Ol' Glory

I was feeling pretty patriotic today, and decided to yank this one out of my fridge, the Ol' Glory. It's an all-American drink, with red, white, and blue and the nation's mascot, the Bald Eagle. I like the design because it's simple and patriotic. On the side there's even the Pledge of Allegiance. I would recite it out loud, but I already did this morning. This should be a great test to see whether an American energy drink can stand up to the competition. At first glance, the ingredients seem strong, but I didn't notice the amounts. Taurine: 250mg per serving. That's mighty weak if you ask me. Caffeine: 50mg. So is that. I'm willing to bet that this won't stand up very well to the other drinks in the kick category, but hopefully the taste can make up for it. I'm going to dive right in, forgetting about the energy ingredients for now.

The can popped open with a lot of fizz, something I'd rather not see in an energy drink. I hope this doesn't mean it's heavily carbonated. The color is close to amber, but yellow, not gold, and with a foamy head. Mmm... I like the taste, though it is unmistakably artificial. It reminds me of some kind of chewy candies, but fortunately, it's not too sweet. I'd say the most prominent flavor is a fake pineapple mixed with apple. And there may be some orange in the background, though I'd like to think it was not there. The sweetness is spot on, supporting the flavors well but not being in-your-face sweet. At the first few sips, the gumminess is already accumulating, but I can tell it's not going to be as big of a problem as it is in many other drinks. It's easy going down, since there's not an excess of carbonation. Most of it bubbles away before I sip it or just causes that tongue-tingling sensation. None of it makes it down your throat, which I really like. This makes me wonder just how drinks are carbonated and how a great type of carbonation like this is achieved. After a few cup-fulls, I'm getting that dreaded feeling of acid eating away at your teeth. It definitely bugs me; I can't stand that kind of punishment to your teeth. I'll make sure to brush later. Only after a while does the taste get real addicting and tasty. I think it's like that with most drinks. I have to "warm up" to a drink.

I was betting I wouldn't feel much from the drink, and I reckon I was right. There's only 500mg of Taurine in the drink, and no more than 100mg of any other energy-giving ingredient. I'm only experiencing a little boost, I suppose from the sugar. Or maybe the ingredients are actually doing something despite their low amount, since I had taken a break from energy drinks in an effort to get them out of my system. To a person who has never had a drink high in Caffeine, Taurine, Guarana, Ginseng and Inositol recently, this might provide some kick. But it's surely no match for a Monster. I'm sorry to say it, but this American energy drink, as patriotic as it is, doesn't come close to the power of a Monster or any other popular energy drink on the market.

Taste: 6.5 - It took a while for me to warm up to this one
Kick: 4 - Low in ingredients and kick
Overall: 5 - I'd say a wanna-be energy drink

Reviewed by: Jeff