hypertension

High Blood Pressure: What it Means to You

According to WebMD, high blood pressure (or hypertension) affects 1 in 4 American adults, making it one of the most prevalent conditions in the country. Despite its prevalence, many people don’t fully understand the risks of living with high blood pressure or what to do about it.

The first thing to understand about high blood pressure is that it’s a serious condition. While it is possible to live with high blood pressure for many years without any negative effects, untreated hypertension can have very significant consequences. High blood pressure, if left unaddressed, can lead to heart and kidney disease, stroke, and artherosclerosis, all of which can be debilitating or fatal.

Now that you understand the seriousness of the situation, you may be asking yourself, “What can I do?” The first step in being proactive is to have your blood pressure checked by a health professional. This should be done once a year, and is usually included in all visits to a doctor’s office. By having it checked frequently, you will be able to see trends as they develop and before it may be too late.

One of the greatest risk factors (as well as one of the best tools to prevent or improve high blood pressure) for hypertension is the diet. The high-fat, high-sodium diets common in America contribute greatly to the high prevalence of hypertension. By reducing your salt intake and increasing the number of fresh fruits and vegetables that you consume, you’ll take an important step in the fight against high blood pressure. If you are diagnosed with hypertension, the DASH diet may be prescribed—this diet focuses on reducing one’s intake of salt, cholesterol, saturated fat, and red meat, replacing them with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Exercise is also paramount in reducing the likelihood of hypertension-related problems. By exercising 30-60 minutes a day, you can greatly decrease your risk of having high blood pressure and suffering negative consequences. Exercise doesn’t have to be intense to be effective—even brisk walking can be very beneficial. Increasing your weekly amount of exercise will also encourage weight loss, another important facet of high blood pressure prevention.

High blood pressure is both common and serious, but by becoming informed and proactive, you’ll be a step ahead of the game. By having your blood pressure checked regularly, focusing on improving your diet, and increasing your daily exercise, you’ll be well on your way to reducing your blood pressure and living a healthier, happier life.

El Sol No Azucar Pura Energia Review

Benjamin hooked me up with El Sol and now hooks me up again with El Sol Sugar Free Energy Drink from Lotte. This is another drink that tries for a Spanish speaking audience with its name, the language (sans azucar) and soccer theme. The can is pretty similar to the original but trades the bright blue for a silver background. They aren't going to win any awards with this can, but it does stick with their theme. Silver, white, and baby blue seem to be the popular choices for these sugar free energy drinks and few companies branch out in a different direction. I guess you have to stay with what works.

El Sol Sugar Free does not stand up to the flavor of the sugar full version. Now I'm not saying that the original El Sol Energy Drink was great, but it is a much stronger entrant than this beverage. El Sol Sugar Free has a very strange flavor that mixes a sweet apple honey with artificial aftertaste. After that you experience some very salient vitamin bitterness with some wheat bran flavor. It's also much too sweet and leaves a strange flavor in your mouth, that I would describe as mildly unpleasant. I would not drink El Sol Sugar Free Energy Drink if other drinks were available for purchase.

I wish El Sol Sugar Free had given me more of a boost, but it failed to live up to being a true energy drink. I got only a really minor boost from the drink and it barely woke me up. I gave El Sol Sugar Free a pretty standard test drinking it about 30 minutes after I woke up to see if it would rush me back to mental alertness. It just did not cut it in the test as I still had cobwebs of drowsiness in my head 30 minutes later. You can expect 2 hours of modest energy from the drink, but nothing more than that. The beverage is sugar free with only 2 calories. The basic ingredient list reveals why the boost was so weak with only taurine, citric acid, guarana, Vitamin C, inositol, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, and B Vitamins.

Die Hard Berry Sports Energy Drink Review

It's time to finish off the Die Hard line of Energy Drinks with Die Hard Berry. Die Hard is the non-carbonated sports energy drink line up from Leading Brands. They created Die Hard to replace their old drink lineup for Trek Nitro and I have to say that Die Hard is the superior product. In my reviews of the Lemon, Orange, and Punch flavors I have really enjoyed the trinity of characteristics: packaging, flavor, and boost. Die Hard provides a compelling offering for the sports enthusiast who wants a solid boost before, during, or after their workout. The berry flavor completes the Die Hard offering and gives a good variety of flavors to choose from, so let's see how the flavor stacks up.

