Prepackaged energy comes in many forms: drinks, pills, concentrates, gels, and candy-like chews. Over the years, I have written a lot about the different energy drinks available. And, until recently, I had only tried one type of energy chew — Kick Brix. It was one of the worst taste disasters that my tongue has ever encountered. Ever.

When I was recently given a few packages of HyDrive Energy Chews to try, I was initially reluctant. The Kick Brix experience left me with a pretty mean learned-taste aversion. I didn’t want the gagging, salivating, and twitching sensations that I was left with after my last run-in with energy chews.

But, I tried the HyDrive Energy Chews anyway.

The directions instruct you to eat two chews right away, then wait an hour and eat another chew, and then wait one more hour to eat the last one in the package. I followed the directions, and to my delight, they tasted great!  I could feel the energy burst quite quickly after eating the first two chews.

I was given two different flavors of the chews – orange and berry. My favorite of the two is orange, but the berry holds its own, as well.

Recently, I have been taking a lot of long bicycle rides. On my last 50+ mile ride, I took along a package of HyDrive ECs. I ate two about fifteen minutes prior to my ride, and then the last two while I was out on the trail. For the entire trip, I had the energy I needed to keep going. In fact, I could have gone even longer if I had more time. Obviously, a can of Monster would not have sufficed on the bike, but those compact little chews packed a big punch and were easily stored in my under-saddle bag.

To sum things up: I definitely recommend HyDrive Energy Chews.

Somebody dropped off some Kick Brix energy chews for me at the radio station. Kick Brix are apparently high-energy chews that contain vitamin-B, caffeine, taurine, etc. and are designed to boost your energy without an energy drink.

The problem with Kick Brix is that they taste absolutely horrible.

* 1/10 ED Stars

This is the first energy drink that I have ever tried that is only available online. Luckily, I attend class with a distributor and offered to review the drink for him if he gave me a free sample to review. He made good on his promise, and I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed.

XS Cranberry-Grape is a caffeine-free energy drink. Don’t get yourself wrong, though, it’s not light on the energy. XS CG is loaded with a whopping 4900% DV of Vitamin B-12. There is no guarana to make you jittery, no sugar to give you a quick up followed by a quick down, and it contains zero carbs. The eight calories that are contained in XS come from free-form amino acids. XS CG also contains no aspartame to give you that “diet soda headache.”

I was absolutely impressed – and I swear to God it wasn’t because it was given to me free. I am going to buy more (probably in a different flavor for review’s sake, however.)

********* 9/10 ED Stars.

Getting to the basement of energy drinks to try out.  I stopped at Target last week and was pleased to find out that their Archer Farms brand has energy drinks!  I thought fruit punch would be the best to start with.  While it’s not terrible tasting, it does taste  like watermelon, not fruit punch.  But, at only $1.19 it is hard to argue against buying any of the Archer Farms Energry Drinks. 

Plus, you have to respect the brand that would just label their product as what it is…ENERGY DRINK.  It takes me back to the generic black & white brands of the early 80’s…where you get your white can with a black strip, white lettering that says COLA.  Man, Fuzz, we should start that brand up again!    We can just make the banner on your website say BLOG.

***** 5/10 ED Stars

With the taste the same as Rockstar Zero Carb, I wonder if this is the same product with a different label.  Whatever the case is, Rockstar Sugar Free tastes great, has no sugar and still delivers on the energy.  I am a Rockstar Fan-boy, so take these comments with that in mind…but seriously, check it out when you have $2.19 to spend on an Energy Drink!

******* 8/10 ED Stars

Do you like Mountain Dew? Then you will like Mountain Dew Amp. Pretty much the same flavor as regular Mountain Dew, just a little more citrus and a lot more “energy” stuff. Buy some today.

******** 8/10 ED Stars

Lost Energy Drink, or …Lost Energy Drink (the way it is spelled on the can), tastes a lot like the “big dog” of energy drinks, Red Bull. Of course, Red Bull only comes in a 12 oz can max, for $3+, while Lost Energy Drink is the standard $2.19 for 16oz. Tasty stuff, check it out!

******* 7/10 ED Stars

Typecasting itself as a Energy Guarana Soda, Bawls tries to stand out from the crowd of energy drinks. The taste reminds me of a cheap gas station brand cream soda with a ligther taste. Bawls is a clear soda, so perhaps they are going for a more tropical flavor, but the cream / vanilla flavor really came through for me. Maybe a little ginger ale-esque.

I don’t know if I got much of a rush, I was putting together Ikea furniture at the time, maybe I was just amped up about that.

Because of the unique flavour…I like it. Because the flavour isn’t the best ever…I rate it as follows:

***** 5/10 ED Stars

The first thing that attracted me to Red Jak Lowcarb is that the can is almost blank. The name isn’t plastered across it in graffiti or some ZANY character. Simple and designed nicely. I appreciate that.

