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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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.