Monday, October 6, 2008

Jolt Ultra


Energy drinks are almost always unpredictable until you actually pop open the can and taste it for yourself. Having only tried sugar-filled Jolts, I'm a bit on edge to see how Jolt can handle a sugar free energy drink. So, if I don't find the flavor I'm looking for, there's always the long-lasting, amazing kick to follow. Jolts really do give you a jolt, with 220mg of caffeine, much more than a Monster, Red Bull, Rockstar, and even select energy shots. Because Jolts do not have a basic Monster Clone-type flavor, I have not the slightest clue what Ultra will taste like. After Monster flavors, the second most common is wild berry, so I might just go with that, berry and orange. However, noticing the lime-green and black can, I may find a flavor most similar to lemon-lime, I'm eager now to find out. Jolt has perhaps one of the coolest yet basic can designs, being about 75% black on the bottom and 25% green at the top. The green has strikes of silver lightning and 'Jolt' is slapped vertically on the can. So, eager enough to break this can open, I'll cut this off now.

The Jolt Ultra has a scent that's odd, most like lemon-lime with just a bit of wild berry essence, and that artificial sugar free scent that follows. After pouring the drink into a glass cup, I am not shocked to see a color that's just a plain and pale green, nothing really too special. Tasting it, I'm extremely disappointed, tasting a boring lemon-lime and berry flavored soda feeling, and reminding me of a lame flavored water. Taking more and more sips, I want to say now it's not gross or nasty, but I would only recommend it if you like bland and weak energy drinks. In general, the flavor is primarily lemon-lime, hardly any berry, and fades away fast, probably less than a second in the mouth. It reminds me a lot of Sprite, with about 500 times less flavor and less potent. In order to enjoy this drink to the max, I may decide to chug it, despite the amount of carbonation. After finding it hard to drink, I can't say I want to finish the can, for it virtually has no flavor, and just tastes like carbonated water. It's very lightly carbonated, allowing a smooth feeling going down the throat, although it seems heavily carbonated taking small sips. Like most other sugar free energy drinks, there's little to no gumminess. Overall, I can't say Jolt Ultra was nasty, but it will get a low rating because I found it hard to drink with no flavor added into it.

On ingredients, Jolt Ultra contains ingredients that are mostly similar to it's sugary Jolt siblings, with of course the exception of no real sugar. The ingredients go as following: carbonated water, citric acid, sodiumbenzoate, sodium citrate, concentrated orange juice (Ooooh!), Sucralose (Splenda a non-nutritive sweetener), caffeine, gum arabic, natural flavors, yellow 5, brominated vegetable oil, glycerol ester of wood rosin, taurine, guarana, ginseng, and B vitamins. Seeing orange juice from concentrate makes me wonder why I hadn't tasted that much orange, although I do recall some essences of it mixed in somewhere. I didn't add the parentheses at the end of Spenda, that was literally there listed on the ingredients list; talk about total agreement. Seeing the essential energy ingredients last in the list, makes me wonder what type of kick I'm feeling. Jolt is one of the companies that only focus on caffeine kick, caffeine kick, and only caffeine kick, which is something energy drink lovers aren't too fond of. Per can, it's easy to say that there's no calories, nor is there any sugar, although I really can't count a flavor, sugar or not. All in all, a lame sugar free energy drinks, probably the worst I've tried as it goes to the bottom of best sugar free energy drinks.

Taste: 3 - I can't recall tasting more than a drop of lemon-lime and orange flavoring mixed with carbonated water...
Kick: 8 - If you can finish a can of this weak Jolt, you'll get a nice caffeine buzz
Overall: 4 - I would recommend this drink highly to beginners getting into energy drinks

Reviewed by: Chan

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Reviewers

Jeffery "Jeff," Chandler "Chan"