Rip It Sting-er Mo

I've been wanting to get my hands on these new Rip Its since I knew about the Rip It line. That finally became a reality when our energy drink reviewing friend, Taurine Rules, sent it to us in a trade. I have loved Rip It for its simplicity and uniqueness ever since I learned about it. Rip It is a pretty straightforward brand that aims to offer a nice kick and some good flavor for a budget price. I know that these Rip Its are often sold in dollar stores and discount stores for around a dollar each. Now I'm wondering what this is going to taste like. I haven't the faintest notion what a "Sting-er Mo" is, and an internet search doesn't make it any clearer. Perhaps the flavor may shed some light on the meaning of its name.

I popped the can open, eager to get this in me, and the smell hypnotized me. It's quite similar to the tantalizing scent of a Monster, with a bit of the bite from the BooKoo Bite. As I take a swig, some fine carbonation tingles on the tip of my tongue and then a flavor like a cross between Monster and Monster Khaos comes through, with a very faint tangerine. This taste is similar to a Monster, but seems to have the cinnamon I often claim to taste removed completely. All I can identify is a sweet, yet faint tangerine/orange and something else that's incredibly familiar. It all takes me back to one drink, which possibly may be the Monster itself. I've been sipping this now for a while, and I still am not completely certain what this flavor is based on. The color isn't much of a hint, since it's the common amber-gold found in most energy drinks, but a little less saturated. Going over the rest of the drink, there's fine, painless carbonation that gives the drink nice texture and the gumminess is easily managable. Overall, I'm going to call this a simplified take on a Monster that isn't half-bad. Now I have to observe the kick.

Three hours later, I've got a good amount of energy, from those 172mg of Caffeine, yet my eyes are steadily growing heavy. I suppose that's because the primary energy ingredient in this is Caffeine, with fewer energy ingredients supporting it than the Monster. Along with the Caffeine, there are 101mg per serving of Inositol, which is an odd number, being one more than 100. Also, I see 8mg each total of Guarana Seed Extract and Ginseng Extract, which really is pitiful, considering I've seen more in a Sobe; I'd expect lots more from a full on energy drink. On Taurine, Rip It nicely beats Monster at 1016mg per serving, or 2032mg per can, 32 more milligrams per can. In the Supplement Facts, There are around 200% of Vitamin C, B6, Folic Acid, and B12 and there are 28g of sugar per serving, 58 total. The rest of the ingredients look like HFCS, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Caramel Color, Natural Flavor, Potassium Sorbate, Maltodextrin, Sucralose, Calcium Disodium EDTA, and L-Carnitine. Something odd there is the L-Carnitine at the very end. I don't see a point to adding so little L-Carnitine that it probably doesn't make a difference. Also, what I don't like one bit is the Sucralose, lurking toward the end of the ingredients list. It seems impossible to escape the wrath of Sucralose, seeping into every sweetened beverage possible. Overall, the energy ingredients are decent, strong in some areas and weak in others, though I still have some oit was just a generic girl, but the name was attachteddd love for Rip It.

Taste: 8.6 - Tasty, smooth, though almost oversweet, Monster-like drink
Kick: 7.2 - Your average energy drink kick
Overall: 7.8 - A tasty jam drink, I say

Reviewed by: Jeff