Jolt Power Cola

Think back to the Jolt Cola review. That turned out to be part of some separate line of Jolt energy drinks. I was wondering why it came in the small can - 16oz instead of 24. Yeah, I miss the 24oz behemoth energy drinks. Even more, I miss the 24ozers with a cap, the resealable ones. Having a cap on a huge energy drink makes it so much better and enjoyable, in my mind. And, what's more, it makes that awesome "pop" sound I've missed so much. Now, I've read about the main line of Jolts and supposedly, they have a way better flavor than the last line. The can design is still pretty sweet and rugged, with the bold "JOLT" going up the side of the can and the intense lightning bolts over a red background. They call this a battery can because it does look a little like a battery. The top part is the positive end and the bottom is the negative. Then, they've got that stripe on the top part of the can, like a Duracell brand battery. Man, this is going to be such an awesome experience. I cannot wait to tear in.

Dude, that was awesome. The plastic coating came off in one piece and then I unscrewed the cap, yielding a loud "POP" that sounded like explosive decompression. Right after, wispy vapor that looked like steam vented from the opening. I took a big whiff straight from the can and sure enough, it was cola. The first distinct smell that I noticed was lime peel, driving the scent towards that of Pepsi-Cola. Behind that, there's another herb that reminds me of Coca-Cola. This is definitely not a generic or simple cola. No, this is a cola that tries hard to bring some complexity into the mix. The color is pretty dark, darker than other colas. 2-4oz in a cup looks almost black, rather than a lighter caramel color. This stuff goes down okay, but not particularly smoothly. It seems some of the unusual flavors slightly hinder this drink's chuggability as well as foamy, fine carbonation. After a chug, Jolt Power Cola leaves a moderate amount of gumminess in the mouth, but it's only mild and easy to remove. My least favorite kind of carbonation is the very foamy kind because I think it's the one that gets in the way of the flavor the most, lingering the longest. There's only a tiny, tiny aftertaste of plain old cola. I thought reviewing this would be more of a thrill, but the carbonation in this is just the worst. It's not painful, just annoying. If you're going to drink this, I suppose the best way to enjoy it is to let it go flat, chill it and then drink it. The only differences I could pin down between this and the Jolt Cola are that this one has more flavor, but troublesome carbonation. Overall, I'd say this is almost as good as Coca-Cola and way better than Pepsi.

From a 24oz drink, you can expect a pretty hefty boost, and with the Jolt, this is especially true. I hadn't even finished this mammoth when I just couldn't sit still and ran around like mad. You can't hardly beat the amazing lift you get from one of these. The kick will take you by surprise, getting you up and moving uncontrollably, and you won't want to stop for hours. Running constantly is a breeze because of all the energy I get from this thing. I needed the lift; just before I had this, I was too tired and lazy to do anything. So what does the ingredients list look like? There's Carbonated Water, HFCS, Taurine, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Caffeine, Natural Flavor, Citric Acid, Guarana Seed Extract, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate (Pantothenic Acid), Thiamine Hydrochloride, and Riboflavin. It's looking pretty solid, except I don't see any of the lesser energy ingredients, like Glucuronolactone, Inositol, and L-Carnitine. Apparently, Jolt chose to solely incorporate the big four: Caffeine, Taurine, Ginseng, Guarana, and a stack of Vitamins. For kick, Jolt goes with a simple energy blend, but the huge can delivers enough of it to send you soaring.

Taste: 7.7 - Better-than-average cola
Kick: 9 - You can count on a 24ozer for some serious power
Overall: 8.5 - Worth the boost

Reviewed by: Jeff