Spot On Energy Patch

Hey, what's new? You know we here at Canned Reviews are devoted to reviewing energy drinks (hence the Canned Reviews), but today I feel a bit more daring than usual. If you look to your left, you see no can, instead a little square, green package. These hold a total of four energy patches that you place onto your skin. I can't say I'm a huge fan of their "No More Energy Drinks" idea, but hey, it's cool to take a break every once in awhile. To me, this is a radical idea anyways, but it just might work. I do respect Spot On for its cleverness. Think about all the advantages: no sugar, no calories, small and discreet, and most importantly, it's healthier. Because I'm obviously not going to review taste, I'm going to go ahead and slip on these patches now so I can get right down to work on the kick section. Anyways, I requested a sample from Spot On about a week ago, and thanks to a speedy delivery, these came in just this afternoon. Being eager, I ripped open the box, and immediately started reviewing. As I place two small brown patches on to my inner arm (they recommend two, as it compares to two 8 ounce Red Bulls, or one 16 ounce), I notice they're extremely adhesive, so you wouldn't have to worry about them falling off. Additionally, they don't seem to bother my arm. Since they're made out of latex, you may want to stay away if you're allergic. Okay, well I feel some energy starting to kick in, so let's move on.

Spot On claims that their energy won't get you jittery, but will keep you awake and will maintain focus. It's always about the consumers' opinion; some like jittery, sugar-filled drinks, while others, like myself, appreciate caffeine with amino acids, B vitamins, and low-to-no sugar, therefore increasing focus. Nevertheless, caffeine allows you to get the job done to put it simply. Each patch of Spot On contains caffeine, taurine, glucuronolactone, Green Tea extract, niacin, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12. These ingredients are standard in any energy-delivering product, except Green Tea. Some energy drinks may contain Green Tea extract, whether to improve taste, or to aid in giving energy. In this case, obviously Green Tea extract aids the B Vitamins and caffeine to improve energy. Green tea also can help lower cholesterol, reduce heart disease, and not only increase fat oxidation during moderately intensive exercise but also improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. On that note, it's good to have Green Tea Extract in your body. Moving on to the kick, using only two patches I definitely feel a bit more alert and focused, though it's a different feeling than you get with an energy drink. For someone who uses caffeine regularly and has built up a tolerance to small doses, I personally recommend perhaps three patches. It all really depends on your surroundings and prior activity, too. Finishing a long day, I'm already tired, and Spot On seemed to pick me up from that rut, and didn't propel me farther than I need to go. Overall, your experience with Spot On is going to be experimental. Try two patches for a solid kick, and three for an added extra, but don't exceed four in 24 hours.

Taste: N/A
Kick: 7.5 - Using two patches, solid focus and alertness, but nothing too substantial
Overall: 7.5 - Good all-purpose pick-me-up

Reviewed by: Chan

Rockstar Recovery

Looks like Rockstar's branching out, trying something new, with a new energy drink all about hydration. Rockstar Recovery comes in a bold, simple, and eye-catching can. The almost fluorescent yellow stands out like a traffic cone and the completely black top seems to give it an edge. Reading the label, there's a lot of things that are unique about this as well. This is, of course, the first time I've seen "hydration" on a Rockstar can, and it's also very cool to see that there are only 20 calories in the entire can. From the name Recovery, I assume this drink is for either recovery from a bad hangover or for a little helpful boost plus hydration during sports or physical activity. So, what do I expect? First off, Recovery implies that it's going to be refreshing. Any normal energy drink to me, would most definitely not be refreshing, but I think Rockstar does some things that are very smart. Carbonation can get in the way of a thirst-quenching drink. This is why Rockstar chose to make Recovery non-carbonated, something I like very much. Another thing that can get in the way of a good, refreshing drink is loads of sugar. Recovery addresses this by reducing the sugar to a mere 1 gram and sweetening it mostly artificially. And of course, Recovery's got electrolytes. Three good things I've been able to find about the drink and I haven't even opened it! I guess it's time.