For being a low-name/off-brand (Dr. Pepper/7up distributed) energy drink, Red Jack Lowcarb is really great. The flavor is a cherry-fruit punch-like…without all the sugary aftertaste. I believe that Fuzz has gotten me on the Low Carb Energy Drink kick! (It was his original recommendation of Monster Lo Carb that got me started).

If you can find Red Jak Lowcarb, buy a can!

******* 7/10 ED Stars

I just realized I have never reviewed Mountain Dew Amp…and here I am reviewing Mountain Dew Amp Overdrive. Bummer.

Amp is great, Overdrive is ok. The smell of Mountain Dew Amp Overdrive is similar to a cheap Shasta Cherry soda pop, thankfully the flavor is much more enjoyable than Shasta. It tastes like a regular Mountain Dew soda pop with less carbination and a mild cherry flavor. (*INTERJECTION: Try Mountain Dew Game Fuel, which has been released for a short time to coincide with the release of Halo 3, it is quite tasty!)

I wouldn’t say that I felt a rush of energy after drinking it, but I am sure I had been overcome with caffeine.

I recommend it, for the taste and easy drinkability!

******** 8/10 ED Stars

Pros: It’s only $1.09, Sugar Free, 0 Calories, 0 Carbs, rather tasty!

Cons: Not as tasty as Monster Lo-Carb

Quick facts (per 16oz can): 0 cals, 0 carbs, 120mg vit c, 4mg vitamin b6, 800mcg folic acid, 12mcg Vitamin b12, 220mg sodium.

For the price, taste, 0 calories and 0 sugar, this is an awesome find.

******* 7/10 ED Stars

I have never been a big fan of Full Throttle’s products.  From tasting like melted gummi-worms to snow-cone syrup, Coca-Cola should fire the R&D people in the Full Throttle taste department.  Upon venturing into my local EconoFoods I was excited to see some new energy drinks to review for Fuzz’s site.  I thought “a new Full Throttle product?”  I was somewhat skiddish, but willing to give Full Throttle Nature is one Bad Mother (Or is it just Full Throttle Mother, or Full Throttle Bad Mother ?) a chance.  Hey, it has to be good for you, because it’s all natural (which really means that the caffeine comes from natural sources, that’s about it). 

Here’s the quick review.  The intitial smell is similar to a Flintstones Children’s Vitamin.  Fruit Punchy but something seemed off.  The first taste was gross.  Seriously, I drink a lot of energy drinks and have had some bad ones, but I can safely say that Full Throttle Bad Mother is the worst I have ever tasted.  I had to wait a few minutes between sips just to forget how bad it was so I can stomach another tasting.  In fact, I just poured it out…I cannot even finish it.  It claims to be Acai Berry flavored.  Yeah right.  If you want some Acai Berry, try HyDrive Acai Berry. I am ready to swear off Full Throttle products all together.

Quick facts (per 16oz can): 230 calories, 0g fat, 40mg sodium, 57g carbs, 53g sugars, Vitamins E, B6, B12 and Niacin make up the rest. 

ZERO  0/10 ED Stars

While I filleted and roasted HyDrive Casaba Lime, I have to give mega-applause to HyDrive Acai Berry. The flavor is really great and I enjoyed it very much.

After my first review of HyDrive, someone from the company contacted me and suggested I try the Acai Berry or Pomegranite flavors, as they are the most popular.  I guess a little personal sales really pays off, as I would buy HyDrive’s Acai Berry again.  Of course, I wish that the bottle was bigger or the price was lower.  I really like the facts that the energy drink is water, in a clear bottle and attractive packaging, so I am giving this one a thumbs up! (Maybe HyDrive reps will supply us with a a free case of their product and then we can review the Dragonfruit and Pomegranite flavors! *wink wink* )

Quick Facts (per 11.2 oz bottle): 25 calories, 5g carbs, 5g sugars, 20mg niacin, 2mg vitamin b6, 6mcg vitamin b12, 135 mg sodium, 55mg potassium, 5.2g “energy blend” (Crystaliline fructose, caffeine, taurine, l-camitine, l-arginine).

******** 8/10 ED Stars

I just pounded down this 24oz can.  Here is what I like:

- 24oz can for the same price as all the other 16oz Energy Drinks
- Different taste.  Boo-Koo Citrus has a grapefruit-like taste which reminds me of Fresca.  It is noticable at first, but has a clean finish.  Very refreshing and different than most energry drinks

The only thing I dislike is that I have only seen it at the Econ-Food in town.  I have never seen this stuff at a gas station.  I recommend this to anyone who is bored with all of the normal energy drink flavours.

Quick facts (per 24oz can): Calories 330, Sodium 600mg, 81g carbs, 81g sugar, 3000mg Taurine, 15mg Vit B6, 15 mcgs Vitamin b12

******* 7/10 ED Stars

Although Jolt Energy Drinks are grouped with all of the other Energy Drinks…it is, in fact, Jolt Cola.  I was a little disapointed to find out that this was a basic Cherry Coke, with about 2000 times more caffeine.  I was looking for a little more syrupy goodeness out of it.  Bummer. 

