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Where To Buy
FRS Lemon Lime Energy Chews
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Today we’ll start off with the first of four FRS Healthy Energy Products, the Energy Chews. The chews come in a resalable bag of 30, and each chew is individually wrapped. With 20mg of caffeine per piece, these energy chews are obviously weaker than the Buzz Bites, but the FRS products are marketed as energy for workouts ad exercise, not for high caffeine content. Nevertheless, these chews contain caffeine and deserve a spot on CaffeineGuru. When I opened the bag of these chews, an amazing aroma of lemon-lime overcame me. The actual smell of the chew alone is a little less ambrosial, but it still isn’t bad. The taste of the chew is a little weaker than the smell, a tad sour (form the caffeine and vitamins), with a hint of lemon-lime, and the texture is a little on the gritty side. Overall, it isn’t bad though, while the caffeine content is low, it still provides a small kick, and claims to provide essential nutrients such as quercitin and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C and E. This product is pretty good though, and the small size of the chews makes it easy and convenient to get a boost of energy on the go, or for a workout. You can get them and the other FRS products for free, well almost free, as there’s a shipping charge, here
and try them out for yourself if you’re interested.
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Pimp Juice: The Purple Label
I still like the concept of Pimp Juice’s low carbonation, so I’ve decided to try out the other variation. According to the website, it’s called ‘The Purple Label’ and is currently the only other variation of Pimp Juice. Personally, after trying both, I prefer this variation to the original. Pimp Juice Purple comes in a can that’s identical to the original’s can (both contain 162mg of caffeine per can), except that this can is Purple (duh). Unlike the original, apple flavored beverage, Purple contains acai juice and grape juice, and is clear with a hint of purple. In addition, this drink also contains 10% real juice and low carbonation, adding to its similarity to Pimp Juice Apple. Pimp Juice Purple smells like grapes, and while the taste is a tad bland (but not sour like the original), it has a nice grape aftertaste. Aside from the packaging, the color, and the flavor, Pimp Juice: ‘The Purple Label’ is practically indistinguishable from Pimp Juice. If you want to know more about Pimp Juice, I’d suggest checking out the review on that here.
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Kronik Energy
I came across Kronik around the same time I stumbled across X3000 on the west coast. Kronik boasts to be an ‘Unrelenting Energy Supplement’, and jokingly cautions a possibility of becoming psychologically addicting to consumers. We’ll see if it stands up to its claims. With a black can, and barbed wired labeling, this drink seems to be advertising itself to prison inmates, or maybe to farmers that use barbed wire to keep their cattle from running away. Who knows? But speculating won’t do anything; it’s time to try this stuff out. Kronik has a strange light blue color to it, the same color as the text on the can, but a little more translucent. It smells a tad like Sprite, but a little less fruity, so it has a very mild aroma. The taste is hard to describe, there’s not really that much of a flavor, it’s kind of like Sprite again, but more mild. I have to say that this stuff isn’t bad, it’s not bad tasting or anything, but there’s really not taste at all. Hopefully this stuff can redeem itself with its ingredients. One can of Kronik contains 2000mg of Taurine, 200mg of Guarana, and 50mg of Inositol. How much caffeine you say? The bottle doesn’t say, which normally means the caffeine content is average, as anything with a lot of caffeine is sure to plaster the amount all over the packaging in order to get more attention. Looks like I’ll have to Email them. One day later: They responded. A 16oz can of Kronik contains 150mg of caffeine, a little less than 10mg/oz, which isn’t bad at all. 150mg puts this drink in the same group as the average energy drink on the market today, not too weak, but not overflowing with caffeine. As for the kick, it’s okay, it didn’t get me wired, but it has enough stuff to help you get through the day. The taste is a little lacking in flavor, but other than that, Kronik’s not too shabby.
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Redline Ultimate Energy and Power Rush
Today we have a double review. Redline Energy is a drink that comes in an 8oz bottle and a 2.5oz energy shot. Both of the bottles are berry flavored and come in a blue bottle with a screw on cap.
Starting with the energy shot, this variant of Redline comes in the 2.5oz bottle and contains 350mg of caffeine per bottle, which is quite a lot! The bottle suggests only 1/2, or 1/4 at a time, as to avoid over stimulation. Because I’m checking out two drinks today, I think I’ll follow their advice. The Redline Energy shot smells fruity and ‘exotic’ just as the bottle advertises. The taste is pretty good at first, but after a few seconds, it becomes extremely sour, as there’s no sugar in this. The bitterness will go straight for your cheeks and cause a soft of an involuntary puckering. While the taste leaves a bit to be desired, the kick is worth the flavor. Redline Power Rush! also contains 2083% of your daily B12 (per serving, so double that if you have the whole thing). The nice thing about the Power Rush! is that there’s no sugar so there’s no crash after the energy boost.