I crack open the top and Recovery doesn't fizz one bit. Me like. The smell reminds me of those artificially sweetened Tropicana light soft drinks; totally sharp lemon flavor with no sweetness. I delicately poured some into a cup and noticed it was clear with a cloudiness like they wanted to trick you into thinking it was real lemon juice. I actually tried looking for pulp, though there is none. My first sip is delicious, and definitely on the sour side. First, it's just kind of refreshing and neutral, but then, you get a little zing from the sourness of it, and the lemon taste lingers a while longer before the flavor disappears. Nothing about it says "energy drink" to me, which would surprise people trying it for the first time. It's pretty amazing to me how much this tastes like the same Tropicana drinks I mentioned earlier. The Recovery is a little better, considering it doesn't make my tongue feel so dry after I have a sip. So there's a plus. I don't really know why, but I hadn't expected this drink to be so sour. I had imagined more of a subtle lemon with little to no zing. This one isn't as bad as other drinks out there, but there's a little bit of gumminess backing up. However, on a scale of water to Sunny D, this one doesn't even make it past the halfway mark. I'll admit, the lemonade is tasty, but I find it to be a little too one-dimensional. I like it, but it hardly leaves me begging to take another sip. Still, this could be part of Rockstar's approach to a hydrating drink. One thing that I often complain about in low-carb/low-cal drinks is the artificial sweeteners, but Rockstar's done it right, with a combination of Sucralose and Ace-K. And of course that hint of Sucrose adds a little brightness and naturalness to the mix. Overall, I'm pleased, but not overjoyed. Rockstar concocted a solid drink with a good taste and nice sweetness, but it's not as flat-out addicting as I find Monsters to be. Now, I'll do my best to examine my hydration level. If that's possible.

Rockstar Recovery's ingredients list goes as follows: Purified Water, Lemon Juice, Sucrose, Taurine, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Sodium Citrate, Caffeine, Benzoic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose, Panax Ginseng Extract, N-Acetyl Cysteine, Prickly Pear Extract, Milk Thistle Extract, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Magnesium Lactate, Gum Arabic, Calcium Lactate, Ester Gum, Monopotassium Phosphate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, and Cyanocobalamin. The difference I see from most energy drinks is purified water instead of carbonated water. It's also neat to see lemon juice in the ingredients list. Above the Supplement Facts, it states that the beverage is 3% lemon juice. High in the list is also Taurine. The Supplement Facts mention that there are 1000mg per serving, 2000mg per can. Early on, we never really understood what Taurine was good for, but now we know that Taurine helps absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Caffeine is also part of the energy ingredients, weighing in at 160mg total. Not quite a massive dose, but definitely a good jolt to get you going. Panax Ginseng is present at 100mg and N-Acetyl Cysteine, which sounds like an amino acid, is present at 50mg. There are 40mg total of Milk Thistle, an ingredient I've seen often in Rockstars. Finally, the last ingredient of Rockstar's energy blend, Prickly Pear Extract, exists at 50mg. I could not fathom why Rockstar would choose Prickly Pear Extract to put in here, but a quick search tells me it's helpful with hangovers. Ah, so there's my proof, Rockstar Recovery is a drink designed to bring you back to life after a night of drinking. Vitamin B, Caffeine, Prickly Pear, and electrolytes (the compounds near the bottom of the ingredients list), among other things work in conjunction to quell your headache, dehydration, and fatigue. Seems logical enough Rockstar would come out with this, since mixing alcohol with energy drinks is somewhat common. Now, how ironic would it be to use Recovery as a mixer?

Taste: 7.7 - Lemonade's one of my favorite flavors, but I think Rockstar did it a little blandly
Kick: 7.5 - A respectable jolt, though it doubles as a hangover cure and yields some nice focus
Overall: 7.6 - A good idea, though I don't see it being a go-to drink

