Golly Guarana

Golly, I've never heard about Golly Guarana. Found at a 99 Cent Only Store, this looks to be a simple yet solid Guarana-based energy drink. Now, this is an instance where we need to know exactly what Guarana is. Guarana is actually a plant, the seeds of which are harvested because they contain about five times the amount of caffeine as coffee beans. I wouldn't buy into the hype surrounding Guarana about how "bad" it is. Those commercials for Five Hour Energy that give Guarana a bad reputation, I'd say, are bogus. After all, Guarana is just a plant, a berry to be specific, that grows commonly in Brazil. After reading up some more on the plant, I get the idea that this is a Brazillian drink, since Guarana soft drinks are quite common in Brazil. I decide to check the back of the can to see where this is from, and it turns out it's from Orlando, Florida. So maybe it's not from Brazil, but perhaps it may be just as authentic, considering there's a high concentration of Latin demographics in Florida. I've never had a Guarana soft drink before and I'm quite curious.

I wasn't sure exactly how Guarana is meant to flavor a beverage, but when I think about it, it makes sense since Guarana is a berry after all. I popped the can open and got a smell like subtle strawberries and blueberries and a sort of earthiness like acetone, giving it a very fresh smell. As I pour this out of the can, it has a medium brown-amber like a nice toasty ale, similar to Diesel, except with less carbonation. Tasting this, it's not the most flavorful drink I've ever had, but has a clean, fresh, unique berry taste with an also clean and fresh aftertaste that must be characteristic of the berry. When I drink it from a cup, where it has time to settle, some of the carbonation leaves and lets the flavor come out. However, when I drink it from the can, it stays cold longer, but the carbonation hinders the flavor a bit. I'd be able to describe this to someone is as a subtle Diesel with less flavor and less carbonation or maybe as a drink similar to a Rockstar, since it has not much flavor. It isn't very gummy at all, but the carbonation does get in the way. Overall, I'm not wowed by this drink, since it lacks some flavor and it also lacks an original flavor. I don't doubt that there are more flavorful guarana drinks out there.

What's funny is that nowhere on this can are the words "energy drink" mentioned. Golly Guarana is simply labelled as a soft drink, with the "natural extract of guarana." That may be why this drink has such a short ingredients list. Everything in here includes carbonated water, HFCS, natural and artificial flavor, guarana extract, citric acid, and sodium benzoate. With that short of an ingredients list, there's no way this could top any real energy drink. The only energy ingredient in here is Guarana Extract, and I'm going to guess that it's in low amounts just because I found this at a dollar store. On sugar, this whole 12oz can has 35g which means just over 23g per 8oz. Compared to common energy drinks, that's not a large number, and the calorie count is also slightly low, being 140 per can, working out to 93 calories per 8oz. There's not much more to say about this drink. I was hoping for something really original with a nice kick for Guarana, but it doesn't seem to be doing much more than, say, a cup of tea would. Sorry, but I can't get into the Guarana drinks. I'll stick to my Caffeine.

Taste: 7.3 - Fresh berry but also pretty bland
Kick: 5.5 - No better than a soda
Overall: 6.5 - My expectations were too high

Reviewed by: Jeff

Bawls Guarana

Wow, I found the Bawls Guarana energy drink. I was surprised to see a galore of energy drinks at a local BevMo, including the Bawls. I've heard from relatives and friends that Bawls was a pretty awesome energy drink, in terms of taste and kick, so you can tell I'm pretty excited to check it out. Odd enough, Bawls looks like a miniature sized 20 ounce bottle of Sobe or some soda and has a dark, dark blue color, so I have no clue what color to expect from Bawls. In fact, Bawls is so small, its only a measly 10 ounce bottle, with a (Hopefully) twist of cap. It has a simple bottle design, the word Bawls in all capital letters and Guarana under it. I guess I'll expect a Coca Cola-like taste, with some citrus, possibly. Obviously, the bottle reveals nothing to me, in terms of even guessing what the color or taste is, so I'll have to wait just a few more minutes. On second thought... I think I'll just cut this paragraph short and get to the review.

I was expecting a lot of trouble opening it, but actually it took less time than a can does... Well, anyway, I opened it up to get a mild 7up aroma, but with a somewhat odd secondary scent. Bawls comes out an unexpected clear color, with the visible gas bubbles rising, just like 7up, or Sprite. I was very pleased to get a mild carbonated water taste, with some noticeable naturally sweetened orange-lime flavor. I forgot to mention that Bawls was created by a college graduate who wanted an alternative energy substance, rather than coffee. Man, it's so light on the palette, I could seriously drink it all day long, and have no problem with it, besides the fact that I might get a bit messed up from the caffeine. It has no aftertaste and fades away extremely fast, which leaves you wanting more and more. Bawls is pretty cool on carbonation, having just about under moderate and goes really fast. If you have a light energy drink, you can probably guess that it has pretty little gumminess, which is entirely true with Bawls. Overall, Bawls is going to be the new craze because I believe everyone will enjoy because its awesome light taste. I'll tell you, if you get Bawls Guarana, you need to get two because they do go fast.

Bawls has some pretty standard ingredients. Let's talk. It's got carbonated water, corn syrup (Less sugar), natural guarana extract, artificial citric acid, sodium benzoate, artificial flavors and caramel color and caffeine. It's got way fewer ingredients than your average Monster and Red Bull, having no vitamins, ginseng, sucrose and glucose, and taurine. Bawls is one energy drink that's way out there. One that maybe I would try again, but it's just not worth the kind of money you pay for it. It's just like what I thought, a bit dull, but pretty mild and somewhat addicting. Per bottle, you get only 120 calories, 32g of sugar (Not bad, but good be better due to its lack of flavor), and the caffeine amount... undisclosed. I tried researching the caffeine amount, like Jeff suggested, but found no results. I'll guess it's above average, probably around 100 or so. Overall, I'm not going to give Bawls a bad rationg only because an energy drink this light is a rarity and frankly, I enjoyed every ounce of it.

Taste: 7.7 - I had trouble deciding whether or not to give it this high of a rating...
Kick: 9.5 - This kick really ranks up there, I'll say
Overall: 8 - Okay, if it weren't for the kick, this drink is a skipper

Reviewed by: Chan