I’ve been negligent in my duties to all of you power mongers out there.  I recently felt the want to detoxify myself from energy drinks for a whee bit, and before anyone jumps to conclusions, no it is NOT because of any side effects of my energy drinks.  I just decided to switch to drinking fresh brewed tea for a bit and put the TBLC to the side for a couple weeks.  But I am back with a vengeance with reviews of Hydrive X – Triple Berry (Antioxidant Energy Drink) and Amy Energy – Overdrive.

Hydrive X – Triple Berry (Antioxidant Energy Drink)

Taste: I enjoyed the fact that the Hydrive X was non carbonated because it made guzzling it all the more easier.  It also didn’t hurt that the Triple Berry flavor was pretty damn tasty.  It was a bit tart with a hint of a vitamin aftertaste that was gone fairly quickly.

Boost: There was a nominal boost that was barely noticeable and left my eyes feeling just as heavy as when I first rolled onto the floor that morning.

Longevity: After an hour I’m pretty much ready to lay down under my desk for a couple Zzzz’s while no ones looking.  At 2 hours there was absolutely nothing keeping me alert, awake, or coherent.

Final Verdict: Of all the drinks I’ve had I’m pretty sure Hydrive X Triple Berry was one of the more healthier energy drinks I’ve consumed.  Other than that and the taste there’s really no real reason for me to suggest to drink to anyone of you out there.

Amp Energy – Overdrive (Energy Drink)

Taste: I was never a fan of the Mountain Dew Code Red and unfortunately Amp Overdrive tastes like an amped (yes, pun intended) up version of Code Red.  I’m not sure what exactly adds the harshness but as it went down reluctantly each time I let it hit my taste buds.

Boost: I imediately felt energetic with a really nice buzz kicking in after about 20 minutes.  I’d say the taste is worth what I felt, in my opinion at least.

Longevity: After an hour the same exact feeling is still going strong and I’m loving every minute of it.  At the 2 hours mark I was still feeling the buzz but it was a little more toned down.  Once 3 hours hit I had finally come down with no side effects whatsoever.

Final Verdict: If you like the taste of Code Red I’d have to wholeheartedly suggest Amp Energy – Overdrive.  It may have a bit of a kick going down but you’ll be fine with the trade off once you feel the Dew flow through your veins.

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I’m glad to say that I’m currently working out something with the awesome guys at EnergyDrinkOutlet.com that will allow me to get a nice array of new drinks to consume.  I can’t wait to get my hands on a couple of the more exotic brands that are listed on their site.  But alas until then my two choices of poison this week are Full Throttle – Blue Demon (Blue Agave Energy Drink) and Monster Khaos (Energy + Juice). 

Full Throttle – Blue Demon (Blue Agave Energy Drink)

Taste: I had no idea what to expect when I put Blue Demon against my lips the first time.  My only association with Agave was with Tequila and I’m not sure how a tequila flavored drink would taste at the butt crack of dawn.  Thankfully Full Throttle’s drink is a very smooth drink that had a very unique taste which went down smoothly.

Boost: I’ve become a bit more appreciative of energy drinks that have a mild alertness but combine it with a good body buzz and Full Throttle would have to be part of that group.  After 15 mins I felt the Full Throttle kick in and felt like an almost perfect balance between the body buzz and alertness.

Longevity: At the 1 hour mark I was already feeling a bit of a crash coming about with my eyes barely staying open.  At an hour and a half that drowsiness ceased but so was the little burst I had originally received from the drink.

Final Verdict: It’s an interesting tasting drink and can provide a quick boost of pep but it’s not something I could see myself drinking on a regular basis for the taste or for my energy fix.

Monster Khaos (Energy + Juice)

Taste: There’s a good mixture of juices that make up Monster Khaos but I could quite figure out which ones were in the drink so I cheated and checked out the label.  Monster used Apple, Peach, and Orange juices to make up this blend and I must say they’ve done a superb job in the taste department.

Boost: At around 15/20 minutes I felt extremely energized.  I was still in the middle of taking down notes for the Taste section when everything became a blur and my fingers moved faster than my thoughts could keep up with.  The feeling was quite pleasant and a welcomed change from my zombie-like daze that infected me that morning.

Longevity: After an hour I’m still feeling that super energized feeling and ready to run a marathon (maybe ‘roided jocks should stick with Khaos instead?).  At 2 hours I’m still feeling that blissful feeling , which was weird and a bit awesome to be honest with you.  The 3 hour mark came around and I almost immediately felt a drop in my energy and a crash soon followed.  Thankfully the drop in energy wasn’t too bad and wasn’t easy going thereafter.

