Rip It Sting-er Mo

I've been wanting to get my hands on these new Rip Its since I knew about the Rip It line. That finally became a reality when our energy drink reviewing friend, Taurine Rules, sent it to us in a trade. I have loved Rip It for its simplicity and uniqueness ever since I learned about it. Rip It is a pretty straightforward brand that aims to offer a nice kick and some good flavor for a budget price. I know that these Rip Its are often sold in dollar stores and discount stores for around a dollar each. Now I'm wondering what this is going to taste like. I haven't the faintest notion what a "Sting-er Mo" is, and an internet search doesn't make it any clearer. Perhaps the flavor may shed some light on the meaning of its name.

I popped the can open, eager to get this in me, and the smell hypnotized me. It's quite similar to the tantalizing scent of a Monster, with a bit of the bite from the BooKoo Bite. As I take a swig, some fine carbonation tingles on the tip of my tongue and then a flavor like a cross between Monster and Monster Khaos comes through, with a very faint tangerine. This taste is similar to a Monster, but seems to have the cinnamon I often claim to taste removed completely. All I can identify is a sweet, yet faint tangerine/orange and something else that's incredibly familiar. It all takes me back to one drink, which possibly may be the Monster itself. I've been sipping this now for a while, and I still am not completely certain what this flavor is based on. The color isn't much of a hint, since it's the common amber-gold found in most energy drinks, but a little less saturated. Going over the rest of the drink, there's fine, painless carbonation that gives the drink nice texture and the gumminess is easily managable. Overall, I'm going to call this a simplified take on a Monster that isn't half-bad. Now I have to observe the kick.

Three hours later, I've got a good amount of energy, from those 172mg of Caffeine, yet my eyes are steadily growing heavy. I suppose that's because the primary energy ingredient in this is Caffeine, with fewer energy ingredients supporting it than the Monster. Along with the Caffeine, there are 101mg per serving of Inositol, which is an odd number, being one more than 100. Also, I see 8mg each total of Guarana Seed Extract and Ginseng Extract, which really is pitiful, considering I've seen more in a Sobe; I'd expect lots more from a full on energy drink. On Taurine, Rip It nicely beats Monster at 1016mg per serving, or 2032mg per can, 32 more milligrams per can. In the Supplement Facts, There are around 200% of Vitamin C, B6, Folic Acid, and B12 and there are 28g of sugar per serving, 58 total. The rest of the ingredients look like HFCS, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Caramel Color, Natural Flavor, Potassium Sorbate, Maltodextrin, Sucralose, Calcium Disodium EDTA, and L-Carnitine. Something odd there is the L-Carnitine at the very end. I don't see a point to adding so little L-Carnitine that it probably doesn't make a difference. Also, what I don't like one bit is the Sucralose, lurking toward the end of the ingredients list. It seems impossible to escape the wrath of Sucralose, seeping into every sweetened beverage possible. Overall, the energy ingredients are decent, strong in some areas and weak in others, though I still have some oit was just a generic girl, but the name was attachteddd love for Rip It.

Taste: 8.6 - Tasty, smooth, though almost oversweet, Monster-like drink
Kick: 7.2 - Your average energy drink kick
Overall: 7.8 - A tasty jam drink, I say

Reviewed by: Jeff

Rip It Gin-Zing-R

I finally got my hands on the other Rip It energy drinks that aren't found commonly around grocery stores and supermarkets. I obtained this drink via a buddy that I traded with, so if you leave comments asking me where to find one of these, I will not know the answer. It seems like the other 'Unknown' Rip Its have a better can design, in terms of color, and color variation. This one is a somewhat dull golden color, with black and silver strands going down, up, and on the sides of a medium sized "Rip It" and a small "Energy Fuel" phrase targeted towards the top of the can. Now the flavor is really what got me confused because what really is a "Gin-Zing-R, anyways? I think it may be the amount o ginseng in the energy drink, resulting in an insane kick, I really hope it is. But now, the flavor may be something unusual, like apple or, perhaps even orange...I have no clue at all, that may be the reason why I'm pretty excited to crack this one open. Rip It tends to amaze me with their ultimate flavors, like citrus and pomegranate, but there's a few more drink to review and I hope those final will seal the deal in a good line of drinks. Rip It is probably out of business, I think, only because their expiration dates are quite soon and I haven't seen a flavor come out of them for a good few years. Well, here we go.

