The Consumer’s Corner

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!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

Found ‘em! Been on the look out for Rockstar Roasted for awhile now, and the three new versions of Java Monster. Then I found them, all six, lined up right next to each other in a Gate Station cooler. How awesome is that?

Starting off with Rockstar Roasted ‘Light Vanilla.’ I like the simple names; the Java Monsters (Loca Moca, Mean Bean, and Big Black) had names that made me want to chuckle, not take them seriously. All were great products though; how does Rockstar Roasted compare?

The ‘Light Vanilla’ is a half calorie, half fat product. So, it doesn’t have that rich creaminess that I’ve come to associate with these coffee/energy hybrids. I’m certain some would consider that a good thing, but I’m a bit indifferent. It tasted good, but just seemed to be missing something, and that was probably the other half of the fat and calories.

The flavor leans heavy on the coffee, light on the vanilla, and there’s no ‘energy drink’ aftertaste to be found. It’s not bitter, probably way too sweet for a lot of coffee drinkers, but should taste pretty good to the average consumer.

2 serving per can. Each can contains 100 calories, 3 grams of fat, 200$ DRV of B3-B6-B5-B12, and a general assortment of energy enhancers that work fairly well. Well rounded product that many will enjoy.

I’ll recommend this to folks who were looking for something in this category that is a little lighter. Rockstar Roasted Light Vanilla certainly fills a void. It wont be something I’ll pick up often, but it was good enough that I’m really looking forward to sampling the other varieties. Feedback is always appreciated!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

rockstar, rockstar roasted, energy drinks, coffee

Lost Cadillac Cantina Cocktail. I’m guessing they were shooting for a virgin margarita+energy kind of thing, but it just didn’t turn out so well. Nice try though! It’s very rare that I don’t gush over something lime flavored, I’m a bit biased, but flavor wise, Lost Cadillac didn’t do a whole lot for me.

Closest thing I could compare it to is a ‘Mikearita,’ the pre-packaged drink from the producers of Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Just remove the alcohol flavor, insert the ‘bubble gum’ energy drink profile, and Lost Cadillac is what you’re left with. It wasn’t bad, it’s just mired in mediocrity.

The energy boost was nice, and that is Lost Cadillac’s redeeming quality. It got me going, and kept me moving. The 16 ounce can (which is actually 2 servings) gives you 200 calories worth of sugar, always good for a boost. Then you have 2000 mg of taurine, glucuronolactone, ginseng, caffeine, inositol, B Vitamins, maltodextrin, carnitine, and guarana. Fairly common stuff in this industry.

Can’t say that I recommend this one. There are no strong feelings one way or the other, but I’m doubtful that I’ll ever buy it again. There are just too many other options; better tasting options. $1.99 wherever other Lost beverages are sold.

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

lost, lost cadillac, energy drinks

‘The Energy Drink That Actually Tastes Good.’ If a marketer was able to pop that one out with a straight face, I’d be shocked. Further more, if he or she actually believed it, well, they suck.

As far as colas go, this ranks somewhere near the bottom of every one I’ve ever consumed, even counting multiple store brands. Simply awful.

Not going too deep into the details on this one; I’m just going to tell you to avoid it if at all possible. Sugar content is astounding, energy boost isn’t that great. Packaging is all it has going for it.

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

Lost Perfect 10 Energy Drink. Cool looking can. Catchy name. But the originality stops there; this is Monster Low-Carb with a different label. That’s okay I suppose, it’ is made by the same folks that produce Monster’s beverages, but Lost Perfect 10 needed something to help it stand out. It doesn’t.

Not that it’s bad; Monster Low-Carb is a favorite of mine. So, being that the difference is negligible, I have to like Lost Perfect 10 as well. Same(ish) energy boost, same calorie content per can, same price; hell, it’s in the same door in the fridge at my convenience store. By the way, ‘10′ stands for calories per serving.

I guess I recommend it; even though I feel forced into it. I recommend it by default; how about that? $1.99 should get you on the road with 16 ounces. Enjoy?

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

I’ve been avoiding Amp Energy Overdrive for awhile; never was all that big on Amp. I prefer Mountain Dew’s other energy offering, MDX. Much tastier, better value, and similar kick. But, sales figures tell me that my opinion on the two energy drinks is a bit skewed from public opinion. Oh well.

Amp Overdrive is a wonderful tasting beverage though, much better than it’s big brother. Sold as Amp with an ‘intense cherry hit,’ it doesn’t bear a lot of resemblance to it’s base product in my opinion. The cherry flavor in dominant, and then some. Should I compare it to anything, I’d say it tastes a lot like Rockstar Punched. As you can see in my review of that product, I was gushing in my enthusiasm for the flavor.

