Shock Coffee Triple Mocha

Coffee, we all know, is a fantastic source of energy, and damn tasty. A nice way to perk up your mornings might be a smooth cup of joe, or, when there's no time to brew a pot, an iced coffee. Shock Coffee, a well-established coffee company I hadn't heard of until recently, delivers coffee in multiple forms, hot and cold. Today, I'm giving the cold Shock Coffee Triple Mocha a try. Shock promotes their coffee as having 50% more caffeine than other gourmet coffees, and in an evaluation by Bevnet.com, this very beverage was rated the best-tasting coffee drink on the market. Iced coffee is a favorite drink of mine, and I'm confident the Triple Mocha has some fantastic flavor to offer. I have an 8oz can, but this stuff is also sold in 15oz cans. I'm excited to get down to the tasting.

From the can, I smell a strong coffee aroma with wonderful texture and a creamy, chocolate smell underneath. It pours into my cup with a beautiful, medium shade of brown. The flavor doesn't hit the taste buds immediately, but when you get past the creaminess, deliciously sweet coffee emerges. The awesome nuttiness stands out unhindered by bitterness or sourness. Chocolate is not the main flavor here, but it does a great job of supporting and adding depth to the drink. At times, the quality of the coffee shines, and other times, the richness of chocolate is noticable. This is a coffee you want to enjoy with care, savoring every sip; no other coffee drink that I can remember was quite this enjoyable. I can tell Shock put a lot of love into this; the sweetness level works well for the drink, carrying the flavors along nicely, but not drowning them out. The amount of cream, in my opinion, is just enough for a certain smoothness, but also keeps everything discernable. Gumminess is nonexistent and never once gets in the way of the Mocha's awesome taste. After finishing the can, there is a bit of an aftertaste in the back of the mouth, but I'll find this to happen with coffee in general. Overall, I am highly impressed with what a delicious blend Shock's come up with here. Hopefully, whenever I'm craving a quality cold coffee, Shock will be around for purchase.

Shock's boost is not exactly equivalent to an energy drink's. I'm not getting jitters, nor do I feel like running a mile or two. This is the kick of a cup or two of coffee. I'm up and energetic but it comes with no vitality, which coffee is not really known for anyway. But of course, the lift is nice, being a two or three hour energy increase. The effects of these coffees will vary depending on your caffeine tolerance; to me this is moderate. To a caf-a-holic, this is a tasty fix. It's those who rarely have caffeine that this'll impact, like many highly caffeinated beverages.

The ingredients list should be fairly straightforward: Brewed espresso coffee, milk, sugar, maltodextrin, creamer [coconut oil, corn syrup, sodium caseinte (a milk derivative), mono and diglycerides, dipotassium phosphate], ground cocoa, sodium bicarbonate, and caffeine.

Actually, there are a couple of things I'd like to point out about that list. First, I see Shock's chosen to make this out of espresso, which is a welcome choice by me. Next, I see that milk is not the only creamer here, but a dairy-based creamer made out of caseinate, coconut oil, corn syrup, and glycerides is used. It sounds much like the stuff in the powdered creamers we so often use, having corn syrup. Glycerides, I find, are used as emulsifiers and they're mostly benign. Don't ask me why coconut oil and corn syrup make a good creamer, but it works. After the creamer is listed cocoa powder, hence the cocoa flavor. Finally, what I find most interesting is that caffeine is listed. It says to me that Shock wasn't satisfied with the caffeine in the espresso, so they decided to pump in some more. It brings a smile to my face and explains why this does, indeed, feel more powerful than plain coffee. Nonetheless, I'll be looking for Shock for its great taste.

