Review for Kronik Energy--Blue Citrus

CAFFEINE CONTENT

150 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—3

At least where I’m from, any Kronik Energy product is tough to come by.  I picked up mine at a gas station about 25 miles from where I live, and it was the last that they had in stock.  Everywhere else I’d seen it previously has discontinued it, and I doubt that it’s going to get any easier to find in the future.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8

For the longest time, I couldn’t decide how I felt about the barbed wire displayed so prominently.  Everything else seems to fit—the irregular font, black background, etc., but the barbed wire just seemed too random to work.  I questioned, “What does barbed wire have to do with anything chronic in nature?”  It wasn’t until recently that I, when asking myself the same question for the umpteenth time, asked myself back: “Well, what would you have put there?”  I couldn’t think of anything, so I decided to lay off the barbed wire thing and give it a decent mark for presentation.

TASTE—9

Here’s where Kronik—Blue Citrus really got my attention.  Popping open the can, I began to think there might be something to the “Blue Citrus” namesake.  It smelled—brace yourselves—citrus-y.  The first swig, as with most energy drinks, was…different, kind of sour and indistinct.  But as I proceeded to down it, the drink evolved an unmistakable grapefruit taste, and was quite delicious—the first real citrus flavor I’ve gotten out of a drink.  All in all, I found it to be very different and very delicious.  Not sure why it had to be blue (never seen a blue citrus fruit), but if it tastes this good, who cares?

KICK (INTENSITY)—8

The kick was comparable to Venom Energy—Killer Taipan.  Not the intense, torrential-fury-of-ten-thousand-suns kick that I got from Full Throttle—Citrus or the original Rockstar, but a good, jitter-free buzz.  Woke up from a long nap (my son didn’t really allow me to sleep the night before) with kind of a headache and a head that felt full of fog, and this drink fairly well kicked the headache and blasted the fog away in a fashion analogous to dew vs. the morning sun.  Well played, Kronik….

KICK (DURATION)—9

No complaints from me with regards to duration.  The kick kept me going for quite a while, and was very gradual in tapering off.  It was only hours later that I felt so much as the slightest bit tired.

THE DRINK OVERALL—8.67

Kronik Energy—Blue Citrus is a drink that really deserves to be better known.  The taste is excellent, the kick top-notch, and there’s really no excuse for it not to have more of a following.  I offer my enthusiastic recommendation that you give it a shot, and advise that you get your hands on a can of this stuff if you are able to do so.

WEBSITE: www.kronikenergy.com 

KEYWORDS: Kronik Blue Citrus Energy Drink review, grapefruit

Review for Venom Energy--Killer Taipan

CAFFEINE CONTENT

170 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—6

Found in all the same places with all the frequency as the other two, which is to say, "scattered at best."

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—10

As with any Venom Energy product, packaging on this one kicks butt.  The only thing I’ve ever seen top a Venom Energy product in terms of the look is another Venom Energy product; in this case only Venom Energy—Black Mamba tops this.

TASTE—7

It’s a decent effort; definitely more inspired than “Monster Energy—Khaos.”  Tastes kind of like those peach rings you can buy in bulk at places like WinCo, except mango flavored.  The flavor actually doesn’t last all that long, however, and the sweetness does become a bit much.  It does have the Venom Energy fizz in its favor, so I can’t say it’s all bad.

KICK (INTENSITY)—6

Definitely the weakest of the three I’ve tried so far; enough to keep me awake, but not especially alert.  A bit second-rate, truth be told.

KICK (DURATION)—7

Not much more long lasting than it is intense.  Also second-rate.

THE DRINK OVERALL—6.67

I’m not wild about this one.  It’s second to something in just about everything—if you like mango, it’s topped by Rockstar Juiced—Mango; if you like Venom Energy it’s surpassed by both Black Mamba and Death Adder (especially Death Adder); and when it comes to kick, it’s actually below what consider to be the line of optimal effectiveness.  If you must, give it a shot; otherwise stick with Venom Energy—Death Adder.  Or even Venom Energy—Black Mamba.

