5-hour Energy

A five hour energy shot is probably most useful in the morning, at the start of your day, when you've got everything ahead of you. That's what I'm about to do now; have the 5-hour Energy before the start of a long day. In theory, it should work perfectly, since it promises hours of energy, no crash later and zero carbs. The differences between this sort of shot and a regular energy drink, I'm guessing, are that shots have less caffeine, if any, and lots more vitamins. Reading the back of this, I see that is does have many vitamins, but also a very nice, large amount of energy ingredients. Instead of plain caffeine and vitamins, I also see some hefty doses of Glucuronolacone, Taurine, Malic Acid and many amino acids. I don't want to waste time on this paragraph, so I'll get to opening it.

This plastic bottle doesn't crack open like a can, but instead has plastic to tear from the top and a plastic screw-off lid. I take care to tear only the plastic surrounding the cap, as I need the bottom of the wrapper for the third paragraph. I decide to shake it for good measure and slowly twist off the cap. I should expect an artificial berry. My first whiff is that of sharp, sour blueberry/strawberry and then a secondary smell of tons of vitamins and supplements. It surely doesn't seem as bad as many people have described it to me. It's tough to drink from this tiny opnening, but I manage and at first taste bland strawberry, followed by an intense artificial blueberry that's very, very, sour, to be honest. Knowing many people who think a plain Monster is too sour, I don't think this would suit many people's tastes. The intense sourness goes on down the throat, causing extremely sour sensations as you swallow, enough to make me cringe and then make my mouth water afterwards. Though I can tell many probably wouldn't like this drink for that reason, I find myself taking more tiny sips anyway. Halfway in, the berry mostly fades into a generic chalky flavor and some of the energy ingredients or vitamins are somewhat noticable, tasting kind of bitter and sour. Though this by far isn't the best drink I've had, and probably not the best shot I'll ever have, it is a fun experience drinking it and feeling the extreme sourness.

From an energy shot of this sort, I should probably expect hours of steady, constant energy; what I got was almost constant and steady. For an hour or so, I was still a bit tired, sleepy, and disappointed. Then, nearly 45 minutes in, I felt an insane boost, like a constant rush of energy, sending me soaring 100 miles per hour. That lasted for about an hour and then dwindled, till I was back to normal and a little focused. What I did notice is that, though this promises no crash, it does get a little scary when you do rigorous exercise because you feel slight heart palpitations; something no energy drink enthusiast wants to feel. I suppose if you're going to have a 5 Hour Energy, make sure work you do is moderate.

So, looking at energy ingredients, this little bottle contains a cocktail of lots of interesting supplements, vitamins and amino acids. For vitamins, I see Niacin (150%), B6 (2000%), Folic Acid (100%), and B12 (8333%). For energy supplements, there's a hefty 1870mg of Citicoline, Glucuronolactone, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, L-Phenylalanine, Taurine, Malic Acid, Caffeine. Citicoline is something I haven't seen before, but search online doesn't yield much useful information. All I can deduce is that it's something naturally present in the body that has to do with energy levels. And as for N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, apparently, it's a precursor for chemicals such as dopamine and norepinephrine, chemicals that are related to the fight of flight response, motor activity, and mood. Speaking of mood, after this, I noticed my mood really elevated where I was hyper and ecstatic. I had little faith in the 5-Hour Energy, but I was surprised and delighted with its effects.

Taste: 5.2 - Tastes bad, but is fun to drink, I have to admit
Kick: 8.7 - Amazing burst of high-octane energy, though seemingly short
Overall: 8.2 - I'm not crazy about having another one of these, but it was a fun ride

Reviewed by: Jeff