Glaceau Vitamin Energy Fruit Punch

After a long day, I went to my local store and said, "Eh, why not" and I got the Vitamin Energy Fruit Punch. I'm pretty excited to see yet another company start making energy drinks. I mean, who doesn't, now? So, I found it on sale for $1.50, a great buy, wouldn't you say? To me, this can kinda looks like a pill capsule, you know, half purple, half white. Basically, the front of the can has a few large paragraphs explaining why this is better than your usual Monster, or Rockstar out there. I predict that this will have a multi-fruit taste, almost similar to the Archer Farms Fruit Punch Energy. Hm, I figured out that it is a relatively light drink, which I would most likely enjoy. So, here it goes.

As soon as I pop the can open, I get a curiously familiar scent, light wild berry. For some reason, when I smell it, I think of a meadow, blooming with flowers and fruits. It comes out of the can a fluorescent pink color, similar to the Archer Farms Fruit Punch. However, the taste is slightly different than those I've tried. It's a bit tough to explain, but I'll try my best. This drink comes at you with a blend of mixed berries, such as: raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, and cranberry. The aftertaste is a bitter, sugary, bland, type of carbonated water. That might be my least favorite part of this drink. I also enjoy how light the flavor is, especially since it has a terrible aftertaste. It's actually quite a bit carbonated, so I don't think you want to chug it, unless you want an aftertaste so large that you may have to wash your mouth out...I also observed that this drink actually has no gumminess whatsoever, which allows for pleasurable drinking and enjoyment. This is definitely one odd drink on the market. I mean, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't too great either, like Jeff noted in his Vitamin Energy Dragonfruit review. I actually think you should skip this one; there are many better fruit punch energy drinks out there you'd be better off with.

This drink, unlike many others, uses crystalline fructose, just another name for table sugar, or sucrose. Coming in at number three, I see taurine, a chemical not proven to actually have an affect, but is placed in nearly all energy drinks. After that, I see only natural flavor. Notice it doesn't say artificial flavor, I don't know about you, but that tells me that I'm consuming a somewhat healthy energy drink. Later in the ingredients, I see fruit and vegetable juice, put in for color. That's interesting, only put in for color? Hmm, anyway, per can, you get 200 calories, which is average for energy drinks worldwide. You also only get 50g of sugar, still a lot, but not a lot for an energy drink. You also get 150mg of natural caffeine, 200mg of Bioenergy Ribose, and 2000mg of taurine per can. It seems to me, the fellows at Glaceau don't seem to put much effort into their energy drinks. If you read Jeff's review, he basically says the same thing about Vitamin Energy. Altough it may be one of the healthiest energy drinks you come across, there's no need to get it. End of story.

Taste: 6 - It was just alright to me...
Kick: 6 - I didn't feel much either
Overall: 6 - Decent, but not great

Reviewed by: Chan

Archer Farms Fruit Punch Energy

Hey, I am finally reviewing this drink after it being chilled in my fridge for a few days. Like the Tropical Fruit, I purchased this drink at Target for about .85 cents. I'm telling you, these drinks are the real deal. I mean, for .85 cents, why not? If you recall, my last Archer Farms review explained how good the Tropical Fruit was, so I am excited to crack this one open. This can has its Archer Farms logo, a small red rooster, just above a pinkish fruity color; most likely resembling the drink's color. I have noticed some frost on the can, that'll make it really cold, and in my case, better Other than that, this drink has a pretty basic design to it, mainly what Archer Farms usually does with their products. So, here comes the pitch.