As I open it up, I find an aroma that's a bit bland reminding me of the Jetset Tonic, bitter and little sweetness. The color is unexpected being a simple Monster golden brown color, but a bit lighter and more of a green tint to it, and much more carbonation. Wow, that flavor is intense! Rip It Gin-Zing-R packs a spicy ginger ale flavor but also comes in and punches you a large amount of sweetness and an equal amount of bitterness. The flavor is hard to describe, but it's more like a caramel flavor with ginger that makes up most of the sweetness in the whole drink. The other part of the sweetness is from a noticeable placement of high fructose corn syrup. The general flavor is irresistible and extremely tasty, but it's just too sweet after about 8 ounces into it. The aftertaste is a tinge of spicy ginger that gives you that foreign feel, similar to most ginger ale sodas and energy drinks. It's got a usual energy drink carbonation, light, but not so light as to chugging a whole can in under 5 minutes like you would with a juice or something. For HFCS, it's gummy, but not intensely gummy just like you'd find in other sweet HFCS energy drinks. Overall, Rip It continues to make flavors that amaze energy drink lovers, but I think I'd stay with the Jetset Ginger Ale when it comes down to sweetness.

The ingredients are simple, for a company that puts in some weird ingredients in most of their drinks. They go as following: Carbonted water, HFCS, citric acid, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate, potasssium sorbate, maltodextrin, salt (Sodium Chloride), and natural flavor. I don't really like the combination of high fructose corn syrup and an extremely sweet drink, only because it helps out in creating a more dull flavor than it already is. I've seen salt in an energy drink before, don't freak out because I can't even taste it, so I wouldn't think you would either. I can tell this is an older drink because of the lack of Sucralose and artificial flavors in the beverage, which I'll tell you makes the whole drink better. Per can you get 260 calories and 66g of sugar. I'll tell you that this is another drink that I don't drink in one sitting because too much sweetness is just terrible. I recommend you have about 8 ounces in one sitting and come back in a few hours or so and have the rest, it's only that much better for your body that way. Woah, this is the second energy drink I've seen that has more than 2000mg of taurine in the whole can (The first one being the BooKoo Punch). It has 170mg of caffeine in the whole can, which is going to give me a pretty good kick for a good 3 hours. All in all, it's had a good zing of ginger ale with a great amount of spiciness and sweetness mixed in. And now I do know why it's called Gin-Zing-R, it's pretty simple if you think about it

Taste: 8 - An irresistible blend of nice ginger ale, but too sweet to drink in one sitting
Kick: 8 - The kick lasted a great 3 hours which was used doing physical activities
Overall: 8 - I would try this drink again, just for the intriguing flavor it gave

Reviewed by: Chan

Rip It Chic Berry In O Scent

I normally think of Rip It as a manly and low cost drink. The Rip It Chic, however, line is obviously targeted toward women and girls. The cans are slimmer than the normal 16oz cans, like a lot of other products targeted toward women, and the colors are bright pinks and purples. And, because a lot of women are trying to watch their figure, this one is sugar-free and has zero carbohydrates. I don't normally like zero carb and sugar-free drinks, but the Chics really aren't that bad. Though the sweeteners are Acesulfame Potassium and Sucralose, I recall there being nearly no artificial aftertaste.

Pop went the can and I poured it to observe the color. It's pretty light, looking almost clear with a blue-violet tint. When I pour more into the cup, it looks a whole lot darker, like grape Koolaid. It looks totally refreshing refreshing. The smell is smooth grape-blueberry and I noticed a refreshing mineral or metallic something in there too. I can get a nice mouthful without a lot of gumminess, though the carbonation stings a little if you don't give it time to settle. I found as soon as I sipped it that the artificial sweeteners just about ruin the drink. Instead of crisp sweetness that would come from sugar, the Chic delivers an odd, sour, bitter flavor that seems like it's trying to mimic sugar. It works with the carbonation to create a weird tart taste driving away the rich blueberry that could have stood out almost as much as the Rockstar Zero Carb. Still, if you can't tell it's artificial, you should be pretty happy with the nice blueberry which you won't find very often in energy drinks. Frankly, I don't think blueberry is common enough...

