Jolt Blue

After breakfast burritos in the morning, I'm feeling like a pick-me-up that can really get me going. I'm hoping the Jolt Blue is just the right choice. The flavor I'm guessing is going to be blue raspberry, which should be very invigorating along with the huge amount of caffeine in here. Jolt's can design is pretty sweet, giving you a sensation of energy and power. I especially like the fierce lightning going through the top section and the vertical JOLT. I need the energy today to hike and do some work around the campsite.

Good thing I chilled this all yesterday and overnight in the cooler. Popping it open, the only thing I smell at first is faint tartness and nothing else. As the liquid falls into this here styrofoam cup, I'm a little bit surprised by the color, which is blue, but lighter than I expected. It's closer to blue cotton candy than blue raspberry candy, looking like pure cerulean or #3faedc inside a white cup. On the back of the can, Blue 1 is listed in the ingredients, giving it that sky blue. On taste, this drink really performs. One sip of it and you're hooked on that tangy, fruity berry flavor. The tang comes at the end, from Citric Acid and the fine carbonation, which stings a little, but works very well. Then, the aftertaste is like fruity raspberry bubble gum. The sweetness is crisp, but not too crisp because this drink utilizes Sugar and HFCS, together. What I notice near the end of the can is that there is gumminess, but it's very mild and goes away very easily. I'm very surprised because I was thinking a drink with 32g of sugar would be very gummy. Good job on a fruity raspberry drink by Jolt.

Ingredients like Jolt's are not what I'm used to seeing. I mentioned how Jolt uses Sugar and HFCS already. After water and the sweeteners, there's Citric Acid that gave the drink its tartness and then Sodium Benzoate that is said to preserve the drink. Sodium Citrate also sounds like something sour and next are Natural and Artificial Flavors. Finally, the energy ingredients begin to appear, starting with Caffeine. Then, I see and odd ingredient I've seen a few times before. I'm not sure, but maybe Glycerol Ester of Wood Rosin has something to do with the lack of gumminess in the drink. It sounds like a waxy substance and I do notice a sort of waxy something surrounding my teeth. The rest of the list goes like this: Blue 1, Taurine, Guarana, Ginseng, and Vitamin B Complex. It's kind of sad to see that the coloring comes before the majority of energy ingredients. That tells you right there that the Jolt is weak on all the energy ingredients we're used to seeing except Caffeine. That's not so great because many people already have a Caffeine tolerance and would'nt feel the kick they would get from the other energy ingredients. Also, another thing that worries me is the sugar content. 32g is quite a lot of sugar for one serving of energy drink. Compare 32g to Monster's 27 and Amp's 29. I think it's too much and that Jolt didn't have to dump in so much sugar. They could've done other things like reduced the carbonation and used pure sugar, not HFCS. On taste, this thing excels, but it drives me away with its ingredients.

Taste: 8.5 - Addictingly fruity blue raspberry
Kick: 7.5 - Caffeine-strong, weak in all other areas
Overall: 7.5 - Tasty, but the ingredients scare me a bit

Reviewed by: Jeff