Final Verdict: I’m hoping I’m not overselling Monster Khaos, but damn did I love this drink.  It was refreshing AND energizing.  How could you ever go wrong with that combination?  Monster has definitely hit gold with this drink because the the only downside I felt was that crash that suddenly reared its head but hell that’s why the god of Energy created multi-packs!

While there are still quite a few drinks in the pipeline that I have yet to post about I am slowly getting to the last few dregs my local stores have on their shelves and may soon be forced to look to outside sources for new energy fixes.  Thankfully the folks at The Energy Drink Outlet have offered me a new source of tasty beverages with a little pep.  With great enthusiasm I will be perusing through their website to toss down my throat in the name of science and all that is geeky!  Without further ado I bring you my reviews of Venom Mojave Rattler (Low carb Energy Drink) and Monster M-80 (Energy + Juice).

Venom: Mojave Rattler (Low Carb Energy Drink)

Taste: I took multiple sips of Mojave Rattler attempting to find a flavor to associate the taste with and hit a brick wall each and every time.  While not unpleasant Mojave Rattler’s taste just feels like a mixture of flavors made only to mask the mediciny energy taste.  It definitely succeeds in this but doesn’t taste all that great either, sorta the middle of the road Mama Bear of energy drink flavor.

Boost: Mojave Rattler’s bite kicked in about 20 to 25 minutes and I went from being almost ready to doze off to having a very pleasant body buzz.

Longevity: After an hour I was still feeling that buzz and was loving every minute of it.  This buzz can sometimes be a bad thing but actually was a perfect highlight to the alertness I had after drinking the Venom energy drink.  At around 2 hours I was still feeling the body buzz but my eyes began to feel a bit heavy.  At around the 2 and a half hour mark the buzz and alertness were completely gone but thankfully I wasn’t ready to pass out.

Final Verdict: There’s very little negative things I could say about Venom Energy’s Mojave Rattler.  While the taste wasn’t great it definitely wasn’t on the horrid chemical tasting category either.  I’d suggest it to ayone looking for a nice boost to jump start your day and/or evening.

Monster: M80 (Energy + Juice)

Taste: This may sound a bit weird but there is a definite malt liquor taste to Monster M80.  While this is something that I’m quite used to the harsh citrus taste may take some getting used to for the non initiated.  Personally I’m a big boy and don’t mind my drinks a little bit on the hard side of things.

Boost: After about about 20 minutes I’m beginning to feel slightly energized and alert but not overtly so.

Longevity: After an hour I’m beginning to feel myself come down to a barely alert state.  After 2 hours the exact same feeling is still here and thankfully no drowsiness in sight. At 3 hours the semi alertness is dissipating but it was not a drastic change and left me still able to function.

Final Verdict: While not a super energizing drink by any means I found my experience with Monster M80 to be fairly pleasant.  The mix of the strong tasting energy drink and tame energy is quite the enigma because usually drinks tasting this harsh come with energy boosts that are above par.  You can do a lot worse when looking for an energy drink but there’s not enough umph in this drink for it to be recommendable.

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It’s become quite a thrill to head up to my corner store on an almost daily basis to see if I can find any new caffienated goodies to purchase.  I also find myself looking for extremely obscure energy drinks to get my lips on.  With this in mind I came across the Bing (Black Cherry Energy Drink).  Along with Bing I will also will be reviewing Rockstar Juiced (Pomegranate flavor).

Bing: Black Cherry (Energy Drink)

Taste: The black cherry flavor immediately made itself known as soon as it hit my tongue.  Unfortunately that wonderful Bing cherry flavor was gone just as quickly as it showed up to the party leaving that very familiar mediciny energy drink taste.

Boost: At almost 15 minutes on the dot I felt the Bing kicking in.  I immediately felt alert and wide-eyed.

Longevity: After an hour I was feeling pretty good.  At around 2 hours I felt myself coming down but still alert.  At around 2.5-3 hours the effects of the Bing was completely gone but there was no crash in sight.

Final Verdict: Once again this drink would have to fall into the great to drink but not terribly functional as an energy drink category.  Not necessarily a bad thing but if I’m in need of some fuel for a cram session Bing will not be what I grab.

