YJ Stinger Pounding Punch

After waking up early, I want to rid myself of my morning grogginess and a great way to do that is having an energy drink. Out of my small inventory of drinks, I decided to try out the YJ Stinger Pounding Punch, a drink I have long waited to review because better drinks always came first. But this morning, I chose this drink because of the things I've heard aobut it. Taurine Rules mentions that it tastes like cough syrup, which I'm interested in, because that likely means some extemely artificial flavors like artificial grape or cherry. I couldn't tell you why, but reviewing an energy drink with these familiar flavors. I don't want to waste any more time; I want to tear in.

Boy, it's been a while since I've popped open a small 8oz can. This thing feels tiny in the palm of my hand. When I take a whiff, it's another one of those familiar childhood scents, like a frutier, kiddie version of Hawaiian Punch. The tropical flavors in the punch, whatever they may be, are prominent and give this drink a delightful zing. So far, I'm quite pleased. Smelling once more, I may pick up some guava, but I doubt it since I don't expect YJ Stinger to incorporate guava into any of their drinks. Unlike many reviews I have read, I don't believe this tastes like cough syrup, but it is very familiar and I can't put my finger on it. I guess it's just one of the many distinct yet common flavors floating around in many budget drinks. After a few more sniffs and sips I finally have the flavor worked out; this drink tastes like and smells like artificial grape and strawberry, like the kind of strawberry you taste in strawberry mousse and the kind of grape in grape soda supporting it. In my opinion, this really isn't bad, and when I sip, the light carbonation creates a tingling sensation that works quite well. As I pour this out at the last minute, the color reveals itself as a pink/red, just like the color on the can. Halfway through the can, I feel very little gumminess which is a good thing, meaning this drink is very thin. And, yes, it's true that when you sip, you taste a small amount of vitamins in the drink, though, in my mind, it only complements the flavor. I'm going to be thoroughly enjoying this for the time it lasts.

As for kick, I can't say this has a great effect. Just like the other YJ Stingers, there's very little kick, and even only a bit of alertness. Based on the kick, I can't recommend this to anyone, really. In any case, here are the ingredients: Carbonated Water, HFCS, Citric Acid, Caffeine, Taurine, Ascorbic Acid, B Vitamin Stack (Pantothenic Acid, Niacin, Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine, Biotin, Cyanocobalamin, Yerba Mate, Guarana, Ginseng, Red 40, Natural and Artificial FLavors, Potassium Sorbate.

It's not a spectacular ingredients list, however I hadn't expected to see Yerba Mate in this. No matter, this ingredients list looks typical of a cheap energy drink, lots of sugar, energy ingredients in small amounts. What else is unspectacular is the amount of sugar: 32g per serving, which I find to be over-the-top, however, you'll find that many drinks are highly sweetened such as this. Per serving there are 130 calories. Overall, I like this drink for it's familiar flavor, but I know that this could be the reason many others dislike it, and the boost is truly lame and nearly unnoticable. I'm not quite sure what to say, but most people probably won't like this.

Taste: 6.7 - Very familiar fruit taste you may remember as a kid
Kick: 4.2 - Nearly unnoticable kick, comparable to a Sprite
Overall: 5 - Not quite an energy drink

Reviewed by: Jeff