The Consumer’s Corner

Found something new in my favorite little convenience store recently; Power Trip Energy Drinks. Apparently Power Trip is a pretty big deal up in the north eastern United States, as a little research I did indicated that they are the official energy drink of the Buffalo Bills NFL team. Even had hot pictures of their cheerleaders posing with the product to push that point home. Well, I was impressed.

Had just enough change on my to try one can, and I picked the ‘0‘ flavor, which I can safely assume is the diet version of the ‘Original Blue’ flavor. Anyone who’s read this blog enough knows I love blue stuff, and berry flavored stuff, so Power Trip 0 had a head start out of the gate. I poured the beverage in a glass, an odd thing I do not normally do, to discover it was opaque. Nothing wrong with that, just a bit different for the category. You can see through most products.

The flavor was wonderful. Light, not over powering, the sweetening blend was spot on, and it didn’t reek of vitamins. I could seriously drink Power Trip 0 as a soda, rather than an energy beverage. Assuming I never wanted to sleep again.

So far as an energy buzz, it wasn’t super intense, but I did feel it, and best of all it didn’t crash me when it was through doing it’s thing. A 16-ounce can, which is actually two servings, provides you with a negligible 10 calories, 0 carbs, 210 mg of protein, 2,000 mg of taurine, 46 mg of guarana, 72 mg of inositol, 200% of vitamins C, B3, B5, B12, and 400% of B6.

I really want to try the other flavors of Power Trip, and I’ll definitely be bugging the manager to bring them in. Power Trip 0 scores an easy ‘Win!’

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-Jeremy Hobbs

Mini Chill is a ‘shot’ form of the emerging line of ‘relaxation’ beverages. I call them anti-energy drinks. The first one I sampled, ‘Drank,’ worked, but was more that a little ‘ghetto’ in appearance. Mini Chill does exactly the same thing, in a more compact and infinitely more dignified package.

The flavor is ‘Berry Bliss,’ and it’s fairly pleasant. Think ‘diluted kids cough syrup.’ Not something you’d want to sip on all day, but that isn’t the point. The idea is to get it down the hatch without gagging, and Mini Chill accomplishes that going away.

Mini Chill’s label promotes relaxation, stress relief, better focus, and mood. I can’t say I noticed any difference in my focus or mood, but the stress relief and relaxation was definitely noticeable. The first bottle I tried, I fell asleep sitting up. That never happens. The second time around, the effect was much more subtle (as I wasn’t dog tired to start with), but still quite adequate.

I give Mini Chill a Win! Great as a non-alcoholic night cap, no calories, decent flavor, convenient packaging. If you find it somewhere less that $2.99, I think you should feel comfortable that you’re getting your monies’ worth.

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-Jeremy Hobbs

Around my house, these are affectionately known as ‘Crystal Light for men.’ Those little to-go packs were great ideas, but no man with even an ounce of machismo could be seen in public emptying one of those packets into his bottle of water. Granted, from a distance, these don’t look much different. But at least you’ll have a leg to stand on when your buddies call you out on how much of a sissy you have become.

Power Edge Energy Drink Mix is a non-carbonated energy drink that mixes into 16 ounces of water. The flavor I’ve tried, Mixed Berry, tastes really good, and will offer you a decent pick me up. I really dislike sipping on ‘virgin’ water, and these do the trick for me. Flavor is plenty strong, even when mixed into 20 ounces of water. Something else I’ve done with them; mix them with sodas. They dissolve well, and you can get some interesting flavor combinations.

These can be purchased in boxes of ten at most Wal-Mart stores; I have yet to see them on anyone else’s shelves. If I remember correctly, they were only $1.99, so you get a decent bang for your buck. Power Edge is something I’ll be keeping in the house with me at all times. Recommended!

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–Jeremy Hobbs

I’m always amazed when I find truth in advertising; it seems as if companies marketing their products these days offer a lot, but deliver a little. That’s not the case with 5 Hour Energy, and their line of energy shots.

