Mountain Dew White Out

Today, I'm here reviewing a Mountain Dew. Now, before I begin, I know you may be wondering why I'm reviewing a soda, rather than an actual energy drink. In comparison to other sodas on the market, Mountain Dew has the most caffeine per ounce. Also, the guys at Amp were generous enough to send samples of the three new Mountain Dew flavors they have released in a national program called DEWmocracy. It's very simple; you try the new flavors released in most stores from now until June 14th, go to Mountain Dew's website, and cast your vote on what you think is the best flavor. In the end, whichever flavor receives the most vote determines the newest addition to the Mountain Dew family. Anyways, I really hadn't heard of this new idea since I received the email from Amp about a week ago, but I think it's an admirable concept. Looking at the bottle, I see that White Out will be 'smooth citrus', which is about predictable, just by looking at the pale, opaque ivory hue.

Twisting open the gray cap, I notice a scent strikingly similar to that of Sprite, or Sierra Mist. The main difference when I drink Mountain Dew and Sprite, for example, is the density of their flavors. Mountain Dew has a much stronger lemon-lime flavor, whereas Sprite is less sweet, and more carbonated. To me, the White Out reminds me mostly of Sierra Mist and original Mountain Dew formula mixed, as it's extremely light on the pallet, tasty, and perfectly sweetened. As for a more in depth flavor, I think that's it basic, and predominantly smooth lemon-lime, with few notes of orange, all sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. However, the disadvantage I find in this drink is the high amount of gumminess. Each sip I take is like a wall of syrupy, dense sugar in the back of my mouth, which is not uncommon in most sodas, at least the ones sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. On the other hand, the Mountain Dew is mildly carbonated, which allows for more initial citrus flavor to be noticed by the taste buds. About halfway through the 20 ounce bottle, I find more flavor disappearing from the gumminess, every other sip tasting like dull sugar. Overall, not a bad citrus soda; I do like the original Mountain Dew better, so far.

Per bottle, there's 2.5 servings (8 ounces per serving). In all of the 2.5 servings, you get a whopping 280 calories, and a massive 76 grams of sugar. You really can't be surprised reading those facts. In a bottle, there's also carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavor, sodium benzoate, gum arabic, caffeine, sodium citrate, glycerol ester of rosin, calcium disodium edta, and brominated vegetable oil. In 8 ounces of this drink, there's about 36 milligrams of caffeine, and doing the math, about 91 milligrams in the whole bottle. It's not that much, but it's sure enough to perk you up for a good hour or so, without an immediate, noticeable crash. In comparison, there's more caffeine in 20 ounces of this Mountain Dew, than an 8 ounce can of Red Bull, or Monster. If you're going for max energy, obviously this isn't the correct path, but if you're more into sodas, as opposed to energy drinks, Mountain Dew is a good route to take for a short boost of energy. Being the first of the bunch to try, I cannot really compare this drink to any of the other two Mountain Dews, but compared to the original formula, it's a good change-up.

Taste: 7 - Generic lemon/lime/orange citrus flavor, with moderate dullness from the HFCS
Kick: 6.8 - Good kick for a soda, not great in general, however
Overall: 7 - Interesting find; I'm ready to try the other Mountain Dews and cast my vote

Reviewed by: Chan

Hydrive Citrus Burst V

Here I am, yet again reviewing the third and final Hydrive (At least the final Hydrive by me). I thought I'd save the best drink for last, so today I'm gonna crack open a bottle of Citrus Burst, with a Vitamin-infused formula. Unlike the antioxidant, as soon as I check out the formula, I'm relieved to see 100% of Vitamin D, Vitamin B3, B5, B6, and B9, all healthy compounds. Hydrive also notes the presense of caffeine, taurine, L-Carnitine, and L-Arginine. Citrus is a rather simple flavor to get down, so I'm eager to see how Hydrive takes it on. I know that we reviewed a Dragonfruit Hydrive back when they used their old bottle design and formula, but I'm not too sure that Dragonfruit is exactly the same, in terms of taste. Anyways, looking at the bottle, I see that Hydrive Citrus Burst has a nice, deep orange color, while retaining bright yellow hues as well. The logo is nearly the same as the other Hydrive's, with the exception of the orange and yellow swirls behind the basic black-fonted logo. Below the logo, there's a large "V", that symbolizes Vitamin, obviously.