The energy you get from one of these is definitely above average, which surprised me. The other Rip Its seemed to be a little weak on energy ingredients, but not the Chics. From a feminine berry drink meant for women, you would probably expect a lame kick, but that isn't the case with the Rip It Chic. Per 12oz can, there are 150mg of caffeine, which beats the amount in a lot of drinks. It even beats Monster by about 8mg. What makes it even better is that there are zero carbs, zero calories, and zero sugar. To make that possible, the drink is sweetened with Sucralose and Acesulfame Potassium. That's good if you want a guilt-free energy drink, but if you're not watching your intake, you'll probably think it's not worth missing the tastier sweeteners Sucrose and Glucose. I can't say that this is a totally good or bad drink. It depends on what you're looking for. This drink has flavor, but it lacks some true sweetness to support it.

Taste - 7.8 - Marked down for the artificial sweetener
Kick - 7.5 - May seem average to superb, depending on the person.
Overall - 7.8 - Mixed feelings on the flavor, like the kick

Reviewed by: Jeff

Rip It Chic Sin A Man

I get a call from Jeff today telling me he had gotten over 30 energy drinks for 60 cents at Big Lots! I was in disbelief until I actually saw for myself the galore of various energy drinks, some being unknown to me. It was a tough decision, but I had to choose the Rip It Chic only because I've been so curious about this drink ever since I heard about it. Anyway, expect a lot of great reviews coming in the next couple of months, such as: BooKoo Bite, BooKoo Citrus, BooKoo Punch, Hooah!, WWE Energy + Citrus, Jones, and many, many more. Rip It Chic has a code word "Sin A Man" meaning this may have an odd cinnamon flavor. I haven't heard of an energy drink that has a cinnamon flavor until I heard of the Rip It Chic Sin A Man. I couldn't help glancing over at the ingredients list to see that grapefruit juice from concentrate is number two on the list, but I scroll down and see nothing that has to do with cinnamon. Well, I'm too confused, so I'll just open it up and find out.

As Jeff impersonates Spawn of Uamenti, I open it up quickly to get a herby grapefruit aroma, with a hint of cinnamon. Rip It Chic Sin A Man comes out of the can a very light pink color, perhaps very feminine. Because I know this drink is meant for girls and is sugar free, you can obviously guess that it's one light drink, too light for a guy. It's got a light herby lemon taste, just like the FRS Lemon-Lime and it fades away with a pleasant grapefruit taste. I don't know, but I think that there could be just a hint of cinnamon after a few seconds in the mouth, but not nearly enough for untrained taste bud to catch. It's a smooth drink, but I just think it's not for avid energy drink fans only because taste isn't worth however much your going to pay for it, unless it's .60 cents. Out of all the sugar free energy drinks, this one actually has no -and I mean no- aftertaste whatsoever. This Rip It Chic is really sweet on carbonation having very, very light carbonation and, surprisingly, gumminess. Overall, I liked this drink, but I just wish it had more flavor because I know Rip It, and they make mean drinks.

Ingredients wise, Rip It Chic has carbonated water and grapefruit juice from concentrate. The grapefruit juice plays a nice part in giving it a smooth, enjoyable flavor. It's also got citric acid, sodium citrate, benzoate, gum acacia, sucralose, potassium sorbate, natural and artificial flavors, maltodextrin, salt, calcium disodium, acesulfame, brominated vegetable oil, and citrus pectin. Rip It, as you know, is known for its wild ingredients that frankly aren't too healthy for you. However, Rip It totally owns at making an awesome drink, in terms of taste and an intense kick! Per can, you only get an explosive 5 calories per 12 ounces of a light feminine energy drink and absolutely no sugar but you do get that artificial Splenda and maltodextrin. Rip It Chic Sin A Man really gave me a buzz lasting quite a few hours, most likely because it has a whopping 150mg of caffeine, a bit more than a 16 ounce Monster! This Rip It has a basic 1,500mg of taurine, meaning that if it were in a 16 ounce can, it would have 2,000mg. Overall, this drink was a bit light, but really pleasant and perks you up pretty decently.


Taste: 8 - I thought it had a real nice, smooth taste to it
Kick: 9 - Wow, what a kick!
Overall: 8.3 - I think I'm going to start stocking up on these Rip It Chics

Reviewed by: Chan

Rip It Power Sugar Free

Remember the first Rip It Power review? I have a hunch that particular drink was old, which lent itself to the chalky taste. I'm hoping this one will taste somewhat better, being that it's fresh. True, it will taste slightly different than how the regular Power should've tasted, but it can't be that drastic. Now I will get to find out the true taste of the Rip It Power. I'm not really that excited about the fact that this one is sugar free. The Supplement Facts say 0g of sugar, but that's kind of like lying because there's, no doubt, some sort of nasty artificial sweetener in here, perhaps multiple. Oh, yes, there is Surcalose (Splenda) and Acesulfame Potassium. I recognize Acesulfame Potassium from being in many diet tea drinks, and Splenda is what always gave Chan stomachaches. We'll see how it goes.