I am falling in love with Die Hard Berry's flavor. It's been awhile since I have had a great tasting berry energy drink and Die Hard Berry fits the bill. I would put the taste right up there with Punch as the best Die Hard flavor. I will give Die Hard Berry a slight edge for while I like both punch and berry, the berry seems a big lighter for a quenching sports energy drink. The flavor is a light blue raspberry that has a gentle sweetness. It goes down very cleanly with no aftertaste at all and just a minor hint of berry tartness. The flavor is one of the best blue raspberry expressions I have seen since it is so light and free of superfluous flavors. The end result is a drink that is quite thirst quenching; Leading Brands did a great job with this flavor of Die Hard.

The energy drink ingredients in Die Hard Berry are the same at the other flavors of Die Hard. This is a drink that is great for your workout needs. It's not going to make you go bonkers with energy and get crazy jittery, but gives you a strong boost that results in plenty of stamina. I think the title of Sports Energy Drink is apt for Die Hard. It's really an excellent drink for producing a strong boost without a huge energy spike or buzz. If that sounds good to you than definitely get yourself some Die Hard. I know I'll be stocking up.

Drink Vegas Energy Drink Review

I am not going to give you any jokes for Drink Vegas Energy Drink. I feel like with all the Vegas based Energy Drinks on the market I don't need to do the clichés, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." However, Drink Vegas Energy Drink changes the slogan a bit saying, "What happens in Vegas doesn't have to stay in Vegas. Take some home!" That is one of the worst slogans I have ever seen on an energy drink. Drink Vegas is made by Phoenix Global Group who also makes Pink (which I have been trying to find forever). Joining the crowded Vegas Energy Drink field of King888 and Vegas Fuel, Drink Vegas Energy Drink is the only one to come in an 8 ounce can. I guess Las Vegas can have a lot of namesake drinks since it is the energy drink capital of the world although Miami gives it a serious run for the money.

Drink Vegas comes out of the can with a light blue color. It is not what I was expecting since I thought it would be a Red Bull Clone. The flavor is a mix of Red Bull with a blue raspberry energy drink. It keeps the gumminess and heavy white grape flavor from the Red Bull clone category, but then also overlays a better blue raspberry on top of that. The blue raspberry is very subtle and has the effect of really pulling out a grape flavor on top of everything. It's weird to be drinking a blue beverage and thinking grape. It's dully tart, but seems to be lacking some sharp tartness. Combine that with some syrupy thickness that lacks some high sugar notes and the taste seems to bog down and become a little boring. It's a drink that should be better than it is, but just doesn't live up to the promise of excitement that I associate with Vegas.

Drink Vegas was all show and no substance on taste and performs similarly on flavor. Clocking in at 110 calories with 26 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein I thought this baby might live up to the party style of Vegas. I was wrong though. The drink only has 1000 mg of taurine, 48 mg of caffeine, inositol, ginseng, HFCS, citric acid, and B Vitamins. That is just not enough for a good boost! I got maybe 2 hours of energy from the drink and it kicked in slower than almost every other energy drink I have had. I am being generous with the 2 hours, this is really a disappointment on kick and flavor. If Drink Vegas was the only energy drink with the Vegas theme then maybe I would recommend it, but with so many other quality Vegas products stay clear of it.

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Pro Player Energy Drink Endurance Formula Review

Pro Player Energy Drink was the first poker themed energy drink to hit the market. It was out well before All In Energy Drink, but I had never seen it until a buddy mailed it to me. From my research I believe Pro Player comes in several varieties, but the one I am reviewing today is Pro Player Endurance Energy Drink. Pro Player is "scientifically developed to help poker players maintain focus, endurance and mental acuity." The company markets the product with the unoriginal slogan, "Play to win," and uses world class poker player Phil Hellmuth as the product sponsor. I do like the look of the 16 ounce can, although I prefer the dark black look of All In Energy Drink better. Let's find out which drink is truly the king of the poker energy drinks.