As the can cracks open, I get some of this drink everywhere, due to the carbonation. However, the smell is similar to a mixed berry aroma. I smell a blend of raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, and strawberry. It comes out of the can a dark orange color, similar to the Full Throttle Fury. Hm, that's an odd taste. Imagine strawberry soda, with a hint of wild berry...I wouldn't call that fruit punch. As soon as it hits your mouth, you get a sour strawberry taste, and the aftertaste is a sweet blueberry and raspberry blend. However, you do get a lot of carbonation, which draws you away from the real flavor, so be aware of that. This drink reminds me of the Summer, where you aren't really doing anything but hanging out in your front or backyard, and just drinking a soda. The good part of this is you don't get a lot of gumminess, which I, and many other people prefer not to have. After about 5 ounces into the drink, I start to notice a great amount of melon, almost instantly after it touches your tongue. Now, you do not want to chug this because you will get a weird feeling in your throat like you get after drinking some cranberry juice; the carbonation will hurt you as well if you are trying to take big sips, so please savor and enjoy this drink. Overall, I guess it was alright, it tasted a bit natural and a bit artificial. If you want to make a drink with many flavors such as strawberry, melon, and various berries, you need to support it with less carbonation and no artificial sweeteners. Enough said.

Following the taste test, we have the ingredients. I first see carbonated water and and HFCS, no surprise. You will find HFCS in almost any food or drink out there, you just gotta be careful. Taurine comes in at a whopping number four, pretty good for a generic brand. Per can, you get 220 calories, which is almost average for your every day energy drink. You also get about 52g of sugar, which is about average as well, so you can count on this as being your average drink on the market. You will get supplied with 2,000 mg of taurine and 100mg of inositol. I know I never mention inositol in a review, but this is an exception. This drink was alright to me, I thought the Tropical Fruit was a lot better, but you can't beat it for .85 cents. If you want a drink that'll give you a punch of various fruits, you can get this drink, but why when there's better fruit-like drinks on the market?

Taste: 7 - I won't give this drink a bad rating only because I like fruity drinks, artificial, or not
Kick: 8 - Just like the other one, I get a great kick
Overall: 7 - It was pretty good, not as good as your genuine fruit drinks, though

Reviewed by: Chan

Sobe Power Fruit Punch

As I was out today, I saw this, the Sobe Power Fruit Punch. I guessed from the name "Power" and the words, "Flavored Beverage with a blend of Proline, Guarana, & Taurine," that this was made to give energy. So, thinking it was worth a try, I decided to get it and save it for later. I know Sobe makes pretty high quality drinks, so I'm interested in seeing what this has to offer. Let's crack it open.

I didn't forget to shake it this time, so it's well mixed. At the opening of the clear glass bottle, I got an amazing trademark Sobe scent. Incredibly pungent fruitiness with a sour bite, but nothing that will make you pucker. It's like a bolder version of Hawaiian punch bringing some stronger and more citrus flavors into the mix. It's just a little gummy, with 30 grams of sugar, but overall, the gumminess isn't nearly as bad as some of the other drinks I've tried. As I tear further into this beast, I can tell it gets a little overpowering, yet it is still addicting at the same time. It makes me keep on coming back for more and more. In fact, by the time I finish this paragraph, I'll be nearly done. You may like this one more than the other popular drinks, because there's none of that "bubble gum" flavor, characteristic of energy drinks. It's just a smooth, fruity ride, yet I have to admit it tastes very sugary.

In terms of energy supplements, I see there are 50mg of Taurine, 50 mg of Guarana, and 25mg of L-Proline, pretty weak to energy drink standards. But I discovered something interesting about the last energy ingredient, L-Proline. L-Proline is an amino acid, found in your DNA, characteristic of Sobe soft drinks. It's the cause of that peculiar sweet aftertaste. It's unique to Sobes and I find it to be interesting. Moving right along, there's Caffeine, but it seems a very small amount, otherwise it would be listed in the Nutrition Facts. And, oh look! There's a whole day's recommendation of Vitamin C! Well, I'm set for half the day, now, with this drink. I don't feel much more energized, but a little. It seems this Sobe Power is more something to improve vitality, rather than energy, just like the Vitamin Energy. It's fine if you like Sobes, but I'm not really a big fan of this drink.

Taste: 5 - Unique and bold, but not insanely good
Kick: 3 - Weak on ingredients, I feel vitalized but not hyped-up
Overall: 6 - Fine if you like Sobes, but it's just not for me...

Reviewed by: Jeff