Reviewed by: Jeff

Rockstar Energy Cola

For the past few years, I've been looking for the Rockstar Cola, although had trouble locating it due to the fact that they discontinued making them. I'll admit, I was disappointed until very recently Rockstar released a new and improved Rockstar Cola, as if the old formula was never released. Anyways, I'm totally stoked to review the new Cola drink. On the market, it's difficult to find many Cola energy drinks, thinking only of...Red Bull Simply Cola, and maybe the Monster Assault, if you'd consider that cola. Therefore, I'm definitely intrigued to find out how the Rockstar Cola compares to the said above. Its can design catches the eye, being mostly black, from the bottom rim, all the way to the tab. The gold writing shimmers in the light, contrasting nicely to the pitch-black background. In most soft drinks, cola is comprised of vanilla, mustard seed, lime, kola nut, cacao, licorice, cinnamon, ginger, coca leaf, orange, corn mint, pine, cardamom, mace clove, etc. If combined with original Rockstar flavor, I'd expect a blast of mixed flavors, hopefully delicious.

Okay, so popping the tab, I immediately sense natural licorice, and a hell of a lot of sweet, 'limey-ness'; very little actual cola. You'd know very much what I'm talking about if you've tried Airborne, a dissovable tablet that allegedly helps support your immune system. Its taste is dynamic in its own way. It reminded me a lot more of Pepsi, which in this review, I'll relate it most to rather than Coca-Cola, though some can't even taste the difference. Its similar characteristics: redundant lime/citrus-cola sweetness and a subtle hint of bright, pure vanilla. Its different characteristics: bitter, bitter aftertaste that's noticeable almost directly after taking a drink, and no dullness brought on by the high fructose corn syrup in Pepsi. I'm starting to think Rockstar has the edge on cola, here, definitely all around better tasting than the Monster Assault, and the Red Bull Cola. I noticed Rockstar didn't add any of their original formula to the Cola; apologies to let you down if that's what you were hoping for when buying the product. It's very lightly carbonated, and goes down well, being sweetened with sucrose and glucose, therefore avoiding potential gumminess some drinks may have. As mentioned above, I wasn't a fan of the aftertaste, but if it doesn't bug you, hey, Rockstar Cola may very well be flawless. To sum up the taste, Rockstar nailed cola on the hammer. It really doesn't get much better than a refreshing, true cola drink.

Topping off the can, I go in to check out the ingredients. Actually, I think Rockstar put on the same ingredients list from all their other drinks, although the defining factor-of-flavor is the "natural flavors" ingredient listed as the sixth on the list. This natural flavoring makes up the flavor of Rockstar you buy. If you grab a regular, it's raspberry/apple flavoring. How about guava? Same deal, though they add guava flavoring. You get the point. The only exception I believe is the coffee line of Rockstars, and their borderline unpopular energy shots. Knowing that, check out these ingredients: carbonated water, taurine, sucrose, glucose, caramel color, natural flavors, caffeine, phosphoric acid, citric acid, L-Carnitine, inositol, milk thistle extract, niacinamide, Calcium pantothenate, ginkgo biloba, gaurana, ginseng, riboflavin, pyridoxine, Kola Nut extract, and cyanocobalamin. You don't see Kola Nut in every energy drink. Since it's at the bottom of the list, Rockstar sneaked just a hint of the trademark flavoring ingredient. Thanks to Wikipedia, I get a bit of a background on Kola Nut: it's got a bitter flavor, is a source of caffeine, and is even used to treat whooping cough, and asthma. It's got a double job in the Rockstar because not only does it give it the cola flavor, but it enhances your physical energy, elevates mood, increases sensitivity and suppresses the appetite, and like stated above, is a good source of caffeine. Additionally, it's toxic in large quantities, and can cause fever. Per can, you get about 260 calories, 66 grams of sugar, and an energy blend (Taurine, ginkgo, caffeine, ginseng, etc.) of about 2.7 grams. This includes 2000mg of taurine, and 160mg of caffeine. The ginkgo in the drink is known to improve focus, as well. Overall, a vast, dynamic collection of energy ingredients, and a great cola drink. Before you get your usual Coca-Cola or Pepsi, give one of these a try; you'll like it.

Taste: 9 - Different, yet bright and delicious citrus-cola
Kick: 8 - Usual Rockstar buzz, slightly improved from the Kola Nut...not by much though
Overall: 8.5 - Fantastic, refreshing drink; let's see how Monster responds

Reviewed by: Chan