Opening up the bottle with a crack, I find Hydrive Citrus Burst has a hearty, orange scent, just about as strong as an orange pulp, or just like when you open an orange. I'm a bit disappointed taking my first sip, as anticipating from the scent, I was hoping for a stronger lemon/orange flavor. Granted, it is refreshing, although it does lack the flavor of citrus you find in sodas, orange juice, and other energy drinks. Sort of not what I was expecting, but nevertheless, a good drink for only 30 calories. It's a light, mostly orange flavor with a nice sour bite, although more artificial orange flavor than natural. I find a bit of lemon-lime nuance, though not as much as a usual citrus drink. Because it's not carbonated, it goes down nicely, and, just like an orangeade drink. About halfway through the bottle, I find that the Hydrive Citrus Burst has actually lost most of it's 'burst', so to say. It's gotten a bit bland. Although my expectations were high, I do give credit to Hydrive as making a low-cal/low-sugar drink is not an easy task. In my own opinion, I do favor the Hydrive Kiwi Strawberry A out of the three I have reviewed, as it was the most natural, strong in flavor, and overall the tastiest.

In terms of ingredients, I'm really fascinated that Hydrive put in all sorts of Vitamins: D, and B. If it were up to me, I think it would have been cool if Hydrive put in Vitamin C, like I expected they would. Orange, lemon and lime just seem to always compliment Vitamin C, but that's the irony of it, I guess. In each bottle, like listed above, you get 100% of Vitamin D, B3, B5, B6,B9 and B12. There's also purified water, sucrose, citric acid, natural flavor, sodium citrate, caffeine, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, monopotassium phosphate, gum arabic, calcium chloride, sucralose, taurine, L-Carnitine, L-Arginine hydrochloride, glycerol ester of wood rosin, magnesium chloride hexhydrate, yellow #5, and yellow #6. Waiting a good 30 minutes after finishing the bottle, I find a decent kick from the caffeine, taurine, and B vitamins. Definitely not a kick like the Blue Raspberry, though. From 245mg of the blend, I was pretty impressed from all of the Hydrive's kick, as they all contain the same amount of the stuff. Overall a decent energy drink, especially for 30 calories. If you want to heed my advice, I'd definitely go for the Kiwi Strawberry if you want to pick one of these beasts up at a supermarket. Keep in mind they all have a specific function, and all are an even 30 calories.

Taste: 7 - Decent pulp-y orange flavor with a sour a bite, but lost most flavor towards the end
Kick: 7 - Although Vitamin D took no part in aiding a buzz, the 245mg of basic blend did a decent job
Overall: 7 - Not my favorite Hydrive, but certainly not terrible

Reviewed by: Chan

All In Citrus

You all know how Sugar Free drinks can either be a disaster or a success, looking at our reviews, by what artificial sweeteners and how much of it added are in the drink. As I reviewed the All In Grape a few days ago, I noted that the first few sips were really flavorful and had a lot of depth, but as I progressed through the can, I found myself unhappy with the large amounts of Sucralose tasted in the small 8 ounce Poker-related energy drink. Shortly after, I found some All In Citrus at an Albertson's who seemed to just freshly stocked their shelves with this lemony-orange All In. Of course I'm giving it another chance, and from what I've reviewed, it's very difficult to mess up on a citrus energy drink, but trust me, I've seen it happen. Every All In poker drinks are made sugar free and with only 10 calories, so if one is sweetened with Sucralose, you can bet all of them are (Pun intended). One thing I have to say is that I love All In's can design. Being a fan of Poker myself, I find this can neat with a poker chip enveloped in citrus-colored flames and a faded gray dragon in the background. This isn't the first time I've seen Asian writing on a can, as there's some word I do not know on the face of the chip. Oh well, it may not be that important.