WEBSITE: venomenergy.com 

KEYWORDS: Venom Killer Taipan Energy Drink review, mango flavor, high carbonation

Review for Venom Energy--Death Adder

CAFFEINE CONTENT

170 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—6

Venom Energy—Death Adder is about as easy to find as any other Venom Energy product.  A trend I’ve noticed is that if one place carries one, it typically will carry them all, and I imagine this is the reason behind the trend in commonality.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—10

Even if I don’t like the orange as much as I do the red of Black Mamba, the snake eye design still kicks some serious butt—I have no reason to take off points.  There’s not a single color variation I’ve seen that the Venom Energy can does not pull off nicely.  Just cross your fingers and pray that they don’t ever try pearl pink or olive green….

TASTE—10

Fruit punch…just thinking about the prospect of another like Rockstar Punched—Tropical Fruit Punch or Vegas Fuel scared me.  Opening the can, I was terrified that the experience was going to have an ugly end.  Then I took a drink, and…wow.  Venom Energy—Death Adder is delicious.  If Rockstar Punched—Tropical Fruit Punch and Vegas Fuel are to be likened unto stuff you’d expect to get out of a vending machine at Wal-Mart, Venom Energy—Death Adder is a drink you’d expect to be poured into your glass by a well-dressed employee at a poolside party at a five-star hotel in the Bahamas on a warm, clear, calm evening.  The exquisite flavor and perfect balance of sweet and tart would be hard to top on their own, but Venom Energy—Death Adder does just that by adding the characteristic Venom Energy fizz.  The result is a drink that is truly the textbook definition of sublime.

KICK (INTENSITY)—8

Here’s another attribute where I was impressed.  The kick was not the most intense I’ve ever had, but dang if it wasn’t one of the best—it’s not the kind that will give you the jitters and make you obnoxious, but you are completely and unmistakably awake, alert, and focused—kind of the ideal in an energy drink.

KICK (DURATION)—10

So, after the transcendently delicious flavor and the exceptional kick, one almost begins to become nervous, at this point expecting it to be too good to be true.  Surely such a drink must have some sort of downside, and now the only thing left that has the potential to disappoint is the longevity of the alertness effect.  Incredibly enough, Venom Energy—Death Adder delivered in this respect as well, with the effect lasting about as long as any administered by any other energy drink I’ve ever had.  And, four, four and a half hours later, after the effects wore off, there was no crash to speak of.

THE DRINK OVERALL—9.33

This might not get a perfect score (even though it’s close) by my scoring rules, but screw it—in my book, Venom Energy—Death Adder is second to none.  This stuff blew me away—killer presentation, superb flavor, and a top-notch kick that one hopes for in an energy drink but is rarer than one would expect.  If only for this drink, the Venom Energy line was a worthwhile investment for the Dr. Pepper company.  I award this drink an honorary status of 10/10, and to the individual who hasn’t partaken of this beverage, step away from the computer and go pick up a can with all possible expediency.

WEBSITE: venomenergy.com 

KEYWORDS: Venom Death Adder Energy Drink review, fruit punch, high carbonation

Review for Venom Energy--Black Mamba

CAFFEINE CONTENT

170 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—6

Very hit-and-miss in terms of where you can and where you can’t.  The company (Dr. Pepper) seems to ship it in clusters; I’ll see it everywhere in one town, and then leave and not seem to be able to find it anywhere else.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—10

Venom Energy—Black Mamba (or any of the Venom Energy line, for that matter) looks tight—it’s the new standard of awesome when it comes to energy drink can designs.  Rather than the standard 16-oz can, this stuff comes in a thick aluminum bottle, with the design enameled on rather than simply…I don’t know, printed?  Front and center you have a blood-red snake's eye, with narrow pupils and all.  This packaging strategy, more than any other, earns the attention it gets rather than simply screaming for it.

TASTE—8

The way this drink was packaged, you would think that there would be something new and remarkable inside, but from the start, it’s virtually exactly like the original Monster Energy drink or any of the other multitudinous energy drinks that taste exactly like it.  Why do I not take points of for being so unoriginal, as I am sometimes inclined to do?  It’s the fizz…yes, the fizz.  I don’t know what they did to achieve this, but this drink is way more carbonated than most energy drinks I’ve encountered, so that it almost seems like a new take on the flavor.