Pro Player Endurance Formula is lightly carbonated, but not very flavorful. Sadly the beverage has the gumminess that you see in classic energy drink flavors, although the flavor profile is different from a Red Bull Clone. Pro Player has a light orange citrus flavor with a little lime burst at the end. Unfortunately it does have a medium vitamin aftertaste that combines with the gumminess to make it kind of unpleasant. Pro Player Endurance Formula could benefit from a stronger, more nuanced flavor and more carbonation. I wouldn't say it's a bad drink, but it is below average.

I will say that Pro Player Endurance Formula does give a pretty good boost. For a 16 ounce drink I found that the energy rush was more than solid with a great burst of stamina and a quick rush of mental energy. I felt that the drink boosted both my alertness and endurance. I think the main downside to Pro Player Endurance is that it had me bouncing off the walls and acting jittery and agitated. I'm not much of a poker player to begin with so maybe the extra jitters and excitement will make me harder to read, but I have to imagine true players will be bothered by the jitters and jumpiness. The drink has 240 calories and 58 grams of sugar with a pretty good mix of ingredients including: sucrose, dextrose, citric acid, 2000 taurine, choline, malic acid, l-carnitine, gingko, green tea, caffeine, gum Arabic, and B Vitamins. In comparing Pro Player Endurance Formula to All In Energy Drinks I would give the All In line the edge on flavor and Pro Player the edge on raw energy boost. However, if you take into account jitters I think the All In Energy Drink represents a better offering for the die hard poker player.

Peptime Island Lemon Lime Energy Shot Review

I am back with another Peptime Energy Shot to try, this time the Island Lemon Lime flavor. Peptime has not been my favorite energy shot, but I will say that I have been using shots more and more. I just drink them on the go. Sure you have a brief moment of pain from the less than stellar flavor, but then it's in your system doing it's work to wake you up and get you going. Peptime as a brand is about average so far and I am interested to see how the lemon lime version goes. Luckily this is Island Lemon Lime, because we all know that the islands produce the best tasting fruit flavors. HAHAHA!

Usually the lemon lime versions of the shots are the worst because they are too tart. But for Peptime it is the best of the lot. I would still put it a notch below On Go and 6 Hour, but this is a decent energy shot that you can consume without much pain. The flavor starts with a quick blast of lime tartness. Then your brain kicks on and the flavor starts to spread and before you know it bitterness has washed across your tongue. It's not unbearable, but is definitely present. After that a little flat lemonade flavor hits your tongue. It's pretty marginal as far as taste goes, but that still gives Peptime Island Lemon Lime enough to beat out several other brands of energy shots.

Peptime has been solid on the energy rush. It's not an elite shot in terms of a boost, but it does get the job done. I found Lemon Lime to fit the same mold as the other Peptimes. Decent energy for about 4 hours that doesn't kick in quite as fast as other shots, but nothing out of this world. Peptime does merge a good lemon lime flavor with decent energy though and that is enough for some. The ingredients are: caffeine (200 mg), B Vitamins, taurine, glucuronolactone, caffeine, glycerine, malic acid, citric acid, and EDTA. Would I drink Peptime Island Lemon Lime again… definitely, but it's not going to be the first shot I reach for when I need some extreme energy in a small bottle.

Trek Energy Drink Nitro Red Berry Review

With my consumption of Trek Red Berry Energy Drink I have now had 11 flavors of drinks from Leading Brands. This includes drinks from Stoked, Die Hard, and Trek Energy Drink lines. I am sad to say that Trek Red Berry is the first bad energy drink I have had from Leading Brands. The good news is that Leading Brands has stopped making Trek. While the flavor of Trek Nitro Red Berry is bad, I still do like the unique packaging concept with the loop cap to easily allow you to clip the bottle to you bag and the plastic packaging which means the drink won't get banged up as you travel. I recently had a canned energy drink leak in my bag and let me tell you that is a pain to clean up. Trek's packaging solves that problem and makes it a great energy drink for the outdoor lifestyle.