Flavor. When reviewing energy drinks, you can say one of two things when complimenting a given beverage. ‘It tastes great for an energy drink,’ or, ‘It tastes great!’ Amp Overdrive, like Rockstar Punched, is something really tastes great, regardless of it’s class. Nothing harsh, medicinal, or any of the other traits common to energy drinks. It could easily be an ‘every day’ beverage if you’re not sensitive to the energy enhancers.

Complete nutritional info can be found here. I recommend it, greatly. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

amp, amp overdrive, energy drinks, soda, mountain dew

Just for the purpose of clarity, the one I’m reviewing today is the ‘green’ one on the far right. I’ll get to the rest of them too, they’re in my fridge, but I wasn’t able to find individual images, and the ones I took looked really, really bad.

‘Volt Lemon-Lime’ tastes just like your average sports drinks that have been available for years, almost indistinguishable when compared to a Gatorade, or Powerade. ‘So then, mister Super Consumer, why should I bother switching?’ Well, my dear reader, Volt is an energy drink as well, or at least contains a lot of the same ingredients that are generally found in energy drinks. So, you’re not only getting all the benefits of re hydration, you get a fairly nice nice ‘pick me up’ to go along with it.

The Lemon-Lime flavor was enjoyable. Everyone that’s going be interested in Volt has probably already sampled the ‘other guys’ version, and Volt can certainly hold it’s own. There is an ever-so-slight medicinal taste, but it’s not anywhere near bad enough to negatively affect the beverage. Also, when compared to Gatorade/Powerade, the Volt seems a bit more ‘concentrated,’ which I consider a good thing. Coke and Pepsi’s products, minus Gatorade Fierce, have always tasted a bit too watered down for me. Volt doesn’t have that problem.

The energy boost was decent. You’ll get 2.5 servings in your 20 oz bottle, and each serving will contain 50 calories, 12g of sugar, 15% of your daily recommended value of vitamin A, 15% of E, 100% of B6, 100% of B12, and an undisclosed percentage of taurine and gluconoronolactone. It didn’t have me bouncing off the walls after drinking 10 ounces (give or take), but I could tell I had drank something with some kick.

I will recommend it. It’s more ‘useful’ than the big guy’s products, no drop off in flavor, and I’m all for a small company to give Coke and Pepsi a run for their money. I only paid a buck for mine, but Volt is just being introduced to my area, so I expect that to rise a little bit in time. There a ‘ballsy’ little outfit too, check out the marketing material on their website. Bottoms up!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

volt, energy drink, sports drink

This will be the last in my series of Rip It energy drinks, unless I run up on the Sugar Free versions that I have yet to locate. There are two other entirely different flavors I’ve yet to stumble upon as well, and I can’t wait to give them a ‘go’ for you. Anyways, the one getting reviewed today is called ‘Lime Wrecker,’ and is not currently available in a sugar free formula (that I’m aware of).

Going in, I was expecting a limeade (God I love limeade) type of flavor, a bit more tart and significantly lighter. What I got was a highly concentrated Mountain Dew/Vault kind of drink. Lime Wrecker is really sweet, and really ‘thick.’ I’d describe it as syrupy, more so than a lot of corn syrup sweetened beverages. This Rip It could drastically benefit from a no sugar version.

The flavor was good, just a little bit on the strong side. I may never (ever!) say this about any other product, so listen well; it might not hurt them to water this stuff down just a little tad. Even the energy boost, despite being the exact same blend as all of the rest of the Rip It line, seemed stronger than it should. Maybe got ahold a strange can, or ‘bad’ batch? You try it and let me know your experiences.

Lime Wrecker punched hard in the energy department, as I said. There’s no reason why it should have more so than ‘Power,’ ‘Citrus X,’ or ‘A’tomic Pom,’ but it did. Not just a little bit either, it was quite noticeable. I will not promise the same results for you, good chance it may just be something funky with my system today, but regardless, it will get you going.

Calories are 260 per 16 ounce can, nutritionally backed up by 200% daily recommended values of each of vitamin C, B6, B12, and folic acid. This product was so sweet, I think they could’ve (should have) backed off some with the corn syrup and saved a few calories, but I suppose I’m just being picky.