Rip It has always pleased me and I've really enjoyed their stylish and simplistic can designs. This one gave off a sort of weak berry smell. The color, however, didn't match the smell, being a light, soft yellow. Immediately, I could tell it was artificially sweetened. It's that unnatural metallic aftertaste and that sourness that just doesn't match the addictiveness of real Sucrose and Glucose. I'm not quite sure what they meant it to taste like... Perhaps pineapple? I'm really unsure about the flavor. It's something tangy and either citrus or berry. It's almost devoid of flavor, just tasting sweet and sour, at different times. I'm the kind of person that feels obligated to always finish something, whether it be a drink or dish, but I'm finding it hard now to take another sip. The gumminess is still lingering from my first few sips and is really bothersome. My attempt to chug this thing was shut down right away by the fine, stinging carbonation, which feels like it's chemically burning the back of my tongue. A little more than halfway through, I am still completely clueless about the flavor. I'm not even sure if what I'm tasting is sweet; it's like a sweetness substitute, being close to sweet, but not the same. It's even upsetting my stomach. This drink's taste phails, big time. And I was so excited to try it...

The kick was standard of most energy drinks. The 2000mg total of Taurine and 200mg of Inositol did do something, but frankly, it doesn't compare to a Monster. The ingredients are pretty weak, with only 180mg of Caffeine total and 20mg of Guarana. It was fine that I felt a kick, but I'm not satisfied with the ingredients. They're just too tame and too little for me. And the artificial sweetners were pretty sickening. Sure, I was pretty fired up while I played with my dog, but overall, this drink is a phail. I'm not sure what else to say.

Taste: 3 - Yuck
Kick: 4 - Substandard
Overall: 3 - I'm not having it again

Reviewed by: Chan

Rip It A'tomic Pom

I received this drink as sort of a gift, if you will, from my uncle. I have heard great praise from this drink and I thought I would never, ever get my hands on one of them. If you have seen my Rip It Citrus X review, you know that Rip It has the capability to blow my mind with some great drinks, so I know that this will be pretty good. A'tomic Pom has a dark cranberry red color background, or a glossy pomegranate color. In front of that, I see the words "Rip It Energy Fuel" with white stakes spreading out from the words. Odd enough, I see the words "A'tomic Pom" in very small font at the way bottom of the can. I am predicting a smooth pomegranate flavor, with some natural sweetness added in. I am so curious about this drink, I just can't write anymore, so here it goes.

Rip It A'tomic Pom has a deep, pomegranate aroma, with a bit of floweriness mixed in. However, it seems somewhat familiar. Oh, I remember now, the Rockstar Juiced Pomegranate; I haven't had it in awhile, but I remember it. This Rip It has a dark rosy-red color, similar to wine, but a bit darker. As I poured it in, I didn't notice a lot of fizziness, so I'm pretty pleased about that. Wow, what a drink. First, as it hits my mouth, I get a light pomegranate flavor, with hardly any carbonation. As it fades away, I get a sweet grenadine-like taste. Grenadine is a thick, syrupy substance made from pomegranate and sugar. Unlike many other drinks, this one goes from just okay, to really tasty. The pomegranate, as many would say, is a bit artificial and doesn't really appeal to me, but it's acceptable. The aftertaste, is a genuine grenadine flavor, that's pretty tasty and leaves me holding the can to my mouth. Like I mentioned earlier, this drink contains minimal carbonation, and makes it easier to drink and enjoy. As well as minimal carbonation, I get minimal gumminess, which I am pleased about, and just makes this drink a lot better. Overall, this drink is worthy of the Best Taste List because of its genuine taste and unique flavor.

Rip It is known to have some weird ingredients, just like Amp does. This one has carbonated water, and then high fructose corn syrup. Surprisingly, this drink is not that gummy at all, so maybe the HFCS doesn't contribute to the gumminess in this one. Other than that, this drink has pretty basic ingredients: natural flavors, citric acid, maltodextrin, sodium benzoate, gum acacia. Per can, you get 260 calories, most likely due to the sugary grenadine aftertaste. You also get about 66g of sugar, pretty much above average, but it's worth it in this drink. You get 2,000mg of taurine, per can, as well as 204mg of caffeine, that should keep anyone awake for awhile! I really enjoyed this drink; it's probably the best drink I've had in many weeks, and most likely the best I will have for awhile.