As I mentioned, Trek Nitro Red Berry Energy Drink is a big downgrade from the blue flavor of Trek. The Red Berry flavor expresses itself as a strawberry shortcake flavor. It's a very simple flavor that is very familiar. The big problem with it, is that it has too much upfront sweetness. I feel like some could get past the sweetness, but the other major problem that I can't look past is the edges of artificial flavor that taste like plastic. It's like eating strawberry shortcake and plastic at the same time and that is not pleasant at all.

One thing I dislike about Trek Nitro Red Berry is that it is a calorie overload with 290 calories and 70 grams of sugar. Once you get past that you get about 3.5 to 4 hours of energy from the drink. It kicks in at a decent speed, but never puts you on a super high plateau of energy. I think that is because Trek Nitro Energy Drink is designed for the traveler and you don't want to be bouncing all over the place when in foreign lands. You might end up committing a cultural faux paus or falling into a ravine if you are not in complete control. The ingredients responsible for your controlled boost are HFCS, sucrose, citric acid, taurine, glucuronolactone, caffeine, inositol, and B Vitamins. There's still one more flavor of Trek Nitro to try, grape. So I will be interested to see if it's a good one like Blue Raspberry or a bad one like Red Berry.

Hooah! Fruit Punch Energy Drink Review

Hooah Soldier Fuel Fruit Punch is the marine energy drink of choice. Okay I don't know if that is true, but I do know that Hooah is the marine battle cry and I have been watching Generation Kill on HBO so I am ready to try the other flavor of Hooah after trying Lemon Lime several months ago. I have to say that after watching Generation Kill I have even greater respect for the marines. Those guys are tough as nails, go into nasty situations, and still keep a great attitude about things. If Hooah Energy Drink can help me keep that kind of an outlook on life than it will be money well spent.

Hooah Fruit Punch Energy Drink is a non-carbonated beverage just like the lemon lime flavor of Hooah. The flavor is almost instantly recognizable as a slightly thinner version of Hawaiian Punch. The punch flavor comes across not as a tropical mix, but as a melding of lots of cherry with minimal orange, grape, and pineapple. This is a drink that has a very rich finish to it and a thick nature. It's a solid flavor, although not spectacular.

Hooah Energy Drink's main premise is to give long-term energy with no spike and no crash. It performed as promised with no spike and no crash, but didn't really give me a boost either. I think Hooah just needs to stop calling itself an energy drink. What this drink really is, is a long-term calorie replacement drink. In a calorie replacement drink you want to make sure you don't get jittery or a massive sugar rush that elevates your blood sugars and then turns to fat. What you want is something that slowly keeps your blood sugars stable and therefore keeps you humming at maximum efficiency. I believe that Hooah does that through its patented formula of maltodextrin, dextrose, fructose, citric acid, Vitamin C, and sucralose. Hooah Fruit Punch has 160 calories, and 41 carbs, but the interesting thing is that of those carbs only 12 grams are sugar which prevents the spike and crash. I can see how having that stable supply of energy calories would be important and think Hooah stands up fine on that front.

Everlast Latino Explosion Tropical Energy Drink Review

Everlast Latino Explosion Tropical is another Energy Drink sent in by my friend Ben. I first had Everlast Energy Drink three years ago when I started doing reviews. At the time I was not at all impressed with Everlast, expecting much more from this famous athletic company. Boy was I surprised to find that they made another flavor of energy drink. Everlast Explosion Tropical maybe the most targeted of any drink at a Hispanic Audience. The 8 ounce can is quite colorful in contrast to the classic Everlast Energy Drink. This is not what I would have expected from them and I am intrigued to see what flavors of tropical explode from the beverage.

Everlast Latino has a bright ruby red color. I expected very little from this drink, but it is a great tasting sour tropical punch. You start with a sour orange and then some sweet cherry and pineapple rush your taste buds. There's some strong carbonation and medium sourness throughout that gives a nice blast of flavor in your mouth. Everlast Latino has a nice level of sweetness that is surprising considering the corn syrup source. The end result is a great blend of sweet, sour, and fruit that just flat out works.