Tearing open this small 8 ounce can, I search for an aroma and find a weak, semi-artificial blend of lemon, lime, orange, and tangerine, bringing back those bad memories of terrible citrus drinks. Pouring it into a glass and out of the can, I note a color of bright, cloudy yellow, assuming the color of a lemon, rather than an orange. After a first quick swig of the can, All In Citrus seems to taste most like Diet Sprite, except with a powerful bittersweet shot of Sucralose, that tends to kill the drinks flavor. The Sucralose is so powerful in this that I think there's more flavor from that than there is from the citrus flavorings. After you get past the wall of artificialness, you find a nice blend of mainly lemon and lime, with a few notes of orange, and very little tangerine. Sipping more and more, the Sucralose becomes more subtle in the drink and allows for more of the real flavors to come in and mix together. The aftertaste is that of really burnt fruit or burnt sugars, almost like what you find in Gatorades. The carbonation is smooth and light, also helping bring in some natural flavors. It's not gummy for the most part, just a bit of build-up on the back of your throat, nothing too extreme. Overall, All In Citrus definitely had that same lame Sucralose mixture in it, but once you get past that, you find a decent lemon-lime conbination that really isn't that bad for a sugar-free drink.

All In Citrus is one of the few American-Made drinks, as in, most of the ingredients come from America itself. The full list is right here: Carbonated Water, taurine, citric acid, natural Citrus flavor with other Natural Flavors, ascorbic acid, acesulfame potassium, inositol, caffeine, herbal blend (Astragalus, Panax ginseng, Panax Quinquefolium, Schisandra), sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, Sucralose, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine HCL, yellow 5, folic acid, and cyanocobalamin. I enjoy the fact that acesulfame potassium is high up on the list, which means that the aritificial sugar is a bit better quality, and how Sucralose is lower on the list. Theres' also some pretty good energy ingredients in here, sure get me jittery for at least a little while, about 2 or 3 hours. Per can, you get only 10 calories, and obviously not one drop of real sugar, all coming from Sucralose and Ace K. Though the caffeine count isn't listed, you get a hefty amount of B vitamins per can, and some good Vitamin C (ascorbic Acid). Just as I had predicted, the kick is pretty good, a lot of focus is present, with some decent amounts of jitteriness, and a bit of alertness to go along with it. All in all, All In had some good highs and some bad lows, being way to aritificially sweet, yet there's still some great natural lemon-lime and orange flavorings that reminded me mostly of Diet Sprite.

Taste: 7.5 - Decent lemon-lime orange flavor; too much Sucralose though
Kick: 8 - Pretty good kick, with mostly jitteriness and some focus
Overall: 7.6 - I'd definitely recommend this over the All In grape, but don't put your bet in on anything else just yet...

Reviewed by: Chan

180 Orange Citrus Blast

On a visit to Rite-Aid, I checked the fridge aisle for energy drinks and to my delight, I found 180 Orange Citrus Blast. 180 is not a company I'm very acquainted with, but I'm told it's one of the original energy drinks along with Red Bull and KMX. That's a drink I want to review, one of the originals, to experience an original and what I hope will be a quality drink. With a name like Orange Citrus Blast, I think I can expect a pretty strong orange and maybe some other citrus flavors. Not only do I predict some good flavor, but I can be sure the 8oz can will be fun to drink, since they are easy to slam down.

As I blast open the can, I take a whiff from those cool little openings of 8oz cans. The smell is a very sweet, not so sour orange, and it makes me think of Sunny D quite a bit. It's similar in the way that it's delightfully "creamy," so to say, rather than crisp. I can't hold back the urge to take a large sip, and my first taste is very good. At first, some sour tangerine/orange meets your mouth until it disperses and blooms into a very satisfying orange not exactly like any orange soda I've had to date. The common and unpleasant lingering sourness you get from a lot of orange sodas is not there, but it feels on the border of accumulating. The sweetness level is what I'm most pleased with, as when chilled, this drink is still thoroughly satisfying and enjoyable, while others may not be sweet enough - this definitely was meant to be served chilled. More than halfway through the can - yes, it's that addicting - gumminess is starting to accumulate, though it isn't much of a problem and can be handled easily. Carbonation is spot-on in the drink and isn't too fine or coarse, adding a very nice texture to the drink. The only minor flaw I can concieve is the absence of that delicious orange pulp taste found in real orange juice and also, surprisingly, Sunkist. Still, the drink is very addicting despite the sweetness level being slightly high and the 8oz can only makes it more enjoyable to drink. Overall, I say hands-down, this is one of the best orange energy drinks I've had and I'd definitely have one again, if it weren't for the steep price. I suppose that's just what you pay for a quality brand-name drink.

