Sometimes, you need an extra boost of energy to get through the day, night, or time in between. You go to your local convenience store, and there are a lot of different choices. I will go over some of the major brand names, rate them, and give you a little information about what goes into energy drinks.
First of all, the ingredients. The first ingredient I'm going to talk about is Taurine. Taurine is a chemical that was first derived from the Bile in a bull's liver. Kinda gross, though, so now it is made artificially. It supposedly improves vision, concentration, and thought processing. It's main other use is in cat food, as it is a chemical needed to prevent feline blindness.
Next, caffeine. Caffeine occurs many places in nature and there is many ways to harvest it. Coffee has about 200mg of caffeine per cup, and the average energy drink has between 100-150mg in it. Caffeine is said to improves concentration and it stimulates the nervous, cardiovascular, and metabolic systems. Inositol is another common ingredient, and is a B vitamin, so I'll just explain B vitamins (also prevalent in energy drinks) instead.
B vitamins break down fats and blood cholesterol, control insulin transduction, increase metabolism, enhances the immune system, and helps combat stress. Alright now on to the energy drinks in alphabetical order:
Amp
- Kick: 6/10
- Taste: 6/10
- Overall:6/10
Description: Tastes like Mountain Dew if you mixed it with a little bit of red bull. Not an amazing kick, but enough to feel. Barely. Amp is more of a marketing success than a breakthrough. The guys at Pepsi where thinking "hey we can make twice as from Mountain Dew if we put Vitamin B, Taurine, and more caffeine in it!" Still not bad if you don't have any better decisions.
Amp: Overdrive
- Kick: 6/10
- Taste: 8/10
- Overall: 7/10
Description: I must admit that overdrive tastes better than original amp, but the kick still isnt the best. Overdrive is to Amp what Code Red is to Mountain Dew, the same with a bit of cherry. The cherry really helps, too. It is, overall, the same thing.
BAWLS Guarana
- Kick: 7/10
- Taste: 8/10
- Overall: 7.5/10
Description: The drink of nerds and gamers. It tastes almost like an all caffeine liquor. I would recommend this above most brands, and the blue bottles that it comes in are pretty cool looking, so you can hold on to "em. The thing that sets this apart from most energy drinks is that is entirely caffeine and sugar. Guarana is a fruit found in nature whose seeds are almost entirely natural caffeine. this is also the key ingredient in BAWLS.
BAWLS Sugar-Free
- Kick: 7/10
- Taste: 4/10
- Overall: 5.5/10
Description: Same as BAWLS except for lack of taste and sugar. When you use artificial sweetener in this particular drink, it removes all of the taste with it, and makes it a horrible choice. I"d say leave this alone unless you are on a strict diet.
Cocaine Energy Drink
- Kick: 10+/10
- Taste: 3/10
- Overall: 7/10
Description: Worst taste, ever. It tastes like death and child abuse. However this drink is worth it because it has the most amazing kick I have ever experienced. There isn't any actual cocaine in this drink, but it feels like there is. I drank two and couldn't sleep that night, and felt like I had a full nights sleep in the morning. Truly an amazing experience, but if you get one, don't be expecting a good taste.
Full Throttle
Description: Usually a good choice, and usually priced lower than the competition, I can always enjoy a Full Throttle. It tastes like a lemon lime soda, with a much fuller taste.
Joker Mad Energy
- Kick: 7/10
- Taste: 7/10
- Overall: 7/10
Description: Kinda hard to find, but cheap. These usually sell for around 1.00-1.50 compared to the 2.00-2.50 of most energy drinks. The taste isn't bad, comparable to monster, but the value is great.
Monster
- Kick: 8/10
- Taste: 9/10
- Overall: 8.5/10
Description: I love these babies, they taste like Red Bull, but smoother. Also, the price is very attractive. THey have a nice strong kick to them, nothing too impressive, but a nice buzz. I always drink these and have probably had more than I should have. I highly recommend these.
Monster: Assault
- Kick: 8/10
- Taste: 8/10
- Overall: 8/10
Description: These have the same kick as original Monster, but they don't have the same taste. The taste is much more of a carbonated juice.
Monster: Khaos
- Kick: 8/10
- Taste: 8/10
- Overall: 8/10
Description: Tastes like assault, with more juice and no carbonation. Same kick as all the other Monsters.
Rip It
- Kick: 5/10
- Taste: 4/10
- Overall: 4.5/10
Description: Very low quality energy drink. The stuff has a horrible aftertaste, and the buzz only lasts maybe 20 minutes.
The crash that comes after about 30 minutes to an hour sucks too, you have a headache and a craving for something higher quality. Please avoid this stuff.
Rockstar
- Kick: 8.5/10
- Taste: 8/10
- Overall: 8.5/10
Description: Yet again another favorite of mine. The taste is good, but you kinda have to get used to it. Its sort of a rustic kind of taste, very rough, but good. The kick is packs is only slightly better than monster, but there is no crash, at all. I love this stuff and its usually a choice between this or Monster for me.
Sobe: Essential Energy
- Kick: 7/10
- Taste: 7/10
- Overall: 7/10
Description: Very standard energy drink. It is however slightly more healthy as it is a part of the South Beach diet. I'll drink this stuff if it's free, or I find a good deal.
Red Bull
- Kick: 7.5/10
- Taste: 8/10
- Overall: 8/10
Description: The golden standard of all energy drinks. Good taste, decent kick, but too pricey for me. I can get almost twice as much monster (which tastes better) for the same price as a dinky little Red Bull. The good thing is that Red Bull is very generous and likes to give away product, and I am very needed and like to accept that product. So, kudos to red bull's marketing department, they truly are geniuses.
Red Jak
- Kick: 8/10
- Taste: 6.5/10
- Overall: 7/10
Description: Good kick to these babies, and an obvious attempt at making a Red Bull copy. The taste is like Red Bull, but you'll notice that something is missing. The kick is also a little but harder than Red Bull as it comes in a larger can.
Von Dutch
- Kick: 7.5/10
- Taste: 8/10
- Overall:8/10
Description: I like these too, but they are very scarce. If you come across one, expect a Red Bull imitation, with a slightly more sugary taste.