The energy I got from this thing was ridiculous.  I haven’t felt a caffeine rush since I was 12…so this did it.  Of course, I got that sick-to-my-stomach feeling about 20 mins after drinking it.  Jolt Cherry Bomb delivers on the energy and product packaging (which looks like a giant battery, very clever you ad wizards!).  The label says: 22 jolts of caffeine and I would agree that it delivers.

Quick facts (per 23.5oz can): 270 cals, 75mgs sodium, 99g carbs, 99g sugar) Taurine, guarana, ginseng and vitamin B complex (although it’s not touted on the packaging, just in the nutritional facts).

****** 6/10 ED Stars

Coolah Energy – Lemon Tang is pretty tasty stuff.  I had my doubts about a lemon flavored drink, but this really hit the spot.  Not so acidic like lemonade and not too sugary.  Coolah Energy’s Lemon Tang has a nice clean finish that isn’t empty.

Quick facts (per 16 oz can): 230 cals, 75mg sodium, 60g carbs, 59g sugar.  Includes Taurine, B-vitamins, Boronia.

******** 8/10 ED Stars

Only available at Holiday filling stations, Snake Eyes brings something to the table that most other energy drinks do not.  A plain can and empty taste.  The boring solid green can with a clever type treatment with “snake eyes” included makes this energy drink stand out from the crowd.  The initial smell of Snake Eyes Energy Drink is remeniscent of Red Bull…the follow through is flat and lifeless…there is nothing there! 

I suppose, if you don’t like all of the energy drinks with a bite, maybe Snake Eyes is for you.  It’s not for me.  Although it is tastier than Sobe Essentials Pomegranite.

*** 3/10 ED Stars

You can’t miss Rip It Energy Drinks…they are only $1.09 and that stands out in any store that sells energy drinks.  Although, I think Rip It drinks are exclusively sold at BP Stations (That’s British Petroleum, btw..where are the American Petroleum stations?!?). 

Because the flavor is lime, the can is green.  The initial waft of smell is very sugary-citrus.  The first taste leaves nothing to the imagination.  It’s sugary-citrus as well.  The Lime Wrecker has the taste of a lime snowcone that a 7 -year old made…more flavoring than ice.  That being said, I enjoyed Rip It Lime Wrecker…even more because of it’s price in the world of over-inflated Energy Drink Prices.

Quick Numbers: (facts per 16oz can) 260 cals,  66g sugar, 120mg vit C, 190mg sodium, 2,000mg Taurine, 204mg Caffeine, 200mg Inositol, 16mg Guarana Seed Extract

****** 6/10 ED Stars

I picked this one up at the local IGA (along with Max Velocity). 

A few things stand out about this product.
1) The bottle is very small, like that of Nos.
2) It’s “energy drink from spring water”
3) Clear bottle.  You don’t see that on energy drinks.
4) A crazy flavor, Casaba Lime.

I didn’t know what casaba lime was until after I had tasted this and checked the website.  Thinking it was a fancy type of lime, I was disgusted when I tasted this stuff.  It did not taste like any kind of lime.  Come to find out, Casaba is a honeydew-type melon.  So, it explains the flavor, but does not forgive it. 

There are some of the fancy additives like Taurine and such in HyDrive, but not enough to advertise on the bottle.  The big draw, I suppose is that it’s water and it “replaces electrolytes” , (sound firmiliar? *GATORADE*).  Don’t believe the hype, electrolytes is a fancy word for SALT.  But saying “replaces salt” just doesn’t have that advertising silver-thread…so electrolytes, it is.

For the price, taste and amount of HyDrive you get, it’s really not worth the price if you are looking for traditional energy drinks.  It’s kinda of nasty when it gets warm…that melon flavor just does not do it for me.  Perhaps some of their other flavors.

*** 3/10 ED Stars.

I picked up Max Velocity at my local grocery store…The can is hideous red with a cheetah in a supposed motion shot.  Pretty lame. 

The first whiff of Max Velocity Energy Drink is very much like that of Red Bull.  The taste is a softer Red-Bull-like flavor with a clean finish that is almost too clean.  No bite, almost like you haven’t been drinking it.  Imagine eating a piece of cake and having the flavor leave your mouth as soon as it hits your tongue.  Kinda nice, but hey, I paid $2 for this thing, I want to taste it!

It’s got tourine and B vitamins, lots of sugar, et al.

I don’t know where anyone would find this stuff, the only website/distributor listed on the can is Albertsons…which isn’t highly visable.  Maybe they aren’t proud..but they should be, because all-in-all, it’s a lot better than some of the high end crap that passes for energy drink.

******  6/10 ED Stars

ps. The cans are getting uglier and the energy drinks are getting more obscure…Fuzz and I are reaching the bottom of the barrel for a lot of these energy drink reviews.