Rockstar: Juiced Pomegranate (Energy Drink)

Taste: There’s an interesting back end taste to this flavored Rockstar.  My guess it’s the pomegranate creeping up after energy drink taste finally dissipates.  Thankfully neither is too harsh and the drink went down fairly smoothly.

Boost: There was a slight boost at around 25 minutes that was barely noticeable but there nonetheless.

Longevity: That semi alertness continued for almost an hour and a half but I’m not positive whether it was me waking up naturally or the drink itself.  At the very least there was no crash to be found and in the end I did end up being alert.

Final Verdict: I would not suggest to to anyone looking for a tasty beverage or an energy drink.  While the taste was passable but not something I would want to drink on a daily basis.

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Time once again for another trip down energy lane.  Prior to getting to our newest entries I wanted to make sure to give everyone out there the heads up that drinking too much of these things can be very bad for your health.  Excess energy drink consumption can lead to kidney failure in some individuals along with other complications.  I’m not trying to stop anyone out there from drinking these wonderful pep inducers, but like anything you put in your body make sure you don’t over do it.

Now tha I’m done being a Debby Downer here’s the next two contestants on the TBLC ‘09 Java Monster Mean Bean (Energy + Coffee). and Full Throttle Fury (Energy Drink).

Full Throttle Fury (Energy Drink Review)

Taste:  It has a great orange taste, very reminiscent of Sunkist, with a slight kick on the backend of it that you can taste going down but doesn’t feel too overpowering.

Boost: I felt a slight body buzz beginning to kick in at around 10-15 minutes that felt like the rolling thunder prior to a storm.  It was actually a pretty pleasant feeling that was in no way uncomfortable.

Longevity: I feel the presence of the “Fury” after an hour but at around 1.5 hours I felt it slowly start to deteriorate.  It was not gone all in one go but at 2 hours I was back to normal and thankfully didn’t have to go through a crash to get there.

Final Verdict: It’s a great tasting Orange flavored energy drink that doesn’t have the sometimes hard to stomach “default energy taste.”  I would not be apposed to drinking these on a regular basis, possibly with some vodka poured in for good measure.

Java Monster Mean Bean (Coffee Energy Drink Review)

Taste: The first sip of this was absolutely devine, I had quit coffee a few months ago and a sip of this gorgeous concoction got me craving for a Venti cuppa joe from my favorite overpriced coffee pusher.  I was definitely not apposed to guzzling this tasty java drink.

Boost: Immediately felt a slight buzz after about 15 minutes of drinking the can but soon lessened to a mellow buzz after about 20-25.

Longevity: Felt fairly alert after the first hour of drinking.  At around two hours I began to feel a bit drowsy out of no where.  There was no coming down transition just sudden drowsiness that dissipated soon after and was replaced by the mellow buzzed alertness.  There was a continued fluctuation between alertness and drowsiness that lasted all through the third hour leaving me crashing at around 3 hours and 15 minutes.

Final Verdict: Rather than tasting like energy drink with some coffee in it, Java Monster’s flavor comes from a strong coffee base with some of the usual energy suspects being thrown in for kick.  I’d suggest this drink to any coffee lover but my weird experience with the last few hours of me drinking may be a slight negative point.  I’m not sure what it was but those waves of energy/lethargy were not fun to go through but could have just been my body reacting weird.

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Well, it’s time for another round of the TBLC ‘09.  The 2 energy drinks I’ll be reviewing this time around are 5 Hour ENERGY (Extra Strength) and Sugarfree AMP Energy (From the makers of Mountain Dew).  I had also wanted to review Sparks (Alcoholic Energy Drink) but thanks to the urging by the roomies to stay true to my rules and my unwillingness to guzzle an alcoholic beverage first thing in the morning, I was persuaded to put that endeavor on the back burner for the time being.

5 Hour ENERGY (Energy Shot Review)

Taste: It really had no flavor to speak of other than the slight hint of liquid vitamins.  Thankfully as the drink laid on my tongue it kind of numbed it making downing the shot all the easier to accomplish.

Boost: Of all the drinks I’ve tested thus far I’d have to say 5 Hour Energy had the quickest turn around time between consumption and results.  It took about 5-10 minutes before I began feeling a bit more awake with anxious feeling following soon after but not enough that I felt uncomfortable in anyway.

Longevity: After an hour that anxious feeling was there but wasn’t enough to make me feel jittery or nauteous.  At around 2 hours that feeling went away thankfully and the alertness lowered to a nice mellow attentiveness.  Hours 3-5 went along the same lines and I would have to say the alertness lasted my full 8 hour work day.