Bottom line, it’s a decent product, especially for the money invested ($1 per can, 2 servings in a can). In comparison with the other Rip It’s, I’m going to rank it right in the middle; above ‘A’Tomic Pom,’ and ‘Citrus X,’ but below both of the ‘Powers.’ A similar product, for a very similar price would be Mountain Dew MDX (if you can still find it), which I think may be a tad bit better than ‘Lime Wrecker.’ Anyway, try them all and give me a yell, I’m curious what you guys and gals think. Drink up!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

Related Articles:

Rip It Energy Fuel Power

Rip It Energy Fuel Power Sugar Free

Rip It Energy Fuel Citrus X

Rip It Energy Fuel A’Tomic Pom

beverages, soda, energy drinks, supplements

Continuing in my series of the Rip It Energy Fuel line energy drinks, I’m bringing you a review of the ‘A’Tomic Pom’ flavor. ‘Pom,’ being short for pomegranate. My hope is someone will correct me in short order if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe this beverage actually contains any real pomegranate juice; it’s just a flavoring. If there is juice in it, then shame on them for not stating that fact more clearly on the can; I shouldn’t have to look for that information, it should jump out at me. That generic ‘natural and artificial flavors’ line in the ingredients list doesn’t do it for me; I need some numbers people!

The main reason I do not think it has pomegranate juice in it is because I was actually able to drink it; I’m just not a real big fan of pomegranate juice, regardless of it’s many health benefits. A’Tomic Pom wasn’t as bitter (pomegranate fans say tart, I say bitter) as the juices I’ve tried, and it is definitely sweeter. Rip It did manage to capture the ’spirit’ of the flavor though, so if you are a pomegranate fan, I don’t think you’ll be too disappointed. Oh, the corn syrup sweetener leaves your mouth feeling a bit sticky, but that’s just corn syrup for you.

Energy wise, A’Tomic Pom is easily on par with the rest of the (corn syrup sweetened) line of drinks, giving me a very noticeable boost. The 16 ounce can, which is really two full servings, had me going until about 2:00 AM last night, after ingesting it around 7:30. No jitters to speak of, just a good, solid boost. No complaints at all. Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, Taurine, Caffeine, Inositol, and Guarana seed extract are your energy sources, plus the sugar.

Said sugar will knock a 260 calorie dent in your diet (per can). That’s a fairly significant number for some people, so consider yourself fully warned. Value wise, the entire line is just unbeatable .99 cents for a fully powered 16 ounce energy drink is just a steal; I kind of feel like the alarms should be going off as I’m leaving the store with them.

Personally, it’s my least favorite of the Rip It line so far, but that’s most definitely due to my bias against pomegranate. Your results will of course vary if you’re fan of the stuff. Comment back and opine should you feel differently than me. I’m always open!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

Related Articles:

Rip It Energy Fuel Power

Rip It Energy Fuel Power Sugar Free

Rip It Energy Fuel Citrus X

Rip It Energy Fuel Lime Wrecker

beverages, soda, energy drinks, supplements

The Rip It line of energy drinks have been nagging at me to be reviewed for a while; I’ve been meaning to get the word out about them on this site since the beginning and have just failed to do so. Shame - on - me. ‘Rip It’ is a dirty little secret that I’m sure the big energy drink companies would rather you not know about, so of course I feel it’s my duty to fill you all in. This review is the third in a series.

They’re all great tasting, high quality, and best of all, dirt cheap. I’ve never see them priced for more than a dollar, but their availability at this time appears a bit limited. Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree are my only sources, and that’s a shame.

‘Citrus X’ is the flavor I’m putting through the ringer this evening. Upon first time buying this flavor, and I was really expecting a ‘Mountain Dew’ type of citrus flavor, but what I ended up with was basically a super energized orange soda. Not a thing in the world wrong with that, it just was not quite what I was expecting it to be.

I really enjoyed it though, the first sip had a little bit of a bite to it, but I’ve come to expect that from most energy blends. After that initial impression, I pretty much had the experience of drinking a slightly less sweet orange soda (like a Fanta, or Crush.) The energy boost was noticeable, maybe a bit too noticeable. Not their fault, I was drinking it because I was thirsty and kind of chugged it, so I had a case of the ‘jitters’ for a little while. My bad, and my bad alone. Just a reminder to me (and anyone reading) that these things, no matter how wonderful they taste, are not sodas and should be treated with a good deal more respect. They aren’t joking on the warning label.

Energy comes in a blend of caffeine, taurine, inositol, b vitamins, and corn syrup. Packaging is a 16 ounce can, which contains two servings, at 130 calories per serving. Not exactly diet friendly, but there is (supposedly) a sugar free version of this flavor (which I shall also review, if I locate it). Other nutritional info you may be interested in can be found at the official site linked below. I give it a hearty thumbs up if you enjoy orange flavored beverages. Keep checking back for reviews of the rest of the line!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

Related Articles:

Rip It Energy Fuel Power

Rip It Energy Fuel Power Sugar Free

Rip It Energy Fuel A’Tomic Pom

Rip It Energy Fuel Lime Wrecker

beverages, soda, energy drinks, supplements