After trying the Jolt Energy shot, I was a bit apprehensive to tip this back. The Jolt versions worked, maybe a little too well. But that was part of 5 Hour’s promise, it wouldn’t make me jittery, and it wouldn’t cause me to crash. I’ll back up both of those claims; 5 Hour Energy worked exactly as described.

The boost was significant, but it wasn’t like I’d been struck by lightning. Subtle, but definitely noticable. And it wore off slowly (I got about 7 hours of ‘energy’ actually), and when it was done, it was done. No sluggish drag left behind.

Taste? Ehh, not so great, but it’s just 2 ounces. Shouldn’t gag you or anything, but it wont be high on your list of great tasting products either. Think ‘cough syrup;’ that’s what went through my mind. Thankfully, it didn’t leave much of an after taste, and what there was wasn’t anything a swig of water or soda couldn’t take care of.

Price seems a touch high, $2.99 a bottle, but you can get it cheaper if you buy multi-packs, or find them on special. Overall, I recommend them, especially if you can find them at a price point closer to $1.99 a piece. Try it out and let me know what you think!

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–Jeremy Hobbs

This will be my last energy drink review for awhile, I need to detoxify myself from all these stimulants. Likewise, this will also be the last coffee beverge I drink; two birds with one stone. I’m nothing if not efficient! Did I pick a good beverage to go out on? Yeah, I think so.

The chocolate tones in Rockstar Roasted Mocha added a bit of the richness that I felt had been missing from the other two Rockstar coffee/energy hybrids. This actually tasted eerily similar to the coffee that I order at my neighborhood coffee shop; my favorite baristas may be seeing less of me when I fall back off the ‘wagon’ and need a boost.

The energy blend worked really well, especially considering I consumed the 2 serving can in about five minutes. 200 calories, 2 grams of fat, 200% of Vitamins B3, B5, B6, and B12. 16% calcium and potassium. The actual energy blend consists of: 2,000 mg of taurine, 300 mg of ginkgo biloba, 240 mg of caffeine, and 50 mgs each of guarana, inositol, L-Camitine, ginseng, and milk thistle. Those numbers are per can, cut them in half if you want it by the serving.

I recommend it, it tastes good, picked me up, and didn’t break the bank. Anyone want to take a bet on how long I can make it without caffeine?

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–Jeremy Hobbs

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Mountain Dew has been expanding their Amp Energy Drink lineup, and so far I’ve really enjoyed the offerings. ‘Relaunch’ is fairly simple; just an orange soda with energy enhancers added. The flavor is very similar to that of Mountain Dew Livewire.

Relaunch adds in a blend of electrolytes to help the body rehydrate, but all in all, I think that is more gimmick than anything else. If you’re suffering from dehydration, an energy drink will probably be one of the last things you’ll reach for in the refrigerator.  Go for an ‘ade’ or some type of water.

I can’t say that Amp Relaunch does a whole lot in the energy boosting category either; I found it significantly less potent than many of the other 16 ounce energy beverages. That could be a positive for some of you who don’t want a big boost, but need something a little ‘stiffer’ than a regular caffeinated soft drink can provide. This is almost like a ‘tweener.’ 220 calories, 58 grams of sugar, 160 mg caffeine, and 296 mg taurine. Those last two numbers are kind of weak.

Mildly recommended; I enjoyed drinking it, but not more so than a Mountain Dew Livewire. For a ‘true’ energy drink, I’d look elsewhere. This is perfect if you’re looking for something in the middle though. Tastes great!

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–Jeremy Hobbs

Jolt has been getting some fairly positive press from me lately; and for good reason. Everything I’ve tried, minus the gum, has tasted fairly good. Some of the items, like Cherry Bomb and Blue Raspberry will be making their way into my regular rotation. But Jolt let me down in an area I really like to specialize in; diet/no-calorie/low-calorie products.

Jolt’s entry into that market is a failure. To say it’s medicinal would be a gross understatement; it tastes exactly like lemon-lime AirBorne. Now, AirBorne isn’t all that bad as far as cold remedies go, but it’s not something that I would consume for the pure enjoyment of it.

