The Consumer’s Corner

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

Okay, I hear what you’re thinking. ‘You just reviewed this a couple weeks ago.’ Well, I didn’t. I was informed that there are two Jolt Colas. The one I tried and reviewed was ‘Jolt Cola.’ This is ‘Jolt Power Cola.’ If you remember me reviewing the plain version, you’ll remember that I wasn’t particularly fond of it. Will Jolt Power Cola be any better?

Marginally.  This was more carbonated, and that alone helped it a great deal. The original was quite flat (nothing worse than flat cola), but the Power Cola was was considerably more peppy in that department. The flavor was similar, still nowhere near being in the same ball park as the big name colas, but at least it was drinkable this time around.

Like Jolt Blue Raspberry, the energy boost was ‘good enough.’ I’ve tried a whole bunch of energy drinks the past couple years, and this is in the middle of the road for energy enhancement. It’ll get you going, but wont leave you shaking. The sugar content may crash you though, should you drink the whole 23.5 ounce can. I prefered it in two 12 ounce servings; which is made possible by the cool can with resealable top.

Major selling point here is it’s a non typical energy drink, it’s flavored as a cola, and that is fairly unique. In fact, Jolt is the only energy cola I can find in my market. Calories are 300 to the can, or 100 per serving. It gets a mild recommendation; if you just want cola, you’re better off with the big guys, for cola with energy Jolt is hard to beat!

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–Jeremy Hobbs

After the Jolt Cola debacle, I had to give the company another shot to redeem themselves. So I tried the version that I thought would be most palatable to me, ‘Blue Raspberry.’ Real big fan of raspberries, and their candy flavored derivatives, so I thought this one would be a safe choice.

I was correct. Jolt Blue Raspberry isn’t exactly the most unique thing you’ll ever taste, this type of flavor is used in a multitude of products, but it still tastes good. Quite good, in fact. Maybe just a tad on the strong side; I enjoyed it more over ice, but Blue Raspberry lives up to it’s tag line, ‘The energy drink that actually tastes good.’

You get that energy from sugar, caffeine, taurine, guarana, ginseng, and some other really big words. Don’t have any numbers for you; they’re not required to print them, and they didn’t. 360 calories for the 23.5 ounce can; though I don’t recommend drinking it all at once. It has a resealable top, so I’d take advantage of it. One serving is 8 ounces. The boost is adequate, I’ve had better, and I’ve had worse. If you’re a seasoned energy drink consumer, you should have an idea what to expect.

I recommend Jolt Blue Raspberry if you can find it. It tastes great, gives a solid energy bump, is cost effective (as far as energy drinks go). Seems like a pretty good deal to me; I can easily see myself buying this again.

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–Jeremy Hobbs

These are becoming more and more popular, I’m seeing them everywhere. They’re basically an entire 16 ounce energy drink that’s had it’s ’soda’ removed. To tell the truth, I’ve been scared to try one; I didn’t think there would be any possible way that they could taste all that great, and I thought the boost would be way to strong.

Jolt’s Energy Shot (grape flavor) doesn’t taste too bad. Not to good either, but with a product like this, adding a flavoring at all is just a courtesy. These weren’t designed for sipping; they made to get down the hatch as quickly as possible. All in all, the flavor resembles that of a cough medicine. Texture was much thinner than I thought it would be, expecting something syrupy. It’s not very viscous at all. I think that’s a good thing.

Upon reading the ingredient list, I had no doubt what so ever that it would work; my only question was if it would kill me or not. 2,500% of your daily recommended value of vitmain B6, 125% of folic acid, 750% of B12, and 200% of B5. 2,2oo milligrams of the energy blend, consisting of glucuronolactone, malic acid, caffeine, guarana, and ginseng. Easily, by far and away, the most potent energy boost I’ve ever received. I swear to God, I felt like time had slowed itself down during the first hour. It’s lasted as well, I’m writing this four hours after my dosage, and it’s still going strong.

I recommend these, but with limitations. People have been consuming garden variety energy drinks just to catch that little energy buzz, and they’re kind of the fad right now. This product is not for those people. Or kids. Or pregnant people, or people that are caffeine sensitive. I’d also avoid if you have issues with your heart. If you’re in a situation where you need a serious energy boost, aren’t terribly concerned with flavor, and have no desire to sleep for a good 6 or 7 hours, this is your stuff. $2.00 give or take, wherever you find a good selection of Jolt products. Or consider purchasing online.

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–Jeremy Hobbs

jolt, jolt energy shot, energy shots

I noted that Rockstar Roasted Light Vanilla wasn’t as thick, or as rich in consistency as the ‘Java Monster’ line of beverages. I assumed that was because the ‘Light Vanilla‘ variety was their low fat entry into the market, and I figured the other drinks would be a little heavier. I assumed wrong. After drinking the full fat, full calorie ‘Latte,’ I’ll now assume that’s just the consistency they were shooting for.

And that’s fine, I’m sure there are quite a few people that prefer that; I’m just not one of them.  Monster’s coffee/energy hybrids were filling, and I’d use them almost like a meal replacement shake. Rockstar Roasted is just a bit too ‘milky’ for me, but this is going to be a personal preference.

‘Latte’ tasted pretty good. Little sweeter than I’d take my coffee, but they’re tryig to appeal to everyone, so that’s to be expected. The flavor (just ‘coffee,’ nothing extra) is strong enough to hide any bitterness from Rockstar’s energy blend. That blend works; it’s pretty much proven. Woke me up out of a sleep deprived stupor this morning, and I haven’t crashed. Good stuff there.  220 calories per can, as well as 6 grams of fat.

I’ll recommend it, but not over it’s Monster equivalent; unless you found Java Monster too thick for your tastes. Around $2 wherever other Rockstar’s are sold, but you might also want to check your coffee/dairy section; that’s where I found mine. Enjoy!

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–Jeremy Hobbs