BooKoo Wild Berry Zero Carb

The only zero carb BooKoo Chan and I have reviewed is that 24oz BooKoo Zero Carb. It turns out that one was a little old and we would probably re-review it if it hadn't been discontinued. Well, there still are some Zero Carb BooKoos, and I've got one now, the BooKoo Wild Berry Zero Carb. Just like many others, we found this at a nearby Big! Lots, in their enregy drink aisle, for 60 cents, a bargain for an energy drink. Now, I'm not a fan of diet or zero carb energy drinks, but I'm confident that BooKoo will do a good job handling the artificial sweeteners in this drink, like they seemed to have done with the BooKoo Zero Carb. I love BooKoo's awesome can design that just looks perfect. The words Boo+Koo go vertically across the front of the can with a wild tribal flame design behind them. Hopefully this is as good as the regular Wild Berry.

This Wild Berry Zero Carb seems to be less pungent than the regular Wild Berry, with a sort of subdued yet rich strawberry/raspberry. The stuff comes out of the can an almost clear rosy purple-pink. I remember this vaguely from the regular Wild Berry. Because this is cold, the artificial sweeteners aren't getting in the way too much, but I do notice a minor metallic aftertaste. Going in the mouth, first you taste simple raspberry and then some sourness that you can tell is meant to cover up some bitterness. Finally, toward the end the strawberry comes in strongly after the bitterness fades away. The aftertaste that is left is some strawberry and a little bit of sweet sucralose that is a bit irritating. You could call this blue raspberry/strawberry/grape, but I'm not talking about concord grape that you so often taste in grape soda. I think it's more like red grapes that you buy at a grocery store with a more neutral taste. This definitely does not taste natural; there's artificial, yet rich berry/strawberry and the artificial sweetness does that. The carbonation is more than average, and the gumminess does get in the way soon. As this is warming up, the artificial sweeteners are much more noticable and it tastes almost unpleasantly sweet. I'm guessing BooKoo meant for this to be served on ice because this is sweeter than I'd like it to be. It's also getting old fast and I don't think it would on ice. Overall, this is decent, but not really exceptional. I suppose if you're going to have this, it would be a good idea to have it on ice.

Although the taste wasn't exactly favorable, the BooKoo kick is pretty insane. After slamming this thing down, I had huge energy that started out with an awesome boost that gradually dwindled and left me in a state of hightened alertness, probably from the Caffeine. I had a bit of trouble getting to sleep, but that's what you pay for drinking this after noon or so. The energy ingredients in this consist of Caffeine, Glucuronolactone, Inositol, Taurine and B Vitamins. What's puzzling is how such a short list of energy ingredients can provide so much power. I can't tell how much of what is in here, except for the Taurine, 2000mg of which are present in the whole can.The only explanation I can come up with for the awesome boost this gave is that maybe there is a large amount of Caffeine. And come to think of it, the energy was a sort of jittery energy that kept me awake all night. Now, in terms of sweeteners, this drink uses Sucralose and Acesulfame Potassium. Neither of which gets me too excited, especially Sucralose, which I have come to dislike. But these artificial sweeteners weren't handled too badly; there wasn't a terribly bad artificial sweetness. The only complaint I have with this drink is that it was a tiny bit artificial and way too sweet. If you have this, it's got to go on ice.

Taste: 7.5 - Good strawberry/raspberry but too sweet and pretty artificial
Kick: 8.4 - Great kick for so few energy ingredients
Overall: 7.7 - Good choice for a zero cal beverage

Reviewed by: Jeff

BooKoo Wild Berry

Boy, was I ecstatic when I got the BooKoo Wild Berry. I've heard so many good things from this drink and I knew that when I found it, I was sure to be in for something good. This is the second of our many BooKoo (Carbonated) energy drink reviews to come, so check in daily with the website and possibly our Best Taste, Best Kick, and Worst Taste lists. BooKoo, I believe, is one of the best energy drink companies around, in terms of a boost and taste. I also admire BooKoo's can design, having a black background, with purple flames encompassing the word BooKoo, which is filled in with blue and outlined in purple. 'Wild Berry' is stretched in white font above BooKoo and 'Energy' is stretched under BooKoo. I apologize for making this paragraph short, but I'm too excited and must open up the can. Here it goes.

