Premium Pink Energy

Overview:
Premium Pink Energy comes from DD Beverage Corporation, the makers of Beaver Buzz Energy Drinks. This one, comes in a similarly fashioned can like other Beaver Buzz drinks. It is clear that Premium Pink is made by the same company; and if you couldn’t tell by the can’s design, the pull-tab reads “Buzz” in the same font as Beaver Buzz. The last thing to note is that this is a zero calorie energy drink.

Contains:
Pink Energy has sucralose, often used in low-calorie beverages to serve as a zero calorie sweetener.  The problem with this is that it is usually around 600 times as sweet as regular sugar, says Wikipedia anyway. Premium Pink also has 120mg of caffeine, 1021mg of taurine, 102mg of Panax ginseng, and 102mg of guarana in the 355mL can. This is lower than the majority of energy drinks and it is priced accordingly at $2.59. Will this lower ingredient content prove troubling in terms of the effects of Premium Pink?

Effects:
I was quite exhausted when I was drinking this so perhaps this is not particularly fair but sadly, this Pink Energy did not give me much of an energy boost.  Perhaps, I felt a little jolt but it wasn’t enough to keep me even close to the energy levels I would get from other energy drinks. I also experienced some jitters which is unusual regardless of how tired I am when I have energy drinks. I am certainly giving this one a thumbs down in this department.

Taste:
After opening the can it has a sweet fruity smell, sort of a strawberry like scent. But the taste was far to strong for me. Remember that sucralose? Well, that is really what you are going to be tasting that in this drink with a hint of artificial grapefruit flavour. It also seems to have a very long lasting after taste, about 30 minutes after finishing it off I could still taste that same overly sweet taste in my mouth; as if I had just finished a sip. The taste is far sweeter than it should ever be.

Conclusion:
I was surprised by this one. Compared to other low-calorie energy drinks, like Rockstar Recovery, the taste of it was actually too strong. The only reason you should buy this is if there is nothing else left on the shelf. Premium Pink ends up being a disappointing one making it a good thing they have differentiated the branding from their Beaver Buzz line as it is a better drink; which we will have a review for soon, spoiler: the taste is excellent.

Scores:
Overall: 4.5/10
Effects: 4.5/10
Taste: 4.5/10
Price: $2.59 CAD

Marley’s Mellow Mood (Berry)

Please note: We plan to re-review this drink as our can was expired.

Overview:
Marley’s Mellow Mood claims to give you all natural relaxation in both carbonated, Berry and Citrus flavoured, and non-carbonated, Black Tea Peach Raspberry Passion Fruit and Green Tea with Honey flavoured, drinks. From the start you’ll realize that this is not the easiest drink to find. There does not appear to be a specific chain that carries it, as usual with these smaller brands. Once you do find Marley’s Mellow Mood, you can expect to buy a 355mL can for around $2.29 while the non-carbonated flavours are found in 473mL bottles.

Contains:
Marley’s Mellow Mood is different from the usual relaxation drink. The three main medical ingredients in this drink are Valerian, Lemon Balm, and Chamomile with 15mgs of each. These three ingredients are supposed to reduce anxiety, promote relaxation and enhance your mood. It also contains Humulus Lupulus (10mg), Passionflower (5mg) and the common ingredient found in most relaxation drinks, albeit in a lower dosage, Melatonin (1.5mg).

Effects:
Will Marley’s Mellow Mood actually relax you? Only a little. What it will give you, however, is stomach pains. I had this with two other people on the Drinkico team and we all experienced stomach pains and generally didn’t feel very well after drinking Marley’s Mellow Mood. The little relaxation that we felt was most likely a side effect of feeling ill. I would like to mention that it could have been that these drinks had been sitting for a longer than usual period of time, this is due to the variety store we purchased from isn’t overly popular. Though, this is rather unlikely as they had not expired.

Taste:
I love drinks that are berry flavoured. Marley’s Mellow Mood, the Berry flavour, does not taste like berries. There may, at the beginning, be a hint of berry flavouring in there but there’s also a strange, overpowering taste that comes soon after. Try to imagine a watered down cough syrup. I started off not minding the taste, it was unique and not all that sweet. However, with every sip Marley’s Mellow Mood became a little more unbearable and eventually I had to stop drinking it. Not a good taste.

Conclusion:
Oh Marley’s Mellow Mood, how I wanted to love you. If you have some odd desire to try every relaxation drink available, then go for it but it is not with my blessing. If the taste doesn’t make you regret your purchase, than the cramps after you drink it definitely will. That is if you can find somewhere with it in stock.

Scores:
Overall: 3/10
Effects: 2/10
Taste: 3.5/10
Price: $2.29 CAD

Tapout Energy (Cherry Citrus)

Overview:
Tapout Energy is a relatively unknown energy drink on the market and one of the few places I see it available, though I didn’t look very hard, is Short Stop variety stores. Tapout Energy currently comes in three flavours: Cran Orange, Peach Mango, and Cherry Citrus. Personally, I have only had the chance to drink the latter two. An interesting thing about Tapout is they always contain no added sugar. Let’s see how that works out.

Contains:
Tapout contains the usual suspects except with a higher dosage of taurine. It contains 200mg of caffeine and 2000mg taurine, 10 mg of vitamin B6, 20 mcg of vitamin B12, 100mg of panax ginseng root 50mg of Inositol and 225mg of Glucuronolactone.

Effects:
Tapout Energy boosts the amount of caffeine from the standard 160mg to 200mg, so I expected a small boost over other energy drinks. The energy boost I got from Tapout was not fast but rather a very gradual increase, I assume this is because there is no sugar kick. So after drinking a Tapout Energy drink, you should be able to undertake sustained periods of action, whether you are on the poker.de site, or doing something a bit more active like going for a run. Either way, you should notice an improvement in your energy levels.

Taste:
Cherry Citrus, I like the idea of this combination and it tastes pretty good, however I think Peach Mango was much better. This is just be my personal preference though. The Cherry Citrus tasted a bit to sour, it certainly tasted better near the start. Peach Mango was good all the way through.

Conclusion:
This is not an energy drink that attempts to make any great strides, just a company that consumers wanted to make an energy drink as Tapout is often known for their clothing line for fighters. The idea of not having any added sugar is nice, the gradual increase was different and weaker and lacking a sugar kick means there is no crash later either. The downside is that it takes longer for you to feel any effects and when you do, it is not as strong. Tapout should have added more caffeine to balance this out. Overall though, the effects are good and the taste is decent.

Scores:
Overall: 7/10
Effects: 7/10
Taste: 7/10
Price: $2.99 CAD