Amp Lightning

On the way to an OHV-riding destination, Chan and I made a stop at a small market and found the ever-elusive Amp Lightning and Von Dutch. Looking from outside the cooler, the Amp Lightning stared me in the face with its audacious yellow cover and the bold word "Lightning." Amp calls this a "shock of lemonade flavor" and an "explosive energizing bolt." I can agree this sounds fierce and the yellow can screams "tasty." I was tempted to give this a try after riding ATVs, but I decided this was a drink too precious to let go unreviewed. I've saved it for today, hoping to get the best review out of it.

One of the more sour-smelling lemonade scents meets me as soon as I open the can, with a good deal of lemon sourness and a bit of nice sweetness. It excites me, only to let me down with a not-so-special flavor. While one would agree this does taste like Lemonade, in one form or another, it's not that special homemade extra-sour, extra-delicious lemonade I had in mind. What I'm getting is more of a polished, toned down lemonade with that cheek-pinching sourness gone, replaced with a mild sourness on the tongue. I will admit, however, there's a real nice round sweetness to this that comes across nice and fruity - not the absolute essence of lemon, but still nice and fruity. I probably expected this to be sweeter than it tastes, but actually, the sweetness is actually quite adequate. I think what I've missed is that severe sourness and then the bright sweetness of cane sugar balancing it out. Amp's cooked up a smoother lemonade that goes down easier, but doesn't have me coming back constantly for more. Without a doubt, that good old homemade lemonade still hits the spot; I think I even prefer the Tropicana light lemonade to this, because it has that genuine "lemonade" quality to it. The Amp Lightning comes across oversweet with a pesky aftertaste that won't easily leave my pallete. On the bright side, Amp comes out of the can with an flourescent cloudy chartruce-yellow that's pretty wild. I saw this color almost at the end of the drink and now is when I really warm up to the drink. The carbonation hasn't been a huge problem, nor has the gumminess, but when most of the carbonation is gone this drink tastes much more lemony and delicious. Still, I can tell there's a fair amount of grapefruit in the mix, and it makes the Lightning taste quite a bit like a Squirt soda. Overall, I can't call this a mediocre drink, because admittedly, it did have some good flavor, just not exactly lemonade flavor. I know there are a whole lot of people out there who would appreciate it for what it is. I was just a bit bummed that this wasn't the lemonade I imagined.

Amp's ingredient's begin, not surprisingly, with carbonated water and HFCS. I wouldn't expect Amp to use sugar, considering they have always stuck to the cheaper, duller sweetener, High Fructose Corn Syrup. The rest of the list goes on as follows: Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Taurine, Guarana Seed Extract, Sodium Benzoate, L-Carnitine, Gum Arabic, Caffeine, Maltodextrin, Glycerol Ester of Rosin, Niacinimide, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Calcium Pantothenate, Calcium Disodium EDTA, Yellow 5, Riboflavin. It's not a fantastic list, but I'm glad to see L-Carnitine, an amino acid. Amino acids are great for concentration and vitality, and Amp Lightning definitely put me in a vital and concentrated state. Other than that, I see no other fantastic energy ingredients, just the standards. One ingredient you won't see very commonly is Glycerol Ester of Rosin. According to Wikipedia, Glycerol Ester of Rosin is a common emulsifier and stabilizer in citrus-flavored drinks, keeping oils emulsified in water. I could see the need for this, considering lemon oil would be necessary in flavoring a lemon-flavored drink. Overall, it's not an amazing ingredients list, but the addition of L-Carnitne is a good idea and proves good at promoting vitality. In general, the Amp Lightning ain't bad on flavor, nor on kick, making it a solid, tasty drink with a smooth boost.