I dramatically opened the can to reveal an aromatic flowery wild berry scent, consisting of a somewhat artificial raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, and a bit of pear and apple. I was surprised to see a dark pink color, almost purple as it mellowly flew out of the dark-colored can. I must say, this is one energy drink unlike many others I've tried and reviewed, here on Canned Reviews. Instead of having an energy drink that monotonously flows into the mouth, BooKoo Wild Berry wrestles your tongue to the ground and has an in-your-face strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, and apple flavor. After almost half way through the can, I noticed some tasty sourness to go along with the smooth berry flavor. I'm really upset to say that the aftertaste is what separates this drink from the drinks on the Best Taste List. The aftertaste seems to be that of a dull, crude berry syrup, most likely due to the HFCS amount in this drink. When I first took a sip of this BooKoo, the first thing that popped to my head was a strawberry and grape soda, put together, except less carbonation. But speaking of carbonated, BooKoo is just a bit more carbonated than a Red Bull, Rockstar, or Monster, which isn't too much of a nuisance. I haven't had a drink with gumminess for awhile now, so maybe it's just me, but I think there's some gumminess. Overall, I knew I was in for an awesome tasting drink, but BooKoo Wild Berry just missed the Best Taste List.

I was a bit shocked when I glanced at the ingredients list to find almost nothing! It has carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, citric acid, sodium citrate, potassium benzoate, natural flavor, caffeine, glucuronolactone, inositol, red 40 and blue 1. That's basically all the ingredients, pretty simple. Per can, you get only about an average 220 calories, and only about 54g of carbs, that's not too bad for such a sweet drink. The amount of caffeine is undisclosed in this BooKoo, but the taurine count is 2,000mg, just about average. BooKoo's motto is Live Big, and trust me, with BooKoo, everyone is happy; you can't beat the taste. For.60 cents, you'd better stock up on these beasts at Big Lots, whether you like it or not, try out every flavor, you won't regret it. For once in my reviewing times here on Canned Reviews I predicted the level of greatness I was expect from this BooKoo. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from BooKoo, but I was expecting fine drink that would for sure impress me. All in all, do NOT miss out on this BooKoo Wild Berry, it's smooth berry taste will perform an awesome show in your mouth.

Taste: 8.8 - A great wild berry taste, most likely the best I've ever had
Kick: 9 - The kick is a mix between focus and jitteriness, but mostly jitteriness
Overall: 8.9 - I would definitely buy it again, although there could be some improvements made

Reviewed by: Chan

BooKoo Wet Wild Berry Rebound

This is one of those rare occasions when I don't have to have a cup to see the color of what I'm drinking. The BooKoo Wets come in 16.9oz clear plastic bottles, which make it easy to see the color. When I walked in on the 99 cent store another time, I saw these, a fresh shipment, each 50 cents, or two for a dollar. I freaked and just had to get two. I mean, they're BooKoo's! I simply could not resist picking up a new BooKoo product and for such a bargain. These BooKoo Wets must be special because they're in plastic bottles, but I'm not quite sure what else sets them apart. Perhaps it is the lack of common energy ingredients and the small amount of sugar. There are a mere 12g of sugar in one serving and no Taurine to be found whatsoever. I'm really hopeful of the flavor; it must be simply irresistible. I'll find out when I crack it open and pour it out into a- Oh, right. It's clear.

Well, I already know the color is a slightly opaque and cloudy purple-rose color, like berries; I knew that when I got it. But what of the taste? Oh dang, when I opened it, I saw that it was filled to the brim. I'm not kidding; it was filled right to the lip. More -BANG!- for your buck. I like that. Ooh, that's good. I took in a sort of mild berry taste and I picked up some bitterness and a bit of vitamins along the way. It doesn't leave much of an aftertaste but a little bit of gumminess, like you've just had grape juice. Truthfully, I think the smell is better than the taste. It tastes as rich as I thought it should be. The actual taste is subtle, like what I'm used to tasting in Gatorades, and it leaves about as much gumminess behind. I can't tell what the berry is. It's like a total average of every berry out there, tasting pretty generic and bland. I wish I were more able to discern the individual berry flavors. That would be something to really enjoy. This isn't a bad drink, it's just not fantastic. I suppose it would be great to take to the park just for something sweet. Now I must know what the kick is going to be like. We all know BooKoo is notorious for amazing kicks, and I'm praying I'll get something good like that out of this BooKoo offshoot.

What's in this? I'll tell you; it's right on the side of the bottle. Vitamins A, C, B6, B12, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ginseng, Potassium, Phosphorus, Gotu Kola. Not a bad line-up, but I don't see the very common Caffeine, Taurine, or Guarana. That may mean this is not so much an energy drink as just a "get-up-and-go" drink. It's good that I'm having a drink without those three things; I need to get them out of my system for a while for the next review. Singing along to a little Cannibal Corpse and after a quick workout, I'm feeling pretty good. I'm not jittery or hyper, but that makes sense, because this is the Wild Berry Rebound. I feel totally rejuvenated and ready to do anything. Great job by BooKoo with the kick.

Taste: 7 - Berry, but what kind?
Kick: 8 - I've bounced back
Overall: 7.5 - Not bad

Reviewed by: Jeff