Moving on to the Redline Triple Berry Ultimate Energy Rush (that’s quite a mouthful). After I opened this, I realized it smells just like the Power Rush!, but smells sweeter. Lo and behold, this drink is a lot less bitter than the other power shot. While this one is sweeter, and less bitter, there is still a small hint of bitterness that will make you pucker just a little. Once again however, there is a trade off; the Triple Berry Redline contains only 250mg of caffeine per bottle, 100mg less than the power shot, even though the Triple berry is 3x the size. The kick of Redline Energy Rush is still good though, as 250mg is still a hefty amount of caffeine.
Both of these products are worth it, while I don’t like the bitterness them, there’s not much else that can be done with their low sugar content and high concentration of caffeine. Both are worth it though if you need a quick boost during the day.
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Buzz Bites: Chocolate Energy Chews
The folks at Vroom Foods were kind enough to send a sample of two of their products, Buzz Bites, for review (just a side note, that I don’t bias reviews even if the supplier provides the product). Buzz Bites are caffeinated, chocolaty, candy chews that pack a whopping 100mg of caffeine, some taurine, and some ginseng per piece. Each tin contains 6 chews (only 25 calories a chew for anyone out there watching their figure), and costs around 4.00, or less, depending on how many you buy. This makes each chew average to a little over 50¢ a chew, which is a steal considering the chews contain more caffeine than some energy drinks and as much as a cup of coffee. So while 50¢ may be a lot for a plain old piece of candy, it’s worth paying for 100mg of caffeine instead of paying 2.29 for a less caffeinated Red Bull, or 2.00 for a cup of coffee. Buzz Bites come in two flavors: Chocolate, and Mint Chocolate. The chocolate ones taste like chocolate and have an ever so slight hint of bitterness after you chew it, which is to be expected considering the amount of caffeine in each mint. The mint chocolate ones, in my opinion, are better than the plain chocolate ones. They pack the same kick as the chocolate ones and are the same in every way, except for the flavor. They taste a lot like those Andes Mints, and they don’t have any bitterness, as the mint masks it. While I do prefer the mint ones, I really enjoyed both of these products a lot! The chews melt in your mouth and you feel the kick right away, faster than the kick from a cup of coffee. The chews are individually wrapped and easy to open, making Buzz Bites a great product to keep handy for when you need a quick boost. Finally, Buzz Bites didn’t give me a crash, making this product one of the best I’ve come across. You can get these Buzz Mints here, and they are becoming more available as they increase distribution.
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Wired X3000: Mango Passion Fruit
Well, I got this drink on the West Coast and have never seen this in my area; the can is bright yellow and has red stripes stretching vertically along the can. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this drink, because I wasn’t sure if it was a generic drink or not as I’ve never come across it (it isn’t by the way, it’s a brand name drink) but I was pleasantly surprised by it. When I first cracked the can open, a familiar aroma over came me, this drink smells just like NOS, and so far, this drink is already doing quite well in my opinion. Wired X3000: Mango Passion Fruit also tastes a bit like NOS, a very fruity and smooth taste. The taste is a little weaker than NOS, but still very good. The color is a light yellow-orange, and the drink isn’t overly carbonated, but isn’t flat either. Another aspect of this drink that certainly isn’t flat is the kick; this drink contains a whopping 3000mg of Taurine, 188mg of Caffeine, 100mg of Inositol and lots of Vitamin B, putting this drink ahead of most of it’s competitors in caffeine content. The kick stayed with me throughout the day and I didn’t crash from it. It is only available in a 16oz can, and the price was a little less than $2.00, making this drink one of the best deals I’ve come across to date.
