BooKoo Bite

This is my first time really getting into the carbonated BooKoos, and tonight, the one I'm reviewing is the Bite. Just like every one of our other 20 or so energy drinks we've got in our fridges, I got this for 60 cents at Big! Lots. From what I've heard, the Bite is the sourest of the BooKoos. I'm not exactly sure what to expect. The green of the can suggests possibly a lemon-lime or citrus flavor, but I've never associated lime with sourness in most energy drinks. This might be the first sour lime I've tried. I'm a little worried about the sweetness level I'm going to get. There are 29g of sugar plus sucralose, which is gonig to bump up the sweetness even more. I might consider this to be as sweet as Sunkist.

When I opened the top, I was not at all disappointed. The smell was not lime, but it was familiar. I then realised it smelled just like my favorite energy drink, Monster, but with more cinnamon, like it had been left exposed to air. The smell is zesty cinnamon over pungent grape. I find it irresistible and it's going by extremely fast. The color deviates from the average energy drink amber with a darker ale tint. The carbonation is more than average but isn't so bothersome because it is very fine. Halfway through or so, I finally felt the "bite" at the back of my mouth in the form of citric acid or another tangy component of the drink. Chugging this thing warm makes me think it's too sweet and a little too gummy, so you have to make sure you chill this really well. I know that what makes this extra sweet could be the sucralose, but thankfully, BooKoo has masked the artificial aftertaste incredibly well, giving me no hint of the usual nasty Splenda aftertaste. Overall, the Bite is similar to Monster Lo-Carb, yet with more cinnamon and tasty grape.

On kick, BooKoo does a great job, but it looks weaker than most energy drinks. The only energy ingredients listed in the Supplement Facts include B Vitamins, Pantothenic Acid, Taurine, and Panax Ginseng. Oddly enough, BooKoo lists some other energy ingredients in the "Other Ingredients" section. After Natural and Artificial Flavors, BooKoo adds Glucuronolactone, Caffeine, Inositol and L-Carnitine. Seeing those ingredients in the regular list tells me they're not as abundant as in other drinks. The combination of sweeteners used is odd in this drink as well. I haven't seen too many drinks with HFCS, glucose, and sucralose together. The HFCS is dull, but the glucose and sucralose brighten and liven up the flavor. Sucralose might be what made this drink too sweet along with the slightly high 29g of sugar.

Taste: 8.5 - Good cinnamon/grape chilled, too sweet warm
Kick: 7 - Does all right
Overall: 8 - Almost a go-to energy drink

Reviewed by: Jeff