Taste: 9.2 - With Amp quality, you get a nice and tasty lemon-grapefruit I'd take anyday
Kick: 7.6 - Great when you're going for a smoother, more concentrated kick, minus the jitters
Overall: 8.5 - Good, but not on my go-to list. Not quite

Reviewed by: Jeff

Bawls G33k B33r

As Jeff and I continue our vast quest to locate every energy drink being mass-produced, we run into various different flavors. Mentioned in my most recent review, fruits make up most of the energy drink flavors, though you do occasionally run into a flavor that stands out from the rest, more interesting, and overall better. Another quick stop into BevMo revealed some usual drinks, nothing to be ecstatic over, until I searched down below the rest, of course. Along with a few dusty bottles of Bawls original, I was more than excited to find a few bottles of Bawls G33k B33r. Most have not heard of Bawls, nor tried it, mainly because Bawls doesn't advertise as much as say, Monster or Rockstar. Yet if you've ever tried Bawls, you know it's really the stuff. In case you've forgotten to check out the Bawls review, I'll rundown what you may have missed. Bawls is particularly light, mostly carbonated water with a nice tinge of lemon-lime, and an added grainy flavor. It's much easier to drink than a Monster, thus explaining why each 12 ounce bottle drains swiftly. If you take a glance at the G33k B33r, you see the bottle is much darker than both the Bawls, and the Bawls Sugar Free, being dark brown, with a silver cap finish. The term 'G33k B33r' confuses me a bit, though I may be out of the loop for why they would substitute the e's for 3's. Anyways, I'll assume that since the bottle is brown, and I see there's the term beer, to expect a flavor of root beer; let's check it out.

Twisting open the easy cap of the Bawls, I'm not surprised to find a strong, aromatic blend of sarsaparilla, the root in which flavors root beer. The scent is real powerful, as if Bawls overloaded it with tasty flavoring, rather than lame high fructose corn syrup. Pouring it into a cup, Bawls G33k B33r takes the color of any other root beer soda, dark brown, not surprise there. If you've ever tried root beer, in the form of a soda, you may notice it's a bit dull from the amount of sugar they load into each can, such as A&W, or Mug. To compare Bawls to those major label companies, Bawls is much, much better, mainly because there is not nearly as much sugar as a can of soda, thus bringing out the true flavor of root beer. Swigging a few ounces into the mouth, Bawls surely impresses me, as my prediction is accurate. This G33k B33r is sweet, but definitely not as sweet as what you'd find in any other can of pop. It's hefty dosage of sarsaparilla flows into the mouth, with an equal balance of sugar, allowing more actual root beer flavor, and less dullness of the high fructose corn syrup. Of course there's high fructose corn syrup in here, but it's noticeable to be on the low side, as there's hardly any dullness. Unlike most of my reviews, I can't really describe the flavor into much more detail; Bawls G33k B33r is simply a less sweetened root beer, nothing more. Bawls brings little aftertaste to the party, perhaps just a bit of pure root and excess sugar. It wouldn't hurt to state the fact of low gumminess, as well as carbonation. Overall, I enjoy to see a change in the energy drink production, in terms of flavor, and honestly, Bawls did a great job of remaking my favorite soda into an energy drink.

Bawls isn't too big on energy drinks, unlike most energy drink companies, yet there isn't much disappointment from what you find. Taking a look at ingredients, I find a rather small list, as apposed to my most recent review, No Fear Bloodshot. Here's the complete list: carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, sodium benzoate, caffeine, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, and guarana extract. Caramel color is found in almost all dark-colored sodas and energy drinks, not for the taste, but obviously to give it that brownish tinge, like caramel. Bawls brags about their "Highly caffeinated beverage," though with past experiences with Bawls, I can't really find that energy you get from caffeine. Since I can't seem to locate the caffeine amount on the bottle, I'll assume they are exaggerating, and say it's no more than average. technically, their name is Bawls Guarana, so again, perhaps their energy is mainly coming from a different source, guarana, yet I'm not too sure that's enough to fully energize one who drinks a bottle. Per 12 ounce bottle, you get only 130 calories, as well as only 36 grams of sugar. Being that one serving is a whole bottle, that's pretty darn good. Comparing Bawls to select energy drinks, the serving size is larger, yet it has fewer sugar and fewer calories than, say, Jeff Gordon's energy drink. All in all, if you do happen to come across a bottle or two of these, feel free to pick one up, rather than a can of Mug or A&W. For more taste, and less sugar, Bawls is definitely approved on Canned Reviews.