For ingredients this 180 has Carbonated Water, HFCS, Natural Flavors, Guarana, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), FD&C Yellow #8, FD&C Red #40, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Vitamin B12. Oddly enough, Caffeine is not in that list, but it does mention below the Nutrition Facts that this drink contains Caffeine. It's a solid ingredients list, not quite the most powerful one, but solid. What that tells you is that this is more of a casual energy drink, rather than one made for pure energy. 180 has tastefully created a light energy drink with a delicious orange flavor. As for exactly how much energy 180 yielded, I can only say it was decent, acceptable for a drink that focuses more on flavor than kick. What I felt most was alertness and a bit of focus with just a bit less energy than most drinks give. 180 contains 30g of sugar per can and 120 Calories, which isn't too bad. Overall, I really enjoyed this drink and could very easily imagine slamming one down now and then.

Taste: 8.7 - Very enjoyable and refreshing orange
Kick: 7.2 - A pretty average kick, focusing more on alertness than pure energy
Overall: 8.4 - My favorite orange drink so far

Reviewed by: Jeff

WWE Raw Attitude Slammin' Citrus

I continue to note that every single famous person needs their own energy drink. I woundn't be surprised if someone like Paris Hilton, or Brittney Spears made their own 'female' energy drink as well. This time, I found the WWE version of an energy drink at Big! Lots in a 4-Pack, but who knows if this one will be a knockout. I really don't anything about wrestling but I do know that Raw is a type of wrestling and a video game I believe. They come out with a cool alliteration for describing their flavor, which is 'Slammin' Citrus and I know is going to be a hearty citrus flavor. Well Citrus is a flavor most used in an energy drink, but it's widely mistaken, in terms of the amount of sugar and affecting the taste horribly. This drink has only 50g of sugar in the whole can, that's pretty darn amazing and I know it'll be perfectly sweetened and it's sweetened with sucrose. Like I just said, usually these type of 'Hollywood' energy drinks are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup but, man, that's pretty cool. Jeff informs me about 'Socko' who makes energy drinks, including this one, and uses only sucrose. Well aside from that, the can design is awesome being trippy sets of lines leading to one point at the bottom, being the word 'Socko'. The background is a citrus orange color that looks a bit 'Halloweenish' along with the black. Well, I hope this will knock me out and be a complete winner, like Jeff said it won him over.

The scent of the WWE Raw Attitude Slammin' Citrus is merely different than other citrus flavors, having an aroma reminding me more of orange juice, rather than lemon-lime orange. The color surprised me even more than the scent being a rather neon color, or yellow-green reminding me of Monster with more of a green color to it. So far, this citrus drink has been pretty different than any other citrus I've come across. The flavor of the Slammin' Citrus is just like the scent, but really disappointing. It's more orange than lemon-lime and tastes pretty wheaty with just a small amount of 7up flavor and carbonation to it. The wheatiness makes it less flavorful and a bit more unappetizing, but the orange is pretty crisp and makes up for the wheatiness. It seems like they mixed in some 7up because not only it tastes like 7up but it has that phosphoric acid type of carbonation all or most sodas have to it. The aftertaste is almost like cough medicine you have when you had a cold back in the day, but I would think it's from the HFCS although it's not. Like I mentioned before, the carbonation takes up most of the drink, even being as light as the drink is without the carbonation as a bonus. As it has sucrose, WWE Slammin' Citrus is not gummy, but just a bit from the natural flavors in it. Overall, as much as Jeff loved the WWE Slammin' Citrus the first time he tried it, the second time, we both unanimously agreed that it wasn't great at all.

The ingredients are extremely hard to read in a silver glaring font, but I'll try to read it the best I can. It has carbonated water, sucrose, citric acid, natural flavors, sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate, sodium citrate, and yellow #6. The proprietary ingredients are shocking yet comfortable being caffeine, glucuronolactone, inositol, taurine, Damiana leaf, Guarana, yerba mate, horny goat weed, and ginseng. Per can, you get an average 200 calories and a low 50g of sugar. well, I see where WWE messed up, they didn't put enough sugar, hence the low amount of sweetness, resulting in a lame drink. It has 160mg of caffeine, sure to keep me wired for a good few hours, and 50mg of yerba mate extract as well as 110mg of horny goat weed. So, after everything, I was a bit disappointed until I read the ingredients about all the herbs, so now I think that's all right. Yerba mate tends to do good in an energy drink, although I prefer it hot, by itself and with some food on the side. For an energy drink coming from a league so tough, this was pretty lame; I still need to review the original and I hope we can see an improvement.