Final Verdict: The only downside to this product was that feeling I had in the beginning.  I’m not sure if it was the extra strength or just my body, but I really did feel something a little “off kilter” during that initial 1 hour time frame.  But as I said that went away and it was smooth sailing from that point on.

AMP Sugarfree (Energy Drink Review)

Taste: If this wasn’t so bad for me I would seriously guzzle AMP on a daily basis.  It’s very much like Mountain Dew but there’s something about the AMP’s more citrus-y taste that I find more appealing.

Boost: Guzzling a full 16 oz. of anything is never advisable, having those 16 oz. be a highly carbonated acidic energy drink is downright stupid.  Thankfully I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, so after I guzzled the 16 oz. of carbonated fury I almost immediately felt a bit of a rush which I will attribute to that guzzling.

Longevity: After an hour that initial rush had mellowed out into a sustained plateau of alertness thatfelt like the almost perfect centerpoint to get through the start of my day with.  After 2 hours it began to wear off but there was never a crash, just an empty feeling when I realized I didn’t have the intestinal fortitude to handle another one so soon.

Final Verdict: This is an extremely tasty drink, as long as you’re looking for something along the lines of Mountain Dew.  As I said before, I would personally love to have at least one of these throughout my day for simple fact of taste without even taking into consideration the boost these drinks can give.  Definitely recommendable.

I, like most of you out there in geekdom, have a love of energy drinks that has been going on for over a decade now.  With me it started off as a necessity back in the mid 90s because of having to stay up late for work but has grown to be an all encompassing part of my life.  Not because I have to, or particularly enjoy it, but because part of my brain immediately says, “ME WANT” whenever I see a new can in a store.  Just like in NY, Detroit has an overabundance of corner stores [i.e bodegas, party stores.] which basically means there’s new types energy boosters on an almost weekly basis.

It’s a bit weird to think that most drinkers of energy drinks use that energy to sit in a chair with a controller or keyboard and mouse in their hands.  But that’s what makes us geeks and I doubt we would ever change that fact.   With this in mind I had the idea to rate some of  the tasty/rancid beverages that may come across my path over the next few months.  I would like to now proudly announce the:

Rules

Drinks will only be tested while thoroughly sleepy, which basically means as soon as I wake up.  Drinks will first be sampled for taste, then guzzled immediately.  I’ll see when I begin feeling a difference then check in every hour or so after that point.  I will be looking for whether I feel jittery or awkward as well as feeling as if I’m going to crash.  Now to the main event…

Rockstar : Juice + Energy (Energy Drink Review)

Taste – Right off the bat I would like to say how tasty this drink is.  I’m not quite a fan of the Guava flavored Rockstar that’s out there, but this one is a really good mix of flavors that perfectly mask any of the tang that’s synonymous with energy drinks.

Boost – It kicked in about 30 – 40 minutes in and was a slight improvement on my lethargy.  Semi out of it but definitely not as groggy prior to drinking it.  Felt tired as apposed to sleepy.

Longevity – Within an hour I was already on the down slope.  By an hour and a half I felt an imminent crash approaching.  At around 2 hours flat I felt the need to get up and walk around to just so I could get alert again.

Final Verdict – Great to drink if you’re looking for something to quench your thirst but I would not suggest it for any late night cramming sessions or gamerthons.

Hydroxycut : Instant Weight Loss Shot (Energy Drink Review)

Taste: I took a sip of this and let it roll around my tongue a little bit and regretted that choice almost instantly.  While the Wild Berry is great while taking the full shot down in one go, savoring it felt like a blueberry soaked in Robitussin was used to coat my tongue its mediciny goodness.

Boost: I felt this bad boy about 20 minutes after downing the small bottle.  After a little over 2 hours I was still feeling alert with absolutely no jitters to be had.  Around 3.5 hours I began to feel it wear off and at around 4 I felt myself come down but it was nowhere near a crashing halt like some of the other stuff on the market..

Final Verdict: I’ve tried these energy shot boosters before and I have to say Hydroxycut’s one is a damn good product.  If it can deliver on half of the other claims it makes about weight loss, perhaps buying a case of this is in my near future.

Well those are the first two contenders now and I already have a few more lined up to toss down my gullet for your amusement.  Until then, here’s a snazzy little photo I took while at Pike Place during Penny Arcade Expo in ‘08.  Yes, that can is really that huge.