Liquid Ice

Interesting name. I'm not sure what to expect from a drink named Liquid Ice. Probably not a Monster clone. Maybe a Red Bull clone. Honestly, the only sort of flavor I might associate ice with is mint, something fresh and cool and clean. I doubt this'll be the first mint-flavored drink I find, however, since it's probably not a flavor most energy drink companies will consider. Anyway, flavor aside, this drink is labeled as a "High Performance Drink." I'm not quick to believe in taglines like this. Many times, energy drinks will use something like this to simply mean "energy drink," when they aren't high-performance at all. The only way to tell is to take a gander at the Nutritional Facts. When I see what's actually in here, I'm not surprised: 80mg is about the standard of caffeine in an 8oz can. For a can design, Liquid Ice is pretty sleek and detailed. You've got some sweet ice-looking cracks behind the name going vertically up the can. The only two good things I see about this is the fact that there's CoQ10, which I know, from the Jones energy, gives great vitality and energy, and the fact that this is sweetened with pure sucrose and dextrose. On to the opening.

Well, what other color would I have expected this to be than blue? The color is a nice saturated aqua. I got one sniff was was very surprised. It seemed unlikely, but in fact, it seems the Liquid Ice is mint-flavored, though not quite the mint you taste in toothpaste. I think there may be a little bit of licorice mixed in because it smells and tastes somewhat earthy and bitter. Though I can tell it's close to a winner, something in there completely turns me off to it, something familiar but disgusting. This is something I really don't like, and it's seriously making me cringe. It's just something I don't think pairs well with the mint; maybe lemon or orange. Something about it, maybe how artificaial it is, or the mint that comes with it, makes me reconsider taking more sips. The gumminess never becomes a problem because it's tough to chug this and the carbonation is minimal and fine. Smelling it again, maybe it's not so minty as I thought. A whole lot of that sharp, sort of spicy cinnamon smell comes in, like the stuff in potpourri. Yuck, I hate that stuff. The rest smells like dry orange peel and maybe some licorice. What could the makers have been thinking when they made this? It's very obscure and seems like it would appeal to a very small group of people. I'm never having this again, and I can't bear to finish it.

On ingredients, Liquid Ice is overall weak, with the average 1000mg of Taurine per 8oz and 80mg of Caffeine. Two other energy ingredients, Inositol (45mg) and CoQ10 (5mg) are present with four vitamins, Niacin, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, and Pantothenic Acid. That's it. It's lame compared to most drinks and very weak compared to something like a Monster. The good thing about the ingredients is that this is sweetened with Sucrose and Dextrose, which do give a crisp flavor. Too bad it's hardly noticed because the flavor is just horrible. The only other ingredients are Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, and Potassium Sorbate. In terms of kick, this drink was just okay, providing a very small mount of energy and some vitality, obviously from the CoQ10. If you remember from the Jones review, CoQ10 is an enzyme that is necessary for energy production in the body. Sadly, the measly 8oz size and weak energy ingredients don't make for a good kick at all.

Taste: 2 - Worst tasting drink I've ever had
Kick: 4 - Far below average, with just a bit of focus
Overall: 3 - I don't ever want to have this again

Reviewed by: Jeff