Taste: 9 - Remarkable, robust sarsaparilla/root beer flavor, with very little dullness from high fructose corn syrup
Kick: 7 - Unfortunately, Bawls doesn't have the ingredients to deliver a good enough kick
Overall: 8.5 - I wouldn't count on Bawls for much energy, though root beer was accomplished almost perfectly
Reviewed by: Chan

No Fear Bloodshot

Fruits make up most of the energy drink flavors, wouldn't you agree? Granted, you have some other non fruit-based flavors, like coffees, sparkling waters, chocolates. You can see these aren't so common in energy drinks, so companies try and cover all the fruits, to make a complete variety and range of their products. You can see Monster has covered most fruits, as has Rockster, and Amp. Though when these companies run into a "Road block," so to say, they must think outside the box. Give or take, you narrow it down to a few flavors, and you decide which one fits an energy drink the best, and that is blood orange. Hopefully, you've all seen or heard of a blood orange, which happens to be of course in the orange family, but with a darker, redder skin, and much smaller than a regular orange. It makes perfect sense the blood orange received its name from the color of its juices and flesh, resembling the color of blood. Glancing at one at the market the other day, I noticed they look a bit like a few different fruits, and after a bit of research I find they are a hybrid between a pomelo and a tangerine. So far, I've seen more companies thinking outside the box here, to produce this blood orange energy drink, like Rubyy, and, as you see here, No Fear. This can design is really nothing new for No Fear, as you can see in the picture, however they themed their secondary color orange. I'm fond of their titling, "Bloodshot" across the bottom of the can in a suburban, orange font, with the wing-attached orange-outlined skull. I couldn't help but notice the brief flavor description at the bottom of the page, reading "With blood orange & Dragonfruit juice." My hopes are high, and my mouth is dry; I'm ready for some energy.

Tearing into this mainstream energy drink, I'm pleased to a good extent of the scent I pick up. It's describable as an extremely sweet blend of creamy orange-tangerine, with a nice boost of candy-like, signature 'burnt' flavor of dragonfruit. Reminding me of my younger years, I find the aroma is similar to the orange cream-sickles you can buy; its rich, and somewhat creamy scent is real attractive, and leads me on to taste it. Pouring it out of the can, and into the cup, its color reminds me of orange soda, but again, with that tinge of creaminess added on, most likely from the blood orange flavoring. If you've never tried a blood orange before, I can try my best to explain it. I mentioned a few sentences up how it's almost like an orange, but with less sweetness, more sourness, and it's actually somewhat creamy and rich, though with a familiar hint of a milder grapefruit. Knowing this, I find a thick presence of blood orange and rough flavor of dragonfruit flow into the mouth, with much sweetness added on. It's finished with a smooth, creamy, yet sour, grape essence that leaves a nice flavor in the mouth. About half-way through the can, there's a bit more grape showing up, as well as a bit of pear, too. I'm appalled at the fact that I'm searching, yet I cannot find any dullness in the initial flavor, thus knocking out the idea of high fructose corn syrup in the guessing of the sweeteners. Tasting more and more, I find myself referring the drink to a South American, subtropical area in which I might find such a combination of flavors, and I think "Am I in South America?" As for gumminess, I find a decent amount of gumminess, most likely from the natural sugars inside the citrus fruit, as well as the sugars in the dragonfruit. I, myself, don't see it much as an issue, and I hope neither will you. Carbonation is on the low side here, as much of the intense, sugary flavors take it over and flow gently onto the taste buds. Overall, No Fear Bloodshot lived up to its reputation, as they keep slamming down the great flavors that are produced. You want a great example of blood orange, without the hassle of searching the stores for one? Go and pick one of these bad boys up, yourself at your local grocery store.

