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.

5 Hour Energy Decaf Citrus Shot Review

I thought it was time to try 5 Hour Energy Decaf Citrus Shot after my enjoyment of 5 Hour Extra Strength. Although 5 Hour Energy gets away from the boring red shot bottle of their normal flavors, the light blue bottle of this no caffeine energy shot is just not doing it for me. It's too happy and cheery for me when I want some energy. I know that having decaf means it should be a gentler boost and wake up, but the gentle colors just don't do it for me. This bottle just bummed me out and got me thinking about what a cool energy shot bottle will look like. I heard Monster is coming out with an energy shot, and that will show 5 Hour Energy how they need to brand in the future. I appreciate the need for a decaf energy shot because many people want energy without caffeine. There are a few energy drinks without caffeine, but I believe this is the first true mainstream energy shot without it. Let's see how it performs.

Like almost every other 5 Hour Energy Shot, Decaf Citrus has a very floral flavor. It's much better than 5 Hour Energy Lemon Lime which is in the same citrus vein. I'm not a huge fan of the jasmine flavor, but it has a little lemon citrus burst that is pretty good. If they could lose the floral aspect I think it would be a pretty good shot. Other than that, it is pretty tart on the backend of the flavor and almost a little too tart with a quick blast of soapy flavor. Unlike the original Lemon Lime there is no bitterness here. So although it is not a great shot by any means, it is better than most other 5 Hour Energy Shots.

Each 2 ounce bottle of 5 Hour Energy Decaf has 4 calories, Vitamin B6, folic acid, Vitamin B12, EDTA, sucralose choline, glucuronolactone, N-acetyl-Ltyrosine, L-pheylalanine, taurine, malic acid, 6 mg of caffeine, and the enzyme blend of amylase, protease, lipase, cellulase, and lactase. I found that without the caffeine, 5 Hour Energy Decaf had the energy rush kick in a little later than most other energy shots. I also found that the rush was just not as intense. Did I still get about 4.5 hours of energy out of the bottle? Yes, but it just didn't seem as powerful as most other shots. I wanted to feel energy in every cell of my being and it seemed like that never happened. I think that this is a fine shot for those who want to avoid caffeine, but stick with the caffeinated energy shots if you want a really strong boost.