Everlast Latino Explosion Tropical didn't give me a great boost however. The small 8 ounce can produced only 2.5 hours of energy with some crazy jitters. The boost is fairly superficial and isn't going to satisfy hardcore energy fanatics. Each can has 140 calories, 33 grams sugar, HFCS, citric acid, taurine, glucuronolactone, caffeine, inositol, gum acacia, ester gum, B Vitamins, and Vitamin A. Drink Everlast Latino for flavor not for the boost.

Wild Buzz Energy Drink Review

I have been sitting on Wild Buzz Energy Drink for a long time. I just never had the time to write a review for it since the can is so boring. I don't know why the company bothered with such a half-ass logo, but they did and as a result I found it and must review it. Wild Buzz's can not only looks bad, but seems to be very flimsy like it could fall apart just in my grip. I have never tried smashing a 16 ounce can against my forehead, but I'm pretty sure if I do it with Wild Buzz it'll crumple like tin foil.

Based on the can, it's no surprise that Wild Buzz Energy Drink is a Red Bull clone. However, it is not a bad one. I would say that it beats out many of the followers who want to share in Red Bull's piece of the premium energy drink pie. Basically Wild Buzz comes across as a mild version of the classic gummy apple flavor. Everything seems more mild with this caramel colored drink. There's not much gumminess to it, no bitterness and very little sour except for some that comes through on the aftertaste. I would rank it at the top of the clone list, but it's definitely in the top 50% of all Red Bull Clones based on taste.

Wild Buzz Energy Drink doesn't give much buzz at all. In fact this may be the lowest buzz producing energy drink I have ever had. Take a look at the ingredients and you can see why. All that's in here is sucrose, glucose, taurine, sodium hexametaphosphate, caffeine, glucuronolactone, B Vitamins, and inositol. That is so weak. These guys just mailed in it with their taste, packaging and ingredients. Compare Wild Buzz to unique boot strapped energy drink products like Mana, Slumpbuster, and Slap and you just shake your head.

Helix Orange Energy Drink Review

When I grabbed Helix Energy Drink I knew it had been a long time since I last had a powdered energy drink, but since I was flying down to LA for a long-road trip I decided it was the perfect occasion to try a new one. I packed Helix Orange Energy Drink in my bag and took it with me. Then I got up at 4 AM the next morning, ripped open the foil packet, mixed it with water and downed the energy drink. These powdered energy drinks are great for travel and I like that Helix has a good look packaging that is functional.

Helix is probably the best energy powder I have had. The orange flavor which is the only one I have tastes great. It's a pure orange with the perfect amount of strength behind the fruit flavor. The taste is clear and pure which is a very important part when drinking a powder. What also distinguishes Helix is that it mixes very well with water. Some powders I have had to shake forever, but Helix dissolved with a couple of vigorous shakes. As I said I liked the orange flavor, which mixes with a great sweetness that has no aftertaste. The flavor has the faintest bit of tartness which helps the sweetness along and produces a very refreshing beverage. If you want the absolute true test for a powdered energy drink's taste than you do drink what I call "Keeping It Honest." Later I took another pack of Helix and mixed it with a 16 ounce bottle of Honest Tea Unsweetened Green Tea. Now normally this stuff is pretty hard to take since it's a bitter tea with no sweetness. In the past I have mixed it with other energy powders and witnessed their flavors get muddled down and messed up by the tea. When I tried this with Helix, it came through with flying colors with its bright orange flavor maintaining its strength and clarity even in the face of the heavy green tea. Helix has won me over.

Helix has a solid list of ingredients inside the powder. There's citric acid, taurine, Vitamin C, caffeine, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, glucuronolactone, l-carnitine, magnesium, ginseng, and B Vitamins. Considering that this is a 10 calorie, 0 sugar beverage you get a nice burst of energy. I had no problem waking up after drinking Helix before my long drive. Like I said, I woke up at 4 AM so I was really tired, but within about 20 minutes I was wide away and feeling great. As I drove I could feel my alertness increasing as my eyes scanned the highway up ahead. I felt like the ginseng backbone of the drink worked well giving my body endurance and dropping all fatigue. I enjoyed Helix Orange and look forward to seeing what other flavors the company will put out in the future.