Taste: 6.5 - A light orange flavor that was too wheaty and too carbonated
Kick: 7.5 - The caffeine with the yerba mate tea produced a decent kick that lasted a few hours
Overall: 7 - Just an average citrus flavor, but more on the lamer side

Reviewed by: Chan

YJ Stinger Sinful Citrus

It usually means something dangerous if you see a picture of a detailed wasp on the front of a can. YJ Stinger is going there and putting a fierce wasp on the can, so I'm assuming that I'm in for a pretty gnarly energy drink in terms of taste and kick. I have tried Stinger before, and I know for a fact they are not a mean and dangerous energy drink company, but a mediocre energy drink company. I believe for a can design like they have, they should intensify their drinks, I mean seriously. They also have some pretty neat alliterations they use to describe their flavors as something fearsome. For example, some of their flavor names include: Pounding Punch, Enraged Raspberry, and this one, Sinful Citrus. I admire YJ's attempt at good alliteration. However, that doesn't really mean much, in the sense of actually having a drink with a good flavor and kick to it. Besides the wasp sticking out, the can design is a nice lime green color, with the letters 'YJ' in large letters. 'Sinful Citrus' is printed in much smaller letters rimming the top of the can. Well, whatever, perhaps Sinful Citrus will deliver the flavor I'm craving at this moment.

The can opened up smoothly to expose a scent not very appetizing. It's more like an herbaceous lemon-lime scent, with some minors amounts of orange and bitterness. Hm, the color pretty much shocked me. Sinful Citrus has a color similar to the Kronik, but not as blue and a bit more green to it. It's definitely not a turquoise color, if that's what you're thinking. Yet, I'm still disappointed in the flavor I found. It tastes almost exactly like a carbonated version of the FRS Lemon-Lime and the Hooah! Lemon-lime put together. It's got that strong herbaceous flavor mixed in with a diluted lemon-lime flavor fading away with a bitter orange-peel flavor. The general flavor is really lame, and once again, YJ Stinger has left another disappointment on the table. The aftertaste is that crude HFCS flavor that's just plain -I don't want to say nasty- not great at all. Another oddity about this rather Terrible Citrus energy drink is that it's heavily carbonated, almost as carbonated as a can of soda. I've noticed HFCS-filled energy drinks haven't been as gummy anymore, but this one has the same gumminess, that I remember being just 'bleh' to me. Overall, this is just another failure in the line of Citrus energy drinks, and I don't recommend you get this one. You want to stick with the major Citrus flavors like Crunk Citrus, Rip It Citrus X, and various other juice flavored drinks.

The ingredients I see here in this 8 ounce can of Citrus are carbonated water, HFCS, citric acid, caffeine, taurine, ascorbic acid, B vitamin stack, niacin, thiamine, biotin, yerba mate, guarana, ginseng, and natural and artificial flavors. Well I first notice Stinger did put a whole lot of vitamins in this small can, but didn't mask that powerful herby flavor it contains within. Yerba Mate flavor, didn't go well with the vitamins because it helped out what I believe was the bitter flavor it gave to me. I found quite a bit of artificialness in the drink, due to the ingredient 'artificial flavors', well duh. Per can, you get 130 calories, and a useless 32g of sugar. I used the word 'useless' only because the amount of sugar I found really wasn't necessary for the amount of sweetness in the drink itself. The calorie amount is similar in the situation but you know, there's nothing I can do. The energy I'm feeling now is pretty good, actually. Like it notes on the can "Improve Performance, Increase Energy, and Enhance Concentration." I'm feeling all three of those right, let's see how long this can keep me up tonight. So, YJ isn't the best company to look for if you want a good citrus flavor, but the kick actually isn't bad. I can easily say I felt the Sting.

Taste: 6.4 - A lame and too vitaminy knockoff of a citrus flavored energy drink
Kick: 7.8 - The kick is pretty good, it lasts for quite awhile as well
Overall: 6.8 - I wouldn't recommend it anyway, there are too many better citrus energy drinks on the market that would deliver what you really need.