It's always fun locating key energy ingredients in an energy drink, especially in energy drinks with numerous ingredients, like No Fear. No Fear has this tendency to use an immense dosage of energy ingredients, some I've never really heard of, and others I've heard of, but not seen in an energy drink. After listing the ingredients, I'll go over the terms I haven't discussed here on Canned Reviews, I promise: First off I see carbonated water, sugar, grape juice concentrate, orange juice concentrate, pear juice concentrate, taurine, citric acid, natural flavors, sodium citrate, dragonfruit juice concentrate, blood orange juice concentrate, pectin, ascorbic acid, monopotassium phosphate, inositol, caffeine, purple grape juice concentrate, gum arabic, L-Carnitine, grape seed extract, cochineal, L-Arginine hydrochloride, Zinc Methionine sulfate, panax ginseng, glycerol ester of wood rosin, guarana, pyridoxine hydrochloride, rice flour, Selenium complexed with amino acids, folic acid, acetate, and cyanocoblamin.

As you can see, this ingredients list is fairly large; perhaps the largest ingredients list in an energy drink I've reviewed thus far. Anyways, I'll start by naming off some key ingredients I've found to be useful in delivering a nice kick: grape seed extract is known to be good for wound healing, tooth decay, osteoporosis, skin cancer, and ultraviolet damage to skin; pretty useful, eh? If you noticed, there's also various fruits involved, mostly for flavor, such as grape, pear, orange, blood orange, and dragonfruit, all having pretty hefty doses into the drink. I noticed rice flour, which is odd in an energy drink. My guess is it gives it its thickness, and it brings all the flavors together, but I'm not positive. The ingredient is most recognizable in baby foods, surprisingly. After finishing up the can, I notice the kick react pretty swiftly. My senses are improved, thoughts are together, and I'm definitely more alert, which is actually pretty helpful after a long day's work. Per can of No Fear Bloodshot, you'll get 200 calories, and only 46 grams of sugar! As for energy ingredients, you'll get a nice 174mg of caffeine, 2000mg of taurine, and decent amounts of Vitamins B and C. After everything, I'll conclude No Fear really nailed yet another energy drink, especially blood orange. Comparing it to Rubyy's blood orange, I think I'd prefer this one, for a cheaper cost.

Taste: 8.4 - Smooth, rich blood orange, grape, and dragonfruit came together nicely
Kick: 9 - You can never go wrong with a No Fear, if you're looking for kick
Overall: 8.7 - Don't miss out on one of these. I'm positive you can find a few cans at your local market

Reviewed by: Chan

Euphoric Energy Watermelon Kiwi

Euphoric Energy is a drink Chan and I have heard of but could never quite get our hands on. After yesterday's visit to Big! Lots, I found the motherload of Euphoric Energy, Unbound, and Stoked energy drinks. Without hesitation, I picked them up. Euphoric Energy, from what I've read on their website, is dedicated to quality and health. I like that. Checking out the can, I see your usual Caffeine, Taurine, and such, but then I see some other nice ingredients including Damiana Leaf and Maca Root. I rarely see these ingredients in the energy drinks I review, so I'm interested in feeling the effects. Upon further inspection, I notice that this drink uses sugar, not HFCS, which makes me very glad. Good choice, I say, and I can't wait to taste this.

As I took a sniff of this very pungent drink, my eyes widened and I was really stunned. This drink gives off a very sweet, and sour watermelon kiwi with the rounded sweetness of the watermelon and the sharp tartness of the Kiwi. It's very comparable to the flavor of sour watermelon Jolly Rancher hard candy with a hint of Kiwi. Just as Euphoric claims on their website, this drink is extremely tasty and addicting; it reminds me of reviewing the classics all over again, such as the irresistible Monster or the delicious Rockstar Punched Citrus. I pour this drink out into a cup to observe the color and it's a crystal clear pink-tinted flowery color that looks very much like hard candy. The taste grows on me with every sip, and even though this isn't really chilled, it's still wonderfully delicious.