Blue Ox Orange Rush Energy Drink Review

I have waited to try Blue Ox Energy Drink forever. Blue Ox was one of the original energy drinks, but after being sued by Red Bull they changed their name to Blox. In the process I believe they lost their soul and ever since then the brand has been a far cry from what it once was. Personally I don't think Blue Ox is a trademark infringement on Red Bull, but I have never been a lawyer. Well a loyal reader sent me a can of Blue Ox Orange Rush Energy Drink, which was later changed to Blox Orange Rush. Blue Ox Orange Rush was called it a boost drink since it was designed to boost alertness of body and mind. The drink is several years old and has an expired date on it, but that isn't going to stop me from trying this energy drink relic.

Blue Ox Orange Rush has a very mild orange soda flavor that lacks the strong carbonation and citric bite of most orange sodas. In place is a minty flavor that emerges with the orange. I know orange and mint are a classic pairing, but they don't make a good flavor combination in an energy drink. Blue Ox Orange Rush is pretty darn sweet with a syrupy pineapple secondary characteristic that comes in after the mint. This flavor of Blue Ox has a thin consistency with a mineral water aspect to the body and flavor. In the grand scheme of energy drinks it is below average on flavor for an orange flavored beverage.

Each can of Blue Ox Orange Rush contains 206 calories and 46 grams sugar. The energy buzz did not wow me all. Blue Ox clearly put some thought into the ingredients, but they just never hit home to deliver a real bang of energy. I felt like I got a whimpering 2 hours of energy that was mostly getting my body accelerated without any mental boost. The ingredients responsible are Vitamin E, Vitamin C, B Vitamins, calcium, magnesium, taurine 1904 mg, l-glutamine, caffeine at 152, inositol, corn syrup, citric acid, dextrose, gum Arabic, ester of wood rosin, sucroseacetateisobutyrate, and beta carotene. Thus, Blue Ox Orange Rush fails in its ability as a boost energy drink, but I guess that's okay since it is virtually impossible to find anymore.

FRS Lemon Lime Energy Drink Review

Free Radical Scavenger is back with FRS Lemon Lime. This flavor was sent in by my buddy Ben and I odn't know if I should thank him for sending me a new FRS. Normally I am very effusive with praise for those sending me new drinks to try, but FRS has been a thorn in my side since my review of the Orange flavor. FRS Orange was one of the worst drinks I have ever had and now I will be forced to try the lemon lime flavor. Still I always welcome a challenge and therefore must thank Ben for this drink. The premise behind FRS is that by packing an energy drink full of antioxidants it will scavenge your body fro free radical molecules and then protect your cells from damage. It's a good concept although it does mean you have to drink one of these FRS Energy Drinks daily. I have also heard that FRS has redone their cans with new packaging, but I still like the clean white look of this one and the green of lemon lime is the best I have seen yet.

FRS Lemon Lime has a thick milky lime greenish yellow in color that looks like mucus. Please do not look at the liquid and just drink it straight from the can. You will thank me if you listen to that advice. I will say that FRS Lemon Lime is the best of the FRS line up I have had by a mile. It's almost a drink you can enjoy. Almost. The FRS Lemon Lime tastes a little too watered down on fruit flavor with a too much sugar layered on top. The lemon-lime mix comes in on the edges and is too light to really be enjoyed or to impart much flavor. There's a twinge of a grapefruit bitterness and some wheat like chaff that doesn't mesh with the flavor. If this was a little stronger in flavor with a little less sugar and a better consistency we would have a decent drink. I also found fewer particles floating in it than I did in other versions of FRS which is always a plus. Keep trying FRS you have almost developed something worth drinking.

FRS Lemon Lime is supposed to give you energy, but barely registers on my radar. I honestly felt little more than a finger twitch from this drink. I'd put it on par with a Pepsi for how it could wake you up, but that's not saying much. Now I know it's really more of a health drink with its scavenging properties than an energy drink, but the can and presence of green tea and 48 mg caffeine put it in the energy drink category for me. The ingredients are less than impressive with 130 calories, 29 grams of sugar, 2 grams of fiber, organic evaporated cane juice, white grape juice, inulin, quercetin, citric acid, Vitamin C, gum arabic, locust bean gum, green tea extract, Vitamin E, caffeine, and B Vitamins. When you first see FRS you think all natural healthy drink, but then you see plenty of filler ingredients inside with the gums and grape juice. The can does say that FRS has the same number of antioxidants as 3 servings of blueberries. I'll take the blueberries any day and stay clear of any more Free Radical Scavenger Drinks for awhile.

