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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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FRS Healthy Energy
Recently I’ve seen a lot of online ads for FRS Healthy Energy, including the one on CaffeineGuru. With all of their marketing appearing suddenly, I’ve decided to check it out. FRS is currently offering a free trial (+S&H), so you can try their products for a few dollars (from the S&H). Their sample package arrived a few days ago, and I’ll start reviewing it soon. From what I know so far, FRS is more of an energy boost for workouts and physical activities, and less for just waking up like many other drinks out there. I also know it’s endorsed by Lance Armstrong, so I’ll be looking forward to these four products!
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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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Nerd Energy Drink
Nerd. It used to be a term to describe that one kid in high school that now makes millions from computer software, and then it became a term to describe the kid that always got pummeled by dodge balls in gym class. Now it’s an energy drink. Nerd is one of the energy drinks I received in my latest product shipment and I’m really glad I got it. Nerd Energy has a light lime green color (like Mountain Dew, but much lighter) and smells a lot like the Orange flavor of Hi-C. It also has an interesting flavor, it’s a citrus blend, and has a lemon-lime twist and a slight amount of bitterness/tartness. Nerd is not unpleasantly tart; it’s just the right amount to make the flavor interesting and good tasting. The concept of this drink is just as interesting as the flavor, Nerd energy drink aims to “Increase mental alertness, acuity and focus by increasing oxygenation and blood flow to the brain…maintain proper mental focus, memory function… and mental clarity”. Nerd energy delivers the same ingredients as it’s competitors, but in addition, contains Vinpocetine, Huperzine A, DMAE, and Ginkgo Biloba to help with memory. A medical student and an engineer researched other dinks combined the best ingredients from them to create Nerd back in the summer of 2006. Nerd delivers a good kick like other energy drinks, and does increase focus and alertness. This great drink contains 165 calories, 1500mg of taurine, 120mg of caffeine, and the memory retention ingredients, adding up to an Energy Blend of 2.64g. I was really surprised by how great Nerd is, and I’m going to get more soon! Unfortunately, Nerd is hard to come buy in most states, so you may need to check out NerdEnergy.com (currently offering free shipping 24-12oz cans for 48.00) or Xoxide Caffeine. Overall, Nerd is one of the all around best drinks I have come across, and I highly recommend this.
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Rip It Energy Fuel: Power
I have to admit, as a 99¢ drink, I didn’t expect much from Rip It. However, the drink pleasantly surprised me all together. Rip It Energy Fuel is an energy drink by National Beverage Co, and can apparently be found at Wal-Mart, but I got it at Xoxide (it cost 1.09, but the 10¢ extra was worth it to not have to go out and look for it) and has a light greenish yellow color. Rip It has a strawberry taste to it, but the taste can best be described as ‘artificial’. You can tell Rip It uses HFCS because the strawberry flavoring is a little too sweet, and leaves a fairly nasty after taste. Other than that, this drink exceeded my original expectations! A 16 oz can of Rip It Energy delivers 180mg of caffeine, 2000mg of taurine and 20mg of guarana. While the energy blend as a whole is a little lacking in variety, 180mg of caffeine puts this drink ahead of your average energy drink caffeine wise. Rip It’s carbonation is also pretty nice, it’s not too carbonated, and it’s not flat, it’s the sweet spot right in between the two. The energy was surprising, while the ingredients show it’s not much more than a caffeine injected generic soda, the energy boost was actually pretty good, long lasting and more gradual than sudden. While Rip It energy is a little lacking in taste and ingredients, if you need a quick boost and only have a dollar, Rip It Energy is worth the 99¢.
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Jolt Power Cola
For this update on Caffeine Guru, I’ve decided to try out Jolt Power Cola. It comes in a bright, shiny red can with big letters in an obnoxious font. How could anyone resist this?- their packaging screams caffeine. Jolt proudly boasts that its line of sodas (theirs some other flavors, I’ll review those later) contains “twice the caffeine of regular soda”. In reality, it packs a little more than twice. A 23.5 oz can of Jolt (pictured) contains 220mg of caffeine. Not bad! My first impression of Jolt Power Cola was that Jolt is just your average generic cola. It tastes a lot like a generic cola, a little flatter/bland than Coca-Cola or Pepsi, and a little better than the wholesale food market cola brands. So unless you’re a snobby, self-proclaimed Cola connoisseur, you’ll be fine (I do agree with Jolts saying “The Energy Drink that Actually Tastes Good.” it is tasty like I said). Jolt is also jam packed with caffeine, taurine, guarana and all the other good stuff energy drinks come with nowadays. Again, Jolt also comes in a variety of flavors, and you can check them out at the Official Site or buy them over at the caffeine friendly ThinkGeek Caffeine Department . Jolt is distinctive for its tall can with a screw on top, which is certainly a plus because it doesn’t make you have to drink it all at once and allows you to take it on the go without worrying about spilling. Most importantly Jolt certainly does it’s job caffeine wise. Its energy mix supplied me with plenty of energy (the equivalent of a little over 4 cans of Coke) without any jittering or twitching. So, if you want the taste of a soda, and the kick of a cup of coffee or two, head on over to the local store (or ThinkGeek Caffeine) and try a Jolt Power Cola.
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Rockstar PUNCHED
One of Rockstar’s newest products, Rockstar PUNCHED, well, it packs a punch. At 120mg of caffeine per 8oz, this can packs 240mg of caffeine. For $1.99 at the local Shell Gas station, this is a great buy.
Rockstar PUNCHED gives off the aroma and taste of your basic fruit punch (think Hawaiian Punch or Tahitian Treat) and its bright red color is just asking to stain your favorite dress shirt or oriental carpet. Rockstar’s basic energy mix is what gives this drink such a kick: Taurine, Ginkgo, Caffeine, Guarana and Ginseng combine to get your body and mind up and running. In addition, Rockstar PUNCHED is fairly fizzy so the carbonation factor keeps you from downing this drink quickly, you would be better off sipping this energy mix.
After downing my can of PUNCHED, I was very pleased. The energy mix got me awake and focused, without making me jittery like some drinks will. I was ready for the day ahead thanks to this new product. Because of its great taste, price and energy Rockstar PUNCHED is definitely one of the better drinks out on the market.
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