I take a look at Euphoric's ingredients and I find: Carbonated Water, Sugar, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sodium Benzoate (preservative), Potassium Sorbate (preservative), and Red 40. Oh, the energy supplements aren't listed in the ingredients; instead, they're found in the Supplement Facts:

Caffeine: 70mg per serving/140mg total
Taurine: 600mg/1200mg
Ginseng Extract: 25mg/50mg
Damiana Leaf Extract: 40mg/80mg
Inositol: 80mg/160mg
Maca Root Extract: 30mg/60mg
Suma Root Extract: 50mg/100mg

Looking at that list, I can see that the amount of energy ingredients is not substantial, but there are a whole bunch of 'em, including three very interesting ones. Damiana, the first, turns out to be a quite interesting plant. Damiana is a shrub native to Central America, Mexico, and South America that is said to have relaxing effects. It is often an ingredient in Margaritas and has been included in some herbal cigarretes to give an extremely relaxing and calming effect. Maca root, also located in South America, seems to be more of a superfood than an energy supplement. Apparently, because of its high nutritional value, Maca has natural hormone-normalizing effects and seems to be very good for the male reproductive system. And finally, Suma, a root found indigenous to South America and often called Brazillian Ginseng, also has a high nutritional value. Some also claim it improves stamina and endurance, although some say it should not be consumed for long periods of time, only in "times of need." The only other energy ingredient present is Vitamin B12 along, quite surprisingly. In terms of the energy I felt, I can safely say this is comparable to most drinks in the energy given, minus the jitters and uncomfortable shortness of breath one might feel with high Caffeine intake. Euphoric knows too much Caffeine isn't a good thing, so they take it easy and ramp up the healthier, more natural ingredients. To wrap things up, Euphoric Energy has 26g of sugar per serving (one less than a Monster), and has 220 calories per can. Overall, I would put this on my "stock up" list and also my "go-to" list, because you can't pass up the opportunity to have such a quality drink as this.

Taste: 9.7 - I absolutely loved the flavor, and I could totally go for another anytime
Kick: 7.8 - Euphoric knows how to design a relaxing, alert, non-jittery kick
Overall: 9 - This is going on my "stock up" list

Reviewed by: Jeff

Rehab Recovery Supplement

It's been a while since Chan and I have posted a proper review, so I was quick to pull out this -- the Rehab Recovery Supplement. At a glance, this appears to be your typical energy drink, but as I examined it more closely, I realized this stuff is the real deal, or at least it claims to be. Apparently it's made with powerful ingredients, but that's about as stirring as a drink made with "legitimate" ingredients; what less can you expect? This sleek can design consists of a solid, frosty, electric blue background and a cool, white, rounded label. Going up the can is the word "Rehab" with that fancy little (Rx) symbol and some more powerful words like "Refresh," "Recover," and "Revive." You can tell I'm not too faithful in the power of this drink, but I'm hoping I can be later after I feel the effects. So, apparently, Rehab is a great choice to those, well... going through Rehab. What kind? Rehab doesn't specify, but it's probably safe to assume drug abuse and alcoholism rehabilitation are what Rehab aims at assisting in. This has me wondering what you'll find in a drink that's supposed to help with alcoholism or drug abuse. Checking out the label, I find Rehab's got a pretty good energy blend going on with a solid dose of Caffeine and a few unusual supplements. The next question I feel I should ask is this: How is a drink like this going to make me feel besides energetic? What makes this drink so different from every other energy drink on the market? I'm about to find out.

As I take my first smell, I find something that reminds me vaguely of the Liquid Ice, not a drink I want to be reminded of. There comes an upfront orangey sweetness and some crystal clear sourness and great fruitiness surrounding it. The drink comes out of the can a nice clear peach-rose color that looks quite nice, though I'm a bit tired of it. In the cup, I smell a little bit more of that seemingly artificially sweet orange/tangerine that really cuts through. I find a bit of a surprise as I sip, when the flavor tastes a whole lot less like orange and more like white grape or something very light and delicate but rounded and sweet. It's not something I can see drinking leisurely out of a glass, but I can easily see myself slamming one of these down out of the handy tall 12oz cans they come in. After some more sips, I get that same Thunderbird white wine flavor, which seemed at first surprisingly sweet, but now starts to settle. It's a nice delicate flavor I'm quite enjoying, and I think it makes sense, considering this may be designed for people who may enjoy wine. After half a can, I'm fairly satisfied; the carbonation is nearly nonexistent, and the gumminess, though present, is insignificant. Now that I've tasted it, I'm eager to feel the boost.