Taste: 9.7 - Shock Coffee's flavor is sophisticated and very, very delicious
Kick: 7.6 - An enjoyable way for a kick comparable to a couple of cups of coffee
Overall: 9.2 - A delicious cold coffee that easily rivals Starbucks

Reviewed by: Jeff

BAZI Energy Shot

In the realm of energy shots, there are essentially two categories: mediocre, simple, straightforward shots; and then the shots that really shine, the full-force, high quality, flavorful, powerful ones that make you wish for a larger bottle. I don't often make judgements on energy drinks prior to enjoying them, but I've done my research on this one. Today I've got BAZI Energy Shot to taste and experience. Many thanks to the company for providing me with a sample. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to be gracious when you receive a generous sample like this, but I don't praise BAZI for that reason alone. BAZI is a perfectly cylindrical, deep red 2oz shot and you can tell by its ingredients that BAZI has put some serious work into its creation. It's packed with eight, count them, eight (8) superfruits, including our beloved Acai and Goji. It's also got 12 Vitamins, an interesting mineral blend, and of course, an energy blend. I don't want to spoil all of the details in the first paragraph, so let's carry on with the tasting. Shall we?

I give BAZI a nice shake between my thumb and middle and twist open the cap. Check it out: underneath the cap, BAZI's placed a plastic seal, which tells me BAZI takes their shots seriously. The liquid inside is an opaque orange-red color like beets. I only use that as a color comparison. The smell is a rough sweetness surrounded in an earthiness like minerals and vitamins. However, it doesn't smell artificial. I'm thinking that earthiness is coming from the 8 superfruits, and I'm not afraid. Taking a sip, I'm glad to find more dimension in the flavor; it begins with a well-rounded sweetness with berry overtones, then a sourness meets the back of the mouth that's pretty satisfying and enjoyable. All the while, there's a chocolatey-ness to it that's gotta be coming from the smooth Acai. I can't make out every superfruit, considering I have never tried Jujube, Goji, Mangosteen, or Seabuckthorn. Despite this, I'll say that BAZI is a pretty tasty shot. The flavor is enjoyable in a different way than most shots, and it's not hard to down. It's going to be a new experience to first-timers, but if you're open to new flavors, you definitely want to give this shot a try. Now I wait to feel the effects.

I'm not going to lie; I'm very, very satisfied with BAZI's kick. Like many energy shots, you don't find yourself crashing after an overwhelming boost. After downing BAZI's two ounces I felt a gradual, gentle boost. Instead of a massive amount of energy, BAZI delivers a nice, constant pick-me-up with awesome vitality. You get a true sense of physical well-being and that's a great thing to have from an energy product. My guess is this comes from the plethora of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The vitamins present in BAZI include: biotin, folate, vitamin A, C, D, E, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12. So there we've got a large part of the "vitamin alphabet," including a strong B-complex. BAZI also contains 1000mg of a mineral blend which includes a fulvic mineral solution. Bottles of fulvic mineral solutions are sold and said to improve absorption of nutrients, body toxicity, metabolism, and even oxygen absorption. These components, along with BAZI's impressive 25-gram 8-superfruit blend, must be what provide its incredible vitality and awareness. Finally, the energy blend consists of 80mg of caffeine, 50mg of inositol, 50mg of Para Aminobenzoic Acid, and 20mg of Rutin. Para Aminobenzoic Acid is said to assist with fatigue, depression, irritability, and a number of skin diseases. Rutin, like, Para Aminobenzoic Acid, is an organic compound and is not proven to, but may help with inflammation and the blood. It's also an antioxidant. The rest of BAZI's ingredients are as follows: purified water, fructose, pear juice concentrate, natural flavor, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate. I have to say I am very impressed by what BAZI's creators have put together here. Some might complain that it lacks punch, but I'm very glad BAZI chose to limit the caffeine and energy ingredients. This is a shot that will leave you comfortable and feeling good overall. And that's what I need half of the time, not some energy bomb that has me jittery and keeps me up at night. I applaud BAZI, and highly, highly recommend you give it a try.

Taste: 8.2 - A unique, exotic, and very tasty energy experience
Kick: 9.0 - BAZI delivers with a smooth, alert, vital boost
Overall: 8.6 - Perfect choice for a healthy, enjoyable pick-me-up

Reviewed by: Jeff