The flavor, as mentioned, is lemon-limey citrus. Very weak, as well. I found that very odd, as the other Jolt products had distinct, robust profiles. Jolt Ultra is just bad.

You have far better options available to you, I have to recommend you avoid this product. Maybe if they reformulate, come back with a better, stronger flavor Jolt Ultra will be able to compete. As always, my opinion is one amongst many, if you agree or disagree, comment and let it be known.

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–Jeremy Hobbs

For me not to have cared very much for the original Amp, I’m really enjoying these new extensions. Amp Overdrive was exceptional, and this ‘mixed berry’ Elevate might be even better than that. The berry flavor is very intense, a bit on the artificial side, and really sweet, but I enjoyed it none the less. Probably something to do with my predisposition towards berry products, but whatever.

Each of the new flavors has something extra added to the energy blend (or more of one particular thing), and ‘Elevate’ has L-Theanine, supposedly for improved focus. Not really buying it, I’ve actually felt a bit more scatter brained than usual today, but it’s of no consequence. These extensions are about offering consumers more flavor options, and more options is almost always a great thing.

Energy? I didn’t feel it as much as I have been. And I crashed pretty hard not long after downing the can. Not good. Been feeling kind of funky today though, so I’m going to give it a pass. If you’re an Amp fan, you’ll know what to expect. It’s mostly the same energy blend.

I recommend on the flavor alone; I’ll be buying it again. Don’t expect it to work any miracles, at it’s core it is just an average energy drink, but a great tasting one. $1.99 where other Amp/Mountain Dew products are sold.

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–Jeremy Hobbs

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Another Jolt! Yay! I love having the entire sets of things to review, it makes me feel complete. And I believe that I have every product in Jolt’s arsenal at my disposal, minus the one’s I’ve already reviewed. Right now, I’ve just finished sucking down ‘Jolt Cherry Bomb,’ when is an energized cherry cola.

At least I think it’s a cherry version of Jolt Power Cola, but it has a Dr. Pepper thing going on as well. Regardless, that is a win-win; I love both. If reviewed as a cola, it stands head and shoulders above Jolt Power Cola, this is a superior product. The ‘cherry’ is definitely there, but doesn’t over power, adding just enough accents to really spice things up. Could have stood a bit more carbonation in my opinion, but it will certain do. ‘A’ for effort in the flavor category!

The energy ingredients left me feeling reasonably charged after drinking a measured serving (8 ounces), but you’ll be going hard if you tilt back an entire can (23.5 ounces). I like splitting the difference with these, and drinking them twelve ounces at a time. Get up, get going, then reload when you start coming down. The super-duper amazing resealable Jolt battery can makes that possible. What’s so super-duper about it? Crack one open and find out!

Preferably this one. I recommend it! 90/270 calories per serving/can, not exactly diet friendly, but at least you’ll know that going in. Usual energy enhancers; caffeine, guarana, taurine, ginseng, vitamin B complex, blah blah blah. It works. Enjoy!

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–Jeremy Hobbs

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Had high hopes for this one, but was ultimately let down. The energy drink market is becoming far too saturated with energy that taste far to similar to one another. Unbound Energy just is your ‘classic’ bubble gummish energy clone, with a little bit of citrus mixed in. It tasted somewhat like tangerine to me, but I really couldn’t put a finger on it.

The boost was certainly nothing spectacular; Unbound wasn’t even all that effective in waking me up from what had been a decent night’s sleep. The ingredients say it ought to have done the trick, but it did not. Worse yet, the 54g of sugar had me crashing fairly quickly.

220 calorie diet dent for the 16 ounce can (2 servings). Availability may be a bit on the spotty side, but if you’re interested, try BP stations. Why? Their logo is on the site; I’ll just assume they have some type of deal. Mild recommendation; pretty much standard fair. If you like the other wanna-be’s, you like Unbound as well.

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–Jeremy Hobbs