KICK (INTENSITY)—7

The kick is acceptable—not exceptionally intense, but certainly strong enough to do the job.  I found myself in a place just south of jittery, but north of simply awake.  I think "alert" would be the best word to use.

KICK (DURATION)—9

Even if it’s not especially remarkable in terms of how hard it hits you, Venom Energy—Black Mamba will last about as long as you could ask for.

THE DRINK OVERALL—8

Despite the derivative origins of its flavor, Venom Energy—Black Mamba still manages to stand out in my mind among its hosts of competitors.  The distinct fizz is a definite plus if you’re sick of the "clone" part Red Bull clone trend, and it manages to deliver a better kick than similar and more mainstream drinks, such as Red Bull and Monster Energy.  Even if it isn’t the best, Venom Energy—Black Mamba still well worth a shot. 

WEBSITE: venomenergy.com 

KEYWORDS: Venom Black Mamba Energy Drink review, Red Bull clone, traditional energy drink flavor, high carbonation

Review for Vegas Fuel

CAFFEINE CONTENT

130 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—2

I’m guessing that this is a drink trying to inch it’s way into the market, because to date I’ve only seen it at one location (small grocery store in Buhl, Idaho).  If you’re interested, be prepared to look a while.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8

Sometimes, it seems, less is indeed more, and such is the case with the packaging of the Vegas Fuel energy drink.  It’s black background, dark red setting sun (?), and silver lettering is actually a good deal more eye catching than one would think.  Perfectly reminiscent of a night in Vegas, if you ask me.

TASTE—5

The taste is very similar to Rockstar Punched—Tropical Fruit Punch, best described as tasting like mildly carbonated Hawaiian Punch.  As I stated in that earlier review, I am not at all a fan of this flavor, which to me tastes cheap and artificial.

KICK (INTENSITY)—8

I was actually quite surprised by how effective this drink was in delivering a needed boost, given the low level of caffeine compared to that possessed by competing energy drinks.  The experience was about halfway between very awake and jittery, a pleasant point to be at behind the wheel.

KICK (DURATION)—9

I’m going to venture a guess and surmise that the idea behind the drink was keeping one awake during a night in Vegas, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it were able to do just that.  It was a long time before I noticed any decrease in my energetic state, and by then the drive was long over.

THE DRINK OVERALL—7.33

I highly recommend this drink to anyone of the fruit punch persuasion, for this drink was designed for such.  Even if the flavor didn’t do much for me, the drink delivered as far as the kick is concerned, and anyone who likes the punch flavor should have nothing bad to say about it.

WEBSITE: vegasfuel.com 

KEYWORDS: Vegas Fuel Energy Drink review, fruit punch

Review for Sobe Adrenaline Rush

CAFFEINE CONTENT

152 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—7

This one is reasonably common, though not as much as some.  If one grocery store doesn’t have it, just try the next.  Or the one after.  It should be at one of the two.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—6

The can is kind of bland-looking, with silver and red predominating and the Sobe lizards front and center.  Not awful, but more could definitely have been done there.

TASTE—4

This is probably one of the most in-your-face fruity beverages I have ever had, almost as though they took all the ripe tropical fruits they could get their hands on and concentrated them into this one beverage.  It would be far more agreeable if it weren’t sweet to the point that finishing the drink is a chore.

KICK (INTENSITY)—7

Not the most glaringly obvious thing I've had as far as kick is concerned, but dang if it isn't effective.  No jitters to speak of, but my 4-mile run quickly became an 8 mile run when I realized I could keep going and going and going….

KICK (DURATION)—7

The duration was reasonable.  Didn’t give out before it’s time, but I was still able to get to sleep relatively easy when bedtime rolled around.

THE DRINK OVERALL—5.67

The verdict: sure, it’s effective, but the question will be if you’re willing to drink it to get the boost.  As for myself, I’m aware of beverage that are as or more effective that taste far better than this one, and I suggest that you grab one of those.  Unless you really must give it a shot, in which case nothing I can say will deter you. 

WEBSITE: sobe.com is the website, but it appears that Adrenaline Rush has been discontinued (couldn't seem to find it on the site, no matter how hard I looked), so don't have high hopes about finding anything about it there.

KEYWORDS: Sobe Adrenaline Rush Energy Drink review, discontinued, fruity, fruit flavor