Reviewed by: Chan

BooKoo Citrus

I took a glance at the many energy drinks in my fridge and decided which would fit the 150th review. I thought I'd go with the BooKoo Citrus, an instant classic. BooKoo came to my mind because I like their energy drinks, and citrus is an amazing flavor for an energy drink. I got this drink at a Big! Lots along with the other few BooKoos about a month ago, but I just never bothered to pick it up and review it. In fact, this is the first time I've seen it since I bought it. Well, this time, no excuses, I'm reviewing it now, and I probably will like it. I'm fond of BooKoos can designs being the same throughout all their products, besides the BooKoo Burners. This can has the word 'BooKoo' in a fiery orange color, outlined in a blood red hue. The flames behind the logo are the same blood red colors, but helps compliment the dark and deep orange color inside 'BooKoo'. 'Citrus' is printed in small lettering, filled with just a plain white color and outlined in yet again a blood red color. Below 'BooKoo' is 'Energy' printed wide vertically across the can in the same filling and outline, pretty cool for a can design. Okay, let's get this party for the 150th review started and crack open this fire-born energy drink!

After a few minutes of struggling to open the can, I pry it open with my teeth. It opens and I go in to smell a scent similar to the Squirt, almost exactly, I thought. It pours gently out of the can and I notice a color particularly odd, nearly clear with a tad bit of yellow and orange, not much though. BooKoo does a very nice job of creating a citrus flavor entirely different than your average Rip It Citrus X flavor. The flavor is more like the CRUNK!!! Citrus due to the noticeable amount of lemon-lime, rather than pure orange, but much less intense than the CRUNK!!! Citrus. BooKoo tends to make flavors that seem to dance on your tongue, involving a crazy good taste just before you swallow it. It's also not too sweet, having only 27g of sugar per serving, which is really what most Citrus energy drinks screw up on. The overall flavor is an in-your-face lemon-lime, and a background of minor orange and berry. The aftertaste is a bit boring being just a mild flavor of artificial orange and lemon-lime, not bad, but not exciting either. I'm surprised that this BooKoo really isn't that gummy, compared to all the other BooKoos that are, I mean they all have the same sweetener, but this one just isn't as gummy. Whatever, I can live with that. One of the only differences between this and the Squirt is that obviously the Squirt is more carbonated, resulting in a disappointing taste. Overall, the BooKoo Citrus beat the Squirt in flavor, but was no match for the CRUNK!!! Citrus, in terms of a real lemony and orangy flavor.

The ingredients contained in this energy drink are carbonated water, sucrose, HFCS, citric acid, sodium citrate, potassium benzoate, caramel color, natural flavor, caffeine, glucuronolactone, and inositol. Wow, that's cool, a really basic energy drink ingredients list. Not many energy drinks I've encountered contain sucrose and HFCS, but this one turned out okay, not too sweet at all. The caramel color didn't help much give any color, mostly just clear, no caramel or amber color to it at all. Per can, you get an average 220 calories, and a nice 54g of sugar. Wow, BooKoo Citrus has the same amount of sugar as a Monster? Sweet. I don't recall the other BooKoo having that low of an amount of sugar and calories, but this one outplays them in terms of nutrition. The amount of energy in the ingredients like caffeine is undisclosed, but the taurine count is 2,000mg per can. The kick is mega good for this BooKoo, way better than the Wild Berry and the Zero Carb, for that I'm impressed. But listen to this: Well, for the 150th review, I gave you the BooKoo Citrus, not the best choice, but I was interested to try it.

Taste: 7.6 - Towards the end of the can, it got a bit boring and somewhat tasteless
Kick: 8.6 - I really did enjoy the nice buzz after the drink was finished
Overall: 7.8 - Whatever, I'd stick with the Crunk Citrus and the Rip It Citrus X

Reviewed by: Chan

CRUNK Citrus

Oh, CRUNK!!!, what a company. I've really enjoyed their drinks and am really excited to dig into their newest flavor. Jeff and I were unanimous in deciding who to review this one; we decided to do a double review. Our last double review was the Monster Java Chai Hai, so it's been awhile as you know. Okay, here our both of our reviews:

CRUNK!!! is Lil' John's take on energy drinks; I mean, who hasn't made their own line of energy drinks nowadays. If you haven't noticed already, this CRUNK!!! is made in a 16 ounce can, rather than a measly 8 ounce can. I felt some monster kick in the ounce can, so I can already imagine what this one's going to be like. CRUNK!!! Citrus has a bright yellow background with some green and black dots surrounding the word CRUNK!!! slapped across the can. Citrus is placed in smaller font above that, which gets me thinking why it isn't below the can and in larger font. Perhaps they don't want to mess with the logo. CRUNK!!!'s motto is "Get CRUNK!!!," and I'll tell you, based on the CRUNK!!!s I tried earlier, I'm ready to get CRUNK!!!! I know this energy drink contains some weird ingredients that I'm eager to try, but then again, who knows what I'll get? Okay, okay, I'm done rambling here, let's get down to the review.

