after small swig, however,
things start to even out—the apple really starts to come out, crisp,
convincing, and thoroughly pleasant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If it lasted a bit longer I would feel perfectly comfortable awarding it
a solid 9/10; only problem is that a second or so after you swallow you are hit
with a real sledgehammer of an aftertaste, so overwhelmingly sweet that one is
almost tempted to attribute it to stevia—except there is none.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, it’s disagreeable enough that
I’m docking two points for it, but notwithstanding, I can guarantee you I’ll be
coming back to this shot again—even though it makes me feel really unprincipled
to do so (I’m supposed to hate this brand, remember?).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—9</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s
interesting what improving the flavor has done for the perception of these
shots—in times past I would admit that they perform well, but my praise was
lackluster and grudging because of what I had to go through to get the caffeine
into my system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having completely
enjoyed the flavor, however, I feel much less restrained in my praise—this
stuff is glorious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No more than
five minutes after the fact I was buzzing like a boss, performing necessary
household labors, completing hour-long runs, and going about my day-to-day
routine in an exponentially enhanced but non-jittery fashion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I may be forced to admit—it’s not just
because they were the first that 5 Hour Energy is considered the best.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Amazing,
also, what not being a hardened caffeine junkie has done to my caffeine
sensitivity—I think five hours is a more of a safe guess for consumers
partaking of the “moderate” quantity of 400 mg a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now blissfully enjoying being non-addicted and caffeine
sensitive, I got about six hours out of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lovely when a shot outperforms all expecations!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
SHOT OVERALL—8.67</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m
impressed—and coming from a fairly consistent energy shot hater (better yet, a
loather—is that even a word?), that really is saying something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless of what energy seeker niche
you fill—shot hater like me, casual consumer, seasoned energy connoisseur—this is
absolutely worth a try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Swallow
your pride, fork out the cash, and enjoy the flavor and that wondrous caffeine
rush—and please, do leave your thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I really am interested in seeing the public consensus on this one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://5hourenergy.com/">5hourenergy.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
5 Hour Energy Extra Strength Sour Apple energy shot review, low calorie, sugar
free</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5276182607805523320.post-69655840157803206332013-09-10T22:03:00.002-06:002013-09-10T22:03:26.971-06:00Review for Muscle Monster--Chocolate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnn6YpMnlV6bsiFihC-vbmvCv5Gj-yTajitspPOYvqXWCC5EENpdAEm-4wpQOneR1fgXfg6iyYoUgc1qOn02OMja41w-EKghVUsZhg5-ZTkxgXb9GiHjtugnoZQOzDWVSVTt4jBJKcIA/s1600/muscmonstchoc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnn6YpMnlV6bsiFihC-vbmvCv5Gj-yTajitspPOYvqXWCC5EENpdAEm-4wpQOneR1fgXfg6iyYoUgc1qOn02OMja41w-EKghVUsZhg5-ZTkxgXb9GiHjtugnoZQOzDWVSVTt4jBJKcIA/s320/muscmonstchoc.jpg" width="184" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">CAFFEINE
CONTENT</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">157
mg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">EASE
IN ACQUISITION—9</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Looks
like this one is finally making its appearance in the mountain west—all you
folks in civilized territory can probably look forward to finding it without difficulty
now.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8.5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Call
this one another successful packaging endeavor on Monster’s part, though maybe
not quite so much as their coffee-flavored offering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like the latter beverage, the light-colored <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">M</i> and bold, metallic “MUSCLE” work
wonders to instill the consumer with optimism regarding its marketed function
as an energy/protein hybrid, and the light brown swirl in the background might
be the most delicious-looking yet—the shade reminds me of a Healthy Choice
Fudge Bars, which stand as one of my all-time favorite chocolate products to
date.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something I do notice is
that the lighter the background gets, the more pixel-y it looks—seems that the
quality of the print deteriorates the lighter you get.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s merely noticeable here—wait until
we get to the vanilla flavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
we’ll really have something to talk about.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">TASTE—9</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Like
chocolate protein shakes?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re
going to love this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d go so
far as to call this the best I’ve had to date—it’s thick, rich and flavorful,
plenty smooth, not too sweet, and not at all chalky considering the generous
quantity of protein.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly,
good enough that I would be perfectly happy going for it if I found myself in
the mood for a chocolate shake—or if I found myself in the mood for chocolate
in general (prior, of course, to a trip to the gym—see below).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s that good.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(INTENSITY)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
terms of energy, this isn’t going to let you down, and it would probably work
in a plethora of situations—but I should say that the drink itself is heavy
enough that I wouldn’t even think about drinking it for anything but powering
you up before your strength-training regimen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just not the sort of thing you can drink for whatever
whenever.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KICK
(DURATION)—8</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Delivers
a ballpark of three and a half hours of energy, with a slight crash after the
fact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a problem if your trip
to the gym and your classes (for all you students out there) take place early
in the morning; you should be through with them by the time the effects
dissipate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">THE
DRINK OVERALL—8.33</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s
absolutely a niche drink, but I can’t think of another beverage that fills it
so well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tastes very good, packs a
punch, and as far as substance has more than enough protein to meet your needs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">WEBSITE:
<a href="http://monsterenergy.com/">monsterenergy.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">KEYWORDS:
Muscle Monster Chocolate energy shake review</span></div>
Brandon J. Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04301917320165800728noreply@blogger.com0