Immediate results I can observe is a handy lift in mood which you don't always see with most energy drinks. And, naturally, I'm feeling some great energy that makes me just wanna get up and go run; you know that feeling of restlessness. However, I'm not feeling the side effects I sometimes get from Caffeine, which is shortness of breath and nervousness. For that, I'm glad because it means an enjoyable and leisurely kick.

Rehab's ingredients include: Carbonated Water, Fructose, Sugar, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Natural Flavor, Calcium Chloride, Caffeine, Elderberry Extract Concentrate (color), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Potassium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Green Tea Extract 90% Polyphenols, Niacinimide (B3), Calcium Pantothenate (B5), Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B6), Guarana Seed Extract, Coenzyme Q10, Cyanocobalamin (B12). In terms of amounts, Rehab contains a handy 120mg of Caffeine, 60mg of Green Tea Polyphenols, 46mg of Catechins, which are antioxidants, 37mg of Ginseng, 37mg of Guarana, and 3mg of CoQ10. What I notice is Rehab isn't intense on the energy front, but does very well at giving vitality, with CoQ10 and those antioxidants. CoQ10, if you don't know, is a natural enzyme produced in the body that's essential for the functioning of the body's cells. After drinking this, I definitely felt increased vitality, improved mood, and a nice perk you don't always get from a typical energy drink. I was wide awake, not jittery, and most importantly -- very vital. Overall, I'm very satisfied with Rehab, and I'd recommend it far more than any typical energy drink because of it's fantastic yet not "over-the-top" kick.

*And, I now know Rehab is not, in fact, meant for true rehabilitation, as I found on their very handy website: http://www.liquidrehab.com/

Taste: 8.4 - A quite enjoyable white grape flavor if you're basically into anything sweet
Kick: 9.2 - Like it says, Rehab revives, and that's what I love about it
Overall: 8.7 - I'd say this is definitely a drink to stock up on

Reviewed by: Jeff

Rubyy Blood Orange Energy

Jeff: What better gift to receive on Valentine's Day than... energy drinks? Well, of course, that's after love, but it's still pretty great when you get free energy drink samples in the mail. For this very special day, Chan and I have snagged some samples of Rubyy Blood Orange Energy, graciously sent to us from the company themselves. We'd like to thank them once again, and we hope you guys are happy with our review.

Chan: What's better to receive on a holiday than a shipment of energy drink? It may have been a bit of an early Valentine's Day gift to us, but be assured, we are reviewing it as a gift to all our kind guests on this magnificent mid-February day. Rubyy is much different than your average can of kick in a few ways. First, if you glance at the picture to your left, you'll notice it's tall and skinny, though it's only 12 ounces. Next, you see it's got a cap, and made of what seems to be thicker and tougher aluminum than a regular can. One last thing I want to note about the difference, and this certainly is the most important, is that the can seems to be designed real well. Unlike what you see on a usual energy drink can, you see black and gray shades with certain depths; feeling it, you find a nice texture with a rough paint-job, not finished with gloss. It's can design is a 'raw' black with what seems to be foreign designs of gray plants and mythical angels and dragons. Rubyy contains about 8% juice, so I know I'll expect at least a bit of natural flavors. Blood orange tastes more like a grapefuit than an orange, and with 29g of sugar, I know I'll expect moderate amounts of sourness, and equal parts of sweetness. All right! Let's continue this review.

