CRUNK Citrus

Oh, CRUNK!!!, what a company. I've really enjoyed their drinks and am really excited to dig into their newest flavor. Jeff and I were unanimous in deciding who to review this one; we decided to do a double review. Our last double review was the Monster Java Chai Hai, so it's been awhile as you know. Okay, here our both of our reviews:

CRUNK!!! is Lil' John's take on energy drinks; I mean, who hasn't made their own line of energy drinks nowadays. If you haven't noticed already, this CRUNK!!! is made in a 16 ounce can, rather than a measly 8 ounce can. I felt some monster kick in the ounce can, so I can already imagine what this one's going to be like. CRUNK!!! Citrus has a bright yellow background with some green and black dots surrounding the word CRUNK!!! slapped across the can. Citrus is placed in smaller font above that, which gets me thinking why it isn't below the can and in larger font. Perhaps they don't want to mess with the logo. CRUNK!!!'s motto is "Get CRUNK!!!," and I'll tell you, based on the CRUNK!!!s I tried earlier, I'm ready to get CRUNK!!!! I know this energy drink contains some weird ingredients that I'm eager to try, but then again, who knows what I'll get? Okay, okay, I'm done rambling here, let's get down to the review.

I couldn't control myself opening it, it cracked open and I nearly crumpled the can with my eagerness. Anyway, when I did, I got an herby CRUNK!!! aroma with some lemonade type smell. Out of the can, CRUNK!!! gave a pale lemonade color, which is some yellow and white mixed with a lot of fizzinesss. My first thought on this drink "Oh wow, this one definitely is going on the Best Taste List." I was very surprised to find a mild Sprite-like taste, with some more lemon presence, sort of like a stronger Sierra Mist. But then again, it does have some energy drink qualities, such as sourness (Not usually found in sodas), herbiness (Which gives it a rich taste), and not as carbonated. It has no aftertaste, which allows for easier consuming and enjoying. Oh, man this taste is completely and utterly amazing, you just have to get this. Also, I believe people who don't enjoy energy drinks (Trust me, I know quite a few) will love this drink. CRUNK!!! Citrus is moderately carbonated, just about as much as a Monster, or Rockstar. One thing about this drink is the amount of gumminess, pretty bad. Overall, I really really enjoyed this drink, the best one in probably 30 reviews or so.

Okay, let's check out the ingredients. A glance at the back of the can reveals two lists of ingredients. The first one being proprietary blend, or energy ingredients. In this one I see caffeine, inositol, green tea, damiana (?), licorice root, guarana seed, L-Tyrosine, Horny Goat Weed, Ginkgo Biloba, Grape seed, skull cap (Mushroom), white willow, ashwaganda, and milk thistle. The next set of ingredients are labelled "Other Ingredients." Fine. Don't recognize the ingredients properly, CRUNK!!!. I kid. There's some carbonated water and HFCS; hmm, I thought it was pretty nice for a dull sweetener, although it would have been that much better with sucrose and glucose. Besides some natural flavors and vitamins E and B, this drink has no special qualities to it, in terms of basic energy drink ingredients. Although I was pretty satisfied with the variety of energy ingredients, I thought they could have made better use with the sweetener. Overall, this is just another addition to our Best Taste Lise and another one you MUST try, no matter the circumstances.

Taste: 9.3 - An awesome tasting drink; I thought it could have used a better sweetener, due to the gumminess and the slight dullness
Kick: 9.6 - The ginkgo and caffeine played a HUGE part in hitting a grand slam in your body
Overall: 9.4 - CRUNK!!! makes no mistakes when it comes to making a great energy drink

Reviewed by: Chan

I enjoyed the regular CRUNK!!!, with its herbal qualities and subtle and smooth pomegranate flavors. Now, I'm pretty psyched to try the totally new citrus variety. I haven't seen a new flavor come out since I found out about CRUNK!!! so this is a really cool experience for me, getting to test a new flavor. The name says Citrus, but I think the colors on the can hint to a possible lemon-lime flavor. I'm predicting a fresh lemon and lime taste, hopefully as good or better than Sprite. What will make it better, undoubtedly, will be the kick, and the added bonus of a boost in libido, which the drink promises. I can't wait to open it, so I'm going to end the paragraph now.

Chandler and I just had to open the can in our dramatic can-opening ritual. The first thing I did was take a sniff. I couldn't help but notice the similarity in aroma to the FRS Lime. What I mean by that is there's the lime, and then lots of herbs and b vitamins. The taste, however, is much more enjoyable. First, you are met with a the taste of b vitamins and then a very, very nice, fresh, and delightfully sour lemon-lime. The herbs linger in the background, giving the drink a bit of a rich taste. I've been enjoying it so much that I forgot to pour it out of the can! To be expected, the color is a pale, cloudy translucent color, like lemonade, or lemon pulp. Getting toward the end of the can, the flavor only gets more irresistible with the taste of good 'ol sugar. Actually, the sweetener is HFCS, but Crunk somehow doesn't let the dullness come through. I'd say this is definitely worth the Best Taste list. Through the duration of the whole can, virtually no gumminess has held me back, and the carbonation is very subtle and pleasant, not painful like a soda.

It'll be lots of fun going over the ingredients list. Since this drink is designed to enhance your libido, there are some funky ingredients and herbs in here. There are two ingredients lists, which isn't very commonly seen. 194mg total of Caffeine are present, then Inositol, and Green tea. The next ingredient is an odd one: Damiana, which I know is an aphrodisiac. The following ingredients include licorice, guarana, L-tyrosine, horny goat weed, N Acetyl L-Cytesine, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, grape seed extract, skull cap, white willow, ashwaganda, and milk thistle. It's a very exotic list of ingredients, which contribute to a boost in libido. In the whole can, there are 526mg of the proprietary energy blend. In the regular ingredients list, there is HFCS, natural flavors and a bunch of vitamins. Overall, the ingredients seem pretty strong, with all the regular energy ingredients and some neat ones you don't regularly see. With the great taste and the awesome kick this drink offers, you can't afford not to try it.

Taste: 8.7 - A great lemon-lime flavor that anyone could love.
Kick: 8.5 - With more than the regular amount of energy ingredients, this packs a serious punch
Overall: 9 - You can't afford not to try this one

Reviewed by: Jeff