Taste: 9.2 - It had an amazing taste, almost too good for me
Kick: 9.5 - with that much caffeine, I get a large kick
Overall: 9.4 - It was just...incredible

Reviewed by: Chan

Rip It Citrus X

I'm here with yet another review. This time, I purchased, for the unbelievable price of $1.00, a Rip It Citrus X. Being that the Rip It Power was completely gross, I am hoping that this will give me a generous flavor. I am just guessing that this drink is just focusing on a citrus flavor. Anyway, this can has a yellow background along with the words "Rip It" going vertically along the can in all lowercase letters. This can design is neat because it has a glossy touch to it, yet it is very basic. So, I think I'm ready to review.

As the lid pops open with a loud CRACK, I smell a pleasant orange aroma. I guess it's similar to orange juice. It comes out of the can an opaque yellow orange color, resembling the background color of the can. Amazing, this drink is simply amazing. If you ever recall trying the Rip It Power, you taste an overpowering sweet and chalky taste. This, however, seems to have been from an entirely different company. As soon as it hits your mouth, you get a strong grapefruit taste. After that disappears, you get a pungent blend of lime and orange. There is absolutely no bitterness, whatsoever, which gives this drink a smooth flavor and a sweet aftertaste. There are a few tweaks Rip It needs to do with this drink. One is the amount of carbonation they put in. It is nearly impossible to take such a large sip, or chug it. That's alright because maybe they meant for it to be enjoyed. Another tweak is the amount of gumminess. I understand a lot of energy drinks out there contain gumminess due to the corn syrup. But you know, no energy drink out there is entirely perfect, so that doesn't bug too much. Other than that, this drink a incredibly good. Head over and pick this one up if you want a morning blend of orange, citrus, grapefruit, and lime. A complete winner, great job Rip It.

Alright, if you didn't know, Rip It puts some weird ingredients in their products, so let's talk about them. First, I see carbonated water. Following that, I see...*sigh* HFCS. Not the best sweetener out there, but fine. After that, citric acid and modified food starch. Hmmm, I've never seen that in an energy drink before. Woah, brominated vegetable oil. That's not healthy at all. Well, as you see, you find weird things in this drink. Per can, you get 2,000 mg of taurine and 260 calories. Sure that's a lot of calories, but hey, it's worth it. Surprisingly, you get 66 g of sugar, that is a lot for 16 ounces of pure energy. Overall, you really want to try this one as soon as you can find it, you will not regret it, trust me.

Taste: 9 - That is one tasty drink
Kick: 10 - Almost finished with the drink, and yet I am very hyper
Overall: 9 - Definitely one you need to get your hands on

Reviewed by: Chan

Rip It Power

This here is another dollar store energy drink, the Rip It Power. It's the red Rip It, and I believe it is to be berry flavor, but I have to test it to be sure. It's got 32g of sugar, meaning it's going to be really sweet, but perhaps that sugar will lend itself to a major boost. That's what I'm hoping as I go for the Rip It Power.

The smell was an interesting one. It's not very fruity, but it's more of a kind of designer flavor. It smells a little metallic, and the flavor is a little vitaminy. It's like dissolving a multivitamin tablet into some sugary water. It's a little chalky, as a matter of fact, and that's something that makes me think twice about taking another sip. Perhaps it's a better drink to chug rather than savor, with its simple sweetness and one-dimensional taste. The carbonation is moderate and doesn't hold you back as much as other drinks. The gumminess, doesn't appear very early in the drink, and that's something, considering the high amount of sugar. Or, wait, HFCS. And that makes sense, because HFCS is cheaper than sugar, making this one as affordable as it is. Overall, the taste is chalky and a little nasty, but just addicting enough to finish. Like steak.

Ingredient summary: carbonated water, HFCS, citric acid, natural flavor. Taurine, surprisingly, or maybe not, is not listed in the ingredients. However, listed in the Nutriton Facts, there are 2000mg of Taurine per can, as in most energy drinks and a slightly small dose of 180mg of Caffeine per can. Along with those two supplements are Inositol and Guarana in small amounts. I think overall, the ingredients are pretty standard and nothing special.

* I think this one was just old; look for a re-review in the future. A fresh drink won't taste chalky.

Taste: 4 - Chalky and just sweet
Kick: 4 - I'm not so sure I feel anything...
Overall: 2 - I'd call it a fail, don't drink it

Reviewed by: Jeff