I couldn't control myself opening it, it cracked open and I nearly crumpled the can with my eagerness. Anyway, when I did, I got an herby CRUNK!!! aroma with some lemonade type smell. Out of the can, CRUNK!!! gave a pale lemonade color, which is some yellow and white mixed with a lot of fizzinesss. My first thought on this drink "Oh wow, this one definitely is going on the Best Taste List." I was very surprised to find a mild Sprite-like taste, with some more lemon presence, sort of like a stronger Sierra Mist. But then again, it does have some energy drink qualities, such as sourness (Not usually found in sodas), herbiness (Which gives it a rich taste), and not as carbonated. It has no aftertaste, which allows for easier consuming and enjoying. Oh, man this taste is completely and utterly amazing, you just have to get this. Also, I believe people who don't enjoy energy drinks (Trust me, I know quite a few) will love this drink. CRUNK!!! Citrus is moderately carbonated, just about as much as a Monster, or Rockstar. One thing about this drink is the amount of gumminess, pretty bad. Overall, I really really enjoyed this drink, the best one in probably 30 reviews or so.

Okay, let's check out the ingredients. A glance at the back of the can reveals two lists of ingredients. The first one being proprietary blend, or energy ingredients. In this one I see caffeine, inositol, green tea, damiana (?), licorice root, guarana seed, L-Tyrosine, Horny Goat Weed, Ginkgo Biloba, Grape seed, skull cap (Mushroom), white willow, ashwaganda, and milk thistle. The next set of ingredients are labelled "Other Ingredients." Fine. Don't recognize the ingredients properly, CRUNK!!!. I kid. There's some carbonated water and HFCS; hmm, I thought it was pretty nice for a dull sweetener, although it would have been that much better with sucrose and glucose. Besides some natural flavors and vitamins E and B, this drink has no special qualities to it, in terms of basic energy drink ingredients. Although I was pretty satisfied with the variety of energy ingredients, I thought they could have made better use with the sweetener. Overall, this is just another addition to our Best Taste Lise and another one you MUST try, no matter the circumstances.

Taste: 9.3 - An awesome tasting drink; I thought it could have used a better sweetener, due to the gumminess and the slight dullness
Kick: 9.6 - The ginkgo and caffeine played a HUGE part in hitting a grand slam in your body
Overall: 9.4 - CRUNK!!! makes no mistakes when it comes to making a great energy drink

Reviewed by: Chan

I enjoyed the regular CRUNK!!!, with its herbal qualities and subtle and smooth pomegranate flavors. Now, I'm pretty psyched to try the totally new citrus variety. I haven't seen a new flavor come out since I found out about CRUNK!!! so this is a really cool experience for me, getting to test a new flavor. The name says Citrus, but I think the colors on the can hint to a possible lemon-lime flavor. I'm predicting a fresh lemon and lime taste, hopefully as good or better than Sprite. What will make it better, undoubtedly, will be the kick, and the added bonus of a boost in libido, which the drink promises. I can't wait to open it, so I'm going to end the paragraph now.

Chandler and I just had to open the can in our dramatic can-opening ritual. The first thing I did was take a sniff. I couldn't help but notice the similarity in aroma to the FRS Lime. What I mean by that is there's the lime, and then lots of herbs and b vitamins. The taste, however, is much more enjoyable. First, you are met with a the taste of b vitamins and then a very, very nice, fresh, and delightfully sour lemon-lime. The herbs linger in the background, giving the drink a bit of a rich taste. I've been enjoying it so much that I forgot to pour it out of the can! To be expected, the color is a pale, cloudy translucent color, like lemonade, or lemon pulp. Getting toward the end of the can, the flavor only gets more irresistible with the taste of good 'ol sugar. Actually, the sweetener is HFCS, but Crunk somehow doesn't let the dullness come through. I'd say this is definitely worth the Best Taste list. Through the duration of the whole can, virtually no gumminess has held me back, and the carbonation is very subtle and pleasant, not painful like a soda.