Jeff: Rubyy comes in a very stylish package, a slim and sleek flat black 12 oz bottle. On the front of the bottle is a very fancy and elegant design of some cool vines and what looks like some blood oranges at the bottom. Bold on the front is the word "RUBYY" and the tagline "Blood Orange Energy" below. The whole thing gives off a very dignified and high-class vibe, and I really want to open it and taste it. Sometimes you wanna just tear something open and have at it. This is one of those times.

Without forgetting to shake gently first, I twist open the cap, which is nice for a change. What I smell is not an extremely potent orange but what I would describe as a more reserved cross between an orange and a grapefruit -- a blood orange. On the spectrum of complex to simple, this drink's flavor is definitely one of the more complex. To start off, you've got a whiff of delicate orange and subtle bitterness of grapefruit with some other less distinct flavors in the mix. I can imagine this as a nice citrusy perfume; it definitely has some nice strong, sharp notes of citrus without being too much. When I pour this out, I find Rubyy has a very nice color with a slightly cloudy ruby pink with hints of orange. Taking a swig, Rubyy isn't as sour or sweet as I expected, but rather has a real nice mellow flavor with a little grapefruit bitterness. Somewhere in the background lingers a nice round, sweet tangerine that gives the drink some fullness. I can hardly tell there's any carbonation except for some very small tingling, and the gumminess is nearly nonexistent. As for the sweetness level, it's satisfactory, but since I've gotten used to these highly sweet drinks recently, it doesn't quite do it for me. Anyhow, I've already finished the bottle, the drink is that good. Overall, I'd call Rubyy a solid and uniquely sophisticated drink that'd be great for mixing with it's complex, but light flavor. I'd take Rubyy anytime I just wanna chill out or share with a special someone.

Chan: Twisting open the sleek, black can I find a scent that reminds me of any other citrus energy drink, but with a bit more of a sour-pungent aroma similar to grapefruit. This might be too much of a signal of how lazy we are, but I believe this was a tedious job of twisting and twisting this cap to open it. Pulling a tab is much simpler and allows you to enjoy your energy drinks much sooner. Pouring it out of the cup, I'll note that it's the same color as grapefruit, not citrus. This color is fluorescent pink, with nice gas bubbles to add to the 'romantic' backdrop. Tasting it, I'm not too surprised to find a usual citrus flavor masked with high fructose corn syrup. One difference is that you find more of a grapefruit sense to it; as in, you find a more realistic sweetness with a certain sourness to balance it all out. I admire Rubyy's creativity in making a citrus energy drink because for one, they didn't label it just 'Citrus', which most companies end up doing. They make it their own form of citrus, in this case, Blood Orange, which is significantly different than any old orange.

When I take a close look at Rubyy, my eyes go straight to the ingredients list. I see that Rubyy contains: Carbonated Water, HFCS, Orange Juice Concentrate, Taurine, Blood Orange Juice Concentrate, Tangerine Juice Concentrate, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Caffeine, Maltodextrin, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate (To Protect Taste), Niacinimide, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Red 40, Diotin, Cyanocobalamin, Guarana Extract. Having Rubyy just before a trip to the mall, I have to say, I was pretty alert and energetic the entire day. Rubyy isn't a drink that'll get you pumped and send you on a crazy, short caffeine high, but rather a great drink to keep you lucid in your social interactions.

Taste: 8.3 - Tasty grapefruit/blood orange/tangerine with a nice complex flavor
Kick: 7.5 - Mellow, relaxed, yet alert and energetic boost
Overall: 8.2 - A very quality drink indeed; I'd go for one anytime

Reviewed by: Chan and Jeff

Starbuck's Doubleshot Cinnamon Dulce

I have to say, Jeff and I were a bit surprised when two large packages came up at the door about a week ago. Almost immediately Jeff notified me of this and sent me the package of Starbuck's energy drinks. Tearing open the package we were surprised to find all of Starbuck's energy drinks, including one of their newest flavors expected to hit the markets February of 2009, the Cinnamon Dulce. It's been a busy time, and difficult to review lately, but we've got to fit in time to review these great drinks Evan Pham was courteous enough to send. After taking a few minutes to decide I knew it was the right choice to review the newest energy drink first; I know it'll be a good one. So, glancing at the can, I find Starbuck's trademark good can design, being a swirling combination of light browns, and dark browns, representing the color of the Cinnamon spice and caramel syrup. Some lighter and darker shades of brown are representable for the colors and roasts of coffee in the mix. Since I've never come across Cinnamon and Caramel (Dulce) in a coffee blend, I'm eager to try it. But coffee is real easy to mess up sometime, but knowing Starbuck's this one will most likely be a pass, here on Canned Reviews.