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Pimp Juice
A few years ago, Nelly had a song called ‘Pimp Juice’ (hopefully the drink is better than the song). When it was released, many people weren’t quite sure what Pimp Juice was, but after reading this you’ll know; it’s basically Apple Juice. Pimp Juice comes in a 16oz can with a simple design of silver and gold and contains 10% fruit juice and 162mg of caffeine per can. After reading the ingredients of Pimp Juice and getting a whiff of the apple juice like smell, I figured that the drink would just taste like apple juice. However, I was wrong. Pimp Juice has a sour apple taste to it, not a normal apple juice taste like one might expect. The drink isn’t too sour, but it will catch you off guard at first if you aren’t expecting it. The drink is a neon green, the same color as Heavy Metal, and goes down well. The interesting thing about pimp juice that I like is that there’s no carbonation at all. Thus, this drink is really more of a Juice than a soda (I guess that’s why they chose ‘Pimp Juice’ over ‘Pimp Soda’). The fact that it’s not carbonated makes this drink easier to drink in a hurry, and does make this drink stand out with Rx Energy (which also has no carbonation). Pimp Juice also delivers a decent boost of energy and contains Guarana, Taurine, and, of course, Caffeine. The boost lasts for a decent amount of time, and it doens’t result in a huge crash either. I’ve never come across this drink in stores, but I know you can buy it at Xoxide Caffeine and at the Official Site. In addition, Nelly apparently sells it at his concerts and it’s supposedly big in the Hip-hop culture. Overall, Nelly’s Pimp Juice is certainly an interesting drink. With a nice boost, decent taste, and no carbonation, this is a drink that many people will enjoy. And yes, the drink is better than the song, at least in my opinion
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Stewie’s Mind Elixir
Okay, this is the last novelty drink for now, I promise. Today we have Stewie’s Mind Elixir, an energy drink that’s based off of FOX’s Family Guy. The can shows Stewie Griffin rubbing his hands maniacally and it reads “Victory Shall Be Mine!” Like the last two novelty drinks from Xoxide, Stewie’s Mind Elixir is geared more toward fans (in this case, Family Guy fans) as it carries the pricey cost of 2.99 for an 8oz can. After opening the can, I noticed that Elixir smells a lot like Red Bull, only a little less strong. As for the actual taste of this drink, it’s fairly hard to describe, because it doesn’t really seem to have a taste. Stewie’s Mind Elixir does have an after taste though, it tastes a fair amount like Red Bull, only a tad more sour with a hint of raspberry. I’d say that this drink’s overall taste is best described as being ’slightly sour’ raspberry I guess. The kick’s not bad, with 120mg of caffeine, you can’t go wrong, but it’s still too pricey for me. The can also reads “Stupefaction Guaranteed”, probably because they’d loose a lot of money if it read “Satisfaction Guaranteed”. While I’m sure plenty of people will buy this because of it’s affiliation to Family Guy, I wouldn’t recommend buying more than one because of an unoriginal taste and high price, as tempting as it may be.
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Duff Energy Drink
Doh! Introducing Duff Energy Drink, that’s right, it’s the same Duff from the Simpsons (only this is the Energy Drink version of it, not the Beer in the show). This is the second novelty drink I’ve had and I was worried it would taste just like Power Up! (they are both made by Boston American Corp and available from Xoxide). Luckily, Duff is it’s own drink, not a generic formula with a different label. Duff looks just like the Duff in Groenig’s the Simpsons and carries both Groenig’s signature and the Simpsons logo. This clever energy drink version of Homer’s favorite beverage has an orange citrus taste to it; it smells and tastes a lot like Orange Crush. When I had this drink, it didn’t seem to be thy carbonated. However, one I had finished it, I couldn’t stop burping. Once it gets in your stomach, it seems to stet bubbling and you can’t control the burping! I’m not sure if this is intentional - Homer always burps after having Duff, maybe they do this to make it more similar to the show - or not. Duff Energy contains 120mg of caffeine (the can is 12fl oz) and isn’t any worse than the kick of name brand drinks. Duff energy tastes great, but it’s a little too carbonated for me to drink on a day to day basis, and while the 2.99 price may be worth it for Simpsons fans, it’s a little too pricey for me.
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Power Up!
Mamma Mia! As if it isn’t enough to appear in 200+ video games, Mario now has his own energy drink! Power Up! (produced by Boston America Corp) comes in a blue can with a picture of Mario and a mushroom. Power Up! is clear and smells like raspberry with a hint of a Red Bull like scent (kind of like Sweet Tarts) to it. Power Up has a fairly tart taste to it, a bit of a sour (like Nerd) raspberry taste, again with a hint of a Red Bull like taste. Power Up! costs 2.99, so it’s more of a novelty drink than a mass marketed drink, maybe something to appeal to the young gamers, but ironically the can reads, “not intended for children”. Mario’s new drink also seems a little more carbonated than other drinks, but it goes down smooth without any problems. The kick is pretty good as well, with 120mg of caffeine per can (8.4 fl oz.) this drink gets you going and you’ll be stomping Koopa Troopas and Goombas in no time! To sum things up, Power Up! is a small drink that comes with a big boost of energy. It has an interesting taste, and is a fun idea (and I expect a Luigi drink in the near future Boston America Corp). However, for 2.99 for an 8oz can, I won’t be buying too many of these in the near future.
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