Wired X344

Getting loads of caffeine into your body isn't as hard as it used to be, now, with the help of energy drinks. Even so, a 16 ounce Monster has about 160mg, whereas one hot cup of coffee has about 100mg. Just today, my buddy wanted me to review a new drink he found, called Wired x344. Now, I didn't find a substantial difference between Wired, and say, any other energy drink on the market until I scoured the can thoroughly. Thereabout, on the back of the can, I found a few key words that led me to the caffeine content of Wired, such as "Triple Caffeine", "Massive Energy", and "Get Wired". All right, any guesses on how much caffeine this puny 8 ounce can really has? I mean, it can't be that much -- er...Okay, so perhaps Wired did live up to its references. It's got about 181mg of caffeine, just in one serving. I want to talk more about this, but I think I'll wait for the last paragraph. I want to expect Wired to taste like orange-citrus, judging by the can color, but, being the lone flavor (Except for the DIET), my heart is nudging me to expect a Red Bull Clone.

Tearing open the small can, I knew I was correct, noticing a familiar, aromatic, and down-home, basic Red Bull Clone scent. It smells almost exactly similar to that of Red Bull. Taking a quick swig, I find a remarkably similar flavor as well, though a bit more bitter at first. Having so much caffeine and B Vitamins, there's going to be some bitterness to mask the primary flavor of a basic clone. Well, in case you forgot, or don't know exactly how to describe the flavor of a Red Bull, I'll do my best, here. To me, Wired (Or Red Bull) has smooth green apple, a bit of sour raspberry, a bit of 'bubble gum' and vanilla to even off the sourness. In this case, expect a good helping of bitterness to mask much of the flavor. It's nicely carbonated, and leaves a good bite after the initial flavor fades. The more I drink of Wired, the more delicious it becomes. In my own opinion, I find this drink is most enjoyable lightly chilled, as too chilled subtracts some of the sweetness and overall flavor, and too warm makes the drink seem sweeter than it really is; try that out-- it's a bit of an experiment Jeff and I have tried over the past few years as part of Canned Reviews. Overall, I found Wired to be satisfying and refreshing, though not very much different than your every-day energy drink you find on the shelves.

Getting into the technical information of Wired X344, I jot down the supplement facts: 110 calories and only 25 grams of sugar in one serving, in which Wired has 1.05 servings per can. There's hearty amounts of the energy blend, at 1.87 grams (taurine, caffeine, guarana, etc.). In one can, there's carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, citric acid, taurine, potassium citrate, natural and artificial flavor, caffeine, preservatives, caramel color, inositol, niacin, White Tea extract, nicotinic acid, guarana, D-calcium pantothenate, Pyridoxine HCL, Yellow #5, and cyanocobalamin. Wired's got some pretty standard ingredients, so it seems. There's some White Tea extract, as you can see. After just a bit of research, I find out White Tea has many alleged health benefits. It's more effective than green tea at inactivating bacterial viruses, it protects skin, and can reduce the number of new fat cells produced and break down the fat in existing ones. Sounds exciting. I'm wondering if other energy drink companies know about the benefits of White Tea, and decide to use it more prominently. Wired produced a great kick, so I felt. About 10 minutes after topping off the can, I felt a rush of jitters, and more liveliness. I enjoyed the idea of knowing I didn't have to ingest twice as much sugar, and twice as many calories, to get the same --if not more energy than a Monster, Rockstar, or Amp.

Taste: 8 - Smooth vanilla, apple, raspberry/Red Bull Clone with decent amounts of bitterness
Kick: 8.4 - Strong kick for such a small can, and a great substitute for a larger energy drink
Overall: 8.2 - Great find for such a little-known energy drink company

Reviewed by: Chan