Trying desperately to pull my overworked brain cells from their perpetual desire to slog off, I scour the aisles for the perfect caffeinated substance. From Korean Drink Cans to stomach churning bargain caffeinated malt liquor to organic hand picked beans from the Peruvian mountaintops, Ill help you on your journey through the world’s most popular psychoactive substance.
There is something about Orange drinks that seems to make drink designers lose their minds. Seriously. But not in a bad way, but in a totally amazing blow the energy drink design wide open sort of way. I am reminded of the first time I saw the original NOS can - I think that is what started my love affair with fantastically packaged caffeinated soda. Rage has done a Fantastic job with this can - nevermind the small flaws. This is unique, artistic and gorgeous, especially for being a 1 spot color job. The bubbly orange sugar water could taste like tang, In something this cool taste and buzz are almost secondary. Rage is put out by Pinnacle Exclusives - and is supposed to be in the US now, although I have yet to see it in stores. Packaging:9.5 I dont usually give off decimal points. Think they are silly. back when teaching college I told my students I only gave 3 grades; A, C- and F. If you were good enough to show up and do all the work, you get an A. Slackers get a C-. If you could not even work hard enough for a C-, then there was no need to even show up, and chances are you did not learn the material. The art on this can definitely deserves a 9. 10 is reserved for being groundbreaking, which this is not, but the art on this can is phenomenal. Not only does this do everything right, but it exemplifies all that is energy drink. Loud, obnoxious, completely befitting the audience and full of the little details that I look for. This one does not list the calories, but that is obviously an internation issue, as Canada does not have the same standards for labeling as the US. I included a large picture with this post strictly because the art should be seen. The design wraps fully around the can, so there is no need for the "second label" so your can is not missed if shelved wrongly in the convenience store. There is all the product information about rage and pinnacle, along with emails and websites. They have full disclosure of all ingredients, and list caffeine and taurine content. If you are in the business of making energy drinks for the younger market, this aggresive package is one you can take a lesson or two from. Nutrition:7 boosts up the levels of caffeine to a much much higher percentage. There is 200mg per can, opposed to the 160 found in most 16oz energy drinks. They also boost the taurine levels as well as the rest of the usual energy drink cast of characters. Like the other Rage I tried, this drink has Creatine in the mix. Creatine is used mostly by bodybuilders to gain muscle mass. However when they take it as a supplement, it is usually measured in grams, not milligrams. 50mg is not really enough to do anything unless you plan on drinking cases of this stuff. Creatine can also cause nausea and diarreah, so there are some pros and cons to adding this into your energy drinks. As for calories - no idea. Guess it is not important as it is not listed anywhere on the cans or in the pounds of literature they sent along to me. I am guessing there is a bunch, But they do not list High Fructose Corn Syrup, instead using Fructose and sucralose.
Taste:6 After drinking the first red Rage, I was excited to see what their Orange would be. YOu could tell from the color of the mackage that this was going to be an orange/citrus in some way - and the orange color of the liquid confirmed it. Unfortunately, I was not nearly impressed with the flavor coming out of this one. I mean, it is a fine orange soda, on the same level of countless other orange sodas, like NOS, 180, Khaos and so many other orange tinged drinks. That is just such a shame because of the completeuniqueness and fantastic flavor of their red can. I was hoping for a new riff on the old orange, but no. This is just another overly sweet orange soda with a bit more sour added. Get this one for the can, not for the drink inside.
Website:4rageliquidenergy.com Great effort, but horrible execution. The plash page - which by and large I find superfluous, is the coolest part of the site. After that, the idea comes through, but it barely works - sowing pictures in the wrong places, not giving me any info on the product and the company. I would rate this even lower, but the concept and idea behind it is pretty fantastic. I just hope they finish it and do some more bug testing.
Rollin into energy drink town like a 40 from Shaft and a sports drink from the 30s. This hybrid energy drink/ sports aid does not know what do do - but it sure knows how to look good while doin' it. Sure, this one has been around for a while,... Read More Topics:
sports/endurance energy drink
While I will be giving out my BEST of 2008 awards in a couple months, this is a quick review of some of the best since the last list 100 long drinks ago. This is for those who dont want to go through all these dozens of reviews and just want to... Read More Topics:
The worst and the best ,
Ask the Guide
Mini Thin Rushes are supposed to be for fitness types who are wanting a pick-me-up for their workouts. But don't let a little thing like laziness stop you from one of the best and worst energy shots ever made. Yes, this has one of the best potent concoctions... Read More Topics:
Powershot
This fantastic tea is a rare but amazing find here in the US. Not because it is illegal in this country, but a horrible package which completely ruins the ability to sell this drink. Like Cocaine and Blow, this drink is a hard one to market -... Read More Topics:
Energy Alcohol Drink ,
Tea ,
international caffeine
Kaboom has a number of good things going for it - mainly the organic-iness of the liquid inside of the can. Outside, the can and the name do not exactly mesh... When you picture an energy drink named KABOOM, what do you picture? Probably not in a million... Read More Topics:
Energy Juice
Last time I tried a stimulation beverage, I was at home, with the kids all asleep with hours until bedtime. This was totally the wrong way to try out a drink with aphrodisiac qualities. Heck, even just seeing Victoria Stillwell on Animal Planet would... Read More Topics:
aphrodesiacs
I have had this damned David Dundas song stuck in my head for years - and now I can finally use it in a review! In fact, this song makes a great backdrop to reading this review too.. Not cool enough? The fatboy slim revision is pretty rockin... Read More
Think Gum has a very interesting idea, linking taste memory recall with brain boosting herbs to try to help alertness and the ability to improve memory. The product is created by a Stanford University medical student, flavored and scented with... Read More Topics:
Energy foods
ZEVIA is the world's only all natural sugar free alternative to diet soda. No artificial anything, this is about the healthiest you could possibly get to drinking water - maybe even healthier than water. This stuff is sweetened by an extract of Stevia,... Read More