Buzzed Energy Drink Review

I heard about Buzzed Energy Drink several months ago, but I finally was able to get my hands on it. Buzzed Energy comes in a 16 ounce can and has a decent, but somewhat boring design to it. The name is what you would expect in an energy drink, but really doesn't show much originality or thought. The question is what will Buzzed Energy Drink taste like. Based on the can I'm thinking an electric lemon type taste or something that will really shock me with its citrus flavor. I wish there was more to say about Buzzed based on its packaging, but it's just not that interesting!

Buzzed Energy Drink is a total complete Red Bull Clone. That aspect to the drink hits you throughout the full 16 ounce can. You start off with an overly sweet gumminess up front. Then you start to detect a tutti fruitti flavor overlaid on a white grape backdrop. Throw in some mild sourness on the backend and your fate as a "clone" is sealed. I wouldn't even say that Buzzed Energy Drink is a good "clone" since it is way too sweet compared to others, tasting like corn syrup dissolved in water. The one positive thing I will say is that it is less bitter than the competition. I would never drink Buzzed Energy Drink over a Monster or Rockstar based on flavor.

Buzzed did produce a very solid energy buzz. I would put it on par with its 16 ounce peer group in giving a kick that lasts for about 3 hours with a nice peak level of energy. This is a kick in the pants that will get you woken up and moving. Buzzed Energy Drink accomplishes this through the use of HFCS, dextrose, citric acid, taurine, carnitine, caffeine, Vitamin C, B Vitamin, sucralose, glucuronolactone, inositol, guarana, and maltodextrin. If you like your energy drinks sweeter than most on the market, Buzzed Energy Drink is worth testing out.

Cutting Edge Diamond Energy Drink Review

I want to give JD a big shout out for sending me Cutting Edge Diamond Energy Drink, a beverage I had never heard of. I was excited to try Cutting Edge Diamond because it comes in the humongous 32 ounce energy drink can. This thing is a beast and I always am amazed when I see people buying the 32 ouncers and then drinking the whole things. Sometimes it takes me over an hour to finish one of these big suckers. Cutting Edge Diamond comes in an attractive can and is produced by Monarch Beverages. Other than that I know very little about Cutting Edge except that it also comes in a Laser flavor which I will review soon.

I can barely fit my hand around Cutting Edge Diamond Energy Drink, but when I take a chug from the monster can I instantly taste a Red Bull Clone. As the bright yellow liquid dribbles down my chin I know I have tasted a similar flavor before and it is Roaring Lion Energy Drink. The version of the Red Bull Clone is very strange and unique. It starts with a thick lower apple base and then overlays some subtle notes of cinnamon on top with a mild spiciness. The flavor is mild overall with faint aspects of orange and some tartness throughout. There's nothing really to get excited about with the flavor, since it's an ultra-sweet Red Bull clone with some different flavor nuances.

I drank the full 32 ounces of Cutting Edge Diamond Energy Drink and was definitely regretting it. First, drinking that much carbonation never sits well in your stomach. Second, I had just consumed 400 calories and 104 grams of sugar. Now that is definitely not healthy. I got a pretty sick buzz from the drink, but that's to be expected since it's like drinking two normal size 16 ounce Red Bulls. I would say the buzz might exceed two 16 ounce Red Bulls by a little bit, but isn't truly exceptional. I was completely shaking with jitters and was on a massive sugar rush for about 2.5 hours after drinking Cutting Edge Laser. After that I experienced a major crash and was completely exhausted from the end of my energy spike. The ingredients that powered this spike were sucrose, glucose, citric acid, taurine, glucuronolactone, Vitamin C, caffeine, inositol, choline, B Vitamins and EDTA. My advice is that if you drink Cutting Edge Diamond be ready for a major boost of energy, but be close to a bed for the wicked crash.