Cracking open this smooth 16 ounce can, I find myself whiffing at a scent of sweet caramel, with some robustness of general coffee. There are light notes of cinnamon in the background, but are hard to notice; I'm sure there'll be more of it as soon as I taste it. Pouring it out of the can and into a cup, the color is different than most energy-coffees, being way lighter, almost the color of milk, dirty milk, that is. Swigging the drink from the cup, I search my taste buds and find a flavor from this Cinnamony coffee of thick, sweet caramel-milk, with powerful heaps of cinnamon prominently mixed in. The flavor is appetizing, as there's some nice robustness form Starbuck's coffee evenly spread in, and sweet Dulce to balance it all out. One thing Starbuck's did improve on is the presence of Sucralose in the drink. Unlike the previous three Starbuck's energy drinks, this Cinnamon Dulce flavor masks the Sucralose so it's hardly noticeable at all. Digging deeper into the drink, I find its aftertaste is merely a light reminisce of cinnamon, with a nice boost of milkiness, but very little actual coffee roast. It's really not that gummy, as is with most coffee energy drinks, though what more can you expect with only 33g of sugar in the whole can? One thing I noticed after about three-quarters of the way through the can is that the flavor gets a bit boring, though the flavor is still pretty subtle. Overall, Starbuck's really nailed a Cinnamon and caramel flavored coffee energy drink, and when you'll try it next month I can almost guarantee you'll say the same exact thing. Don't take too long deciding which Starbuck's is best, go for the Cinnamon Dulce.

According to this can of Starbuck's Doubleshot Cinnamon Dulce, we see a complete a ingredients list, which I'll describe to you here. I see: Starbuck's Coffee (water, coffee), reduced-fat milk, skim milk, sugar, maltodextrin, dextrose, taurine, natural flavor, cellulose gel, L-Carnitine, panax ginseng, Inositol, Sodium Accorbate, guarana seed, calcium phosphate, celluose gum, niacin, Sucarlose, ascorbic acid, Tricalcium Phosphate, Carrageenan, caramel color, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Vitamin A, Cyanocobalamin, Vitamin D3. Most of these ingredients are standard in energy coffees, as I could recall seeing these in Java Monsters and Rockstar Roasteds. Per can, you are aiming towards about 200 calories, and only 33g of sugar, just like I had mentioned earlier in the review. The calorie content really isn't that bad, especially for a sweet energy coffee like Starbuck's, though you gotta remember what the sweetener(s) actually are. In this case, you have maltodextrin, sucrose, a bit from the reduced-fat milk, and a whole lot from the Sucralose. Sucralose contains very little amounts of calories, and virtually no real sugar, so they can pose that as a sweetener with technically not having to add it to the nutrition facts. In terms of kick, I note that after about 15 minutes, a large burst of jitteriness kicks in for about 2 hours, and then later a deteriorating focus with eventually a lame crash. All in all, this Starbuck's Doubleshot blew my mind. Coming from a past of disappointing debut energy drinks, Starbuck's made a great improvement and I'm excited for the next idea the folks at Starbuck's come up with.

Taste: 8.5 - Creative idea of Cinnamon and caramel in a coffee; smooth, rich, and milky coffee to add to the creativity
Kick: 8 - Generally a good kick, usual coffee jitteriness, and usual coffee crash
Overall: 8.3 - Definitely want to pick one of these up as soon as they come to a store near you

Reviewed by: Chan