It'll be lots of fun going over the ingredients list. Since this drink is designed to enhance your libido, there are some funky ingredients and herbs in here. There are two ingredients lists, which isn't very commonly seen. 194mg total of Caffeine are present, then Inositol, and Green tea. The next ingredient is an odd one: Damiana, which I know is an aphrodisiac. The following ingredients include licorice, guarana, L-tyrosine, horny goat weed, N Acetyl L-Cytesine, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, grape seed extract, skull cap, white willow, ashwaganda, and milk thistle. It's a very exotic list of ingredients, which contribute to a boost in libido. In the whole can, there are 526mg of the proprietary energy blend. In the regular ingredients list, there is HFCS, natural flavors and a bunch of vitamins. Overall, the ingredients seem pretty strong, with all the regular energy ingredients and some neat ones you don't regularly see. With the great taste and the awesome kick this drink offers, you can't afford not to try it.

Taste: 8.7 - A great lemon-lime flavor that anyone could love.
Kick: 8.5 - With more than the regular amount of energy ingredients, this packs a serious punch
Overall: 9 - You can't afford not to try this one

Reviewed by: Jeff

Glaceau Vitamin Energy Tropical Citrus

After about a week of refrigerating, I decided to give the Vitamin Energy Tropical Citrus a shot. As you know, we have all the other Glaceau Energy Drink products already reviewed, so this will be the last one. I wasn't too fond with the Vitamin Energy Fruit Punch because of its weak and unappealing flavor, but I have a good feeling about this one. I'm predicted a smooth citrus flavor, maybe similar to Squirt, with a hint of some mango. Vitamin Water, itself, is actually a great drink to have, in terms of supplements, but the Vitamin Energy is lacking effort in producing a quality energy drink. Like all the other Vitamin Energy drinks, this one has a basic can design. It's half yellow, and half white, like a pill. It says Vitamin Energy 3 times vertically across the can. Ok, here it goes...

As I crack this one open, I immediately go in for a smell. I get a sweet citrus aroma, with a a bit of mango, some melon, and noticeable pineapple. It comes out of the can an opaque yellow color, similar to lemonade, or urine. Hm, I regret saying that Glaceau makes bad energy drinks because this one is quite tasty. It first goes into your mouth with a sweet lemony citrus flavor, with little carbonation. It then fades away with a natural blend of mango and sweet pineapple. Surprisingly, this drink does not have any aftertaste, which results in a pleasant drinkablility. I think this is one drink that kids, adults, seniors, and pretty much anyone else you can think of will like. I really enjoyed its natural citrus and lemon sweetness, as well as its sweet pineapple taste. Vitamin Energy Tropical Citrus is genuinely lightly carbonated and is incredibly easy to drink and/or chug. Due to the crystalline fructose, this drink has no gumminess whatsoever, just another great feature of this drink. Overall, this was one incredible and powerful drink, and it had an amazingly tasty flavor. Definitely one of the best drinks I've had in awhile, but almost worthy of the "Best Taste List."

Now for the ingredients. This drink uses the fancy "Vapor distilled deionized, and/or reverse osmosis carbonated water." It also used the fancy sugar, crystalline fructose, which is only sugar based on cornstarch, not fruit. Taurine then comes in at number three, a good set up there. Like a few other energy drinks, this one uses only natural flavor, which explains its great taste. It also has vitamin C, ribose, natural caffeine, niacin, gum acacia, ester gum, electrolytes, beta carotene, and folic acid. Per can, you get only 200 calories, which pretty sweet, considering this is an energy drink. You only get 50g of sugar, which is below average for an energy drink, but is sweet enough. You also get 150mg of natural caffeine, which should keep you alert and steady for about a few hours. And lastly, like usual, you get 2,000mg taurine, which is average. I'm surprised that Glaceau can make such a powerful energy drink, considering that the other two were pretty weak and lacked good flavor.

Taste: 8.5 - I really enjoyed its tropical flavors, it reminded me of Hawaii
Kick: 8 - Pretty steady kick so far...
Overall: 8.5 - I must recommend you get it

Reviewed by: Chan