Joker Mad Energy

I was in shock when I found the Joker. You wouldn't even believe where or how I found it as well. Well, for starters, I was at Big! Lots just stocking up on some of my favorite drinks when I reached my arm way back behind the energy drinks and pulled out something, something 16 ounces and black... In awe, I stood staring at the Joker for 15 seconds, no reaction whatsoever. I managed to pull out two, one being for Jeff, and then what do you know, only .60 cents a can. I've heard so many great things about Joker and I wanted to review it as fast as I can. After being chilled overnight, I pull it out of the refrigerator and shudder glancing at the evil can design. It's basically a Joker, perhaps even a medieval Jester, just staring at you, in front of a black background. Joker has a font on the can that is supposed to look fun, as if you're at a carnival, or a circus. If I hadn't heard of Joker, I wouldn't be so excited to try it, and think that it would just be another Monster/Red Bull clone, but I know it's supposed to taste like Root Beer. What an odd energy drink flavor! Okay, well I'm just about ready to open this one up.

I quickly opened up the can to expose a Red Bull clone apple-raspberry taste. My hopes then went down. Just as I expected, an amber color pours straight out of the can of Joker. I'm actually really impressed with Joker, because instead of making a plain Red Bull clone, Joker went with a rich apple-citrus flavor, fading away with a wild berry and slight sarsaparilla. Joker is one energy drink an untrained taste wouldn't know the difference between it and a Monster, but Jeff and I, on the other hand, taste a crisp, sharp, sweet flavor; most likely due to the sucrose and glucose. That just goes to show that the sweetener can make or break a winning energy drink. That's why I believe that Joker makes the Best Taste List, because you can't beat it's crisp, natural flavor. Just like a Monster, Joker has really no aftertaste, but leaves you with a tasty root beer kind of flavor. It's also just about as carbonated as Monster, having a really small amount, as well as no apparent gumminess. Overall, Joker passed the test, in terms of taste, aftertaste, carbonation, and gumminess. Joker obviously made the Best Taste List, now let's see how well the kick is.

The Joker Mad Energy has the same exact ingredients as a Monster, in fact, it's canned at the same place as Monster. It's got carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, citric acid, natural flavors, taurine, sodium citrate, color added, ginseng, caffeine, sorbic acid, riboflavin, and maltodextrin. Per can, you get only 220 calories, slightly more than Monster, but still pretty low. Theres 27g of sugar per serving, which is 54g per can. An average amount of 2,000mg is what you get from taurine, and 5,000mg of energy blend, same as a Monster. I guess this drink is almost exactly the same as a Monster, but a slightly different taste, being sweeter and richer. I would definitely stock up on these Jokers if you see them, because it's one of the best Monster-like energy drinks around. However, unless you're an avid energy drink fan, you may think it has the same taste as a regular Monster, and I know I will probably get comments on this review such as: "Why is this on your Best Taste List?" or "It just tastes like a Monster, nothing special." But trust me, get into energy drinks, and you'll love Joker for sure.

Taste: 9.2 - A sweet, crisp multi-flavor taste that will not bore you
Kick: 8.5 - With 5,000mg of energy blend, you're in for an average kick
Overall: 9 - This one passed, for sure

Reviewed by: Chan