REVIEW OF VUKA RENEW

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 160 MILLIGRAMS PER 16 OUNCE BOTTLE.


RATING: 7.6 OUT OF 10.


Vuka's line-up of functional drinks has done well thus far. Let's see if my 190th review has a good rating. Vuka Renew comes in a light green, solid aluminum bottle. When I untwist the cap and take a sip, my taste buds are greeted with a lightly carbonated mixture of mango and peach. It does have some bitterness in my opinion. The flavor is unique but not the tastiest drink I have ever had. It also gave me cottonmouth, something I don't enjoy getting from energy drinks. Like I have stated many times before, each Vuka flavor has different ingredients depending on what formula it is. This is Renew, so it has the following energy boosting ingredients: 200 percent daily value of vitamin b3, 200 percent daily value of vitamin b5, 200 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 200 percent daily value of vitamin b12, 2,000 milligrams of taurine, 160 milligrams of caffeine, 100 milligrams of d-ribose, 100 milligrams of panax ginseng root extract, and 50 milligrams of grape seed extract. The ingredient that is unique to the rest of the line-up is d-ribose. According to wikipedia, d-ribose is "an organic compound with formula C5H10O5; specifically a monosaccharide (simple sugar) with linear form H-(C=O)-(CHOH)4-H, which has all the hydroxyl groups on the same side in the Fischer projection." In simpler, less confusing terms, it is a simple sugar. The purpose of Vuka Renew is too restore energy levels at a time during the day when you need a second wind. Say your morning coffee buzz is wearing off and you are starting to get sleepy again. I tried Vuka Renew simply because I wanted to. I didn't really need a second wind, I was only tired. This delivered an average kick in the pants that lasted about 4 hours. I can see why someone would use this as an afternoon pick-me-up. Overall, this is a pretty good product. 7.6 out of 10.

REVIEW OF PROVITA

CAFFEINE CONTENT: UNKNOWN. 


RATING: 7.3 OUT OF 10.

Coming from Plano, Texas this 2.9 ounce shot contains a massive 42 grams of protein from hydrolyzed collagenic protein isolate, whey protein isolate, and casein protein isolate. It actually contains an unheard of (for this size of a drink) 170 calories. Recently I have become a fan of protein shakes, but never got any because they were too expensive. Thanks to this blog, and to the fine folks at Provita, I received two 12 packs for free. My real concern was in the flavor. 42 grams of protein is seriously a lot. Even the protein powders you see at GNC usually don't pack that much. Provita has managed to cram it into 2.9 ounces of liquid, which gets me thinking how many ounces is equal to 42 grams? As it turns out 42 grams is about 1.5 ounces. And the other 1.4 ounces is water, caffeine, taurine, and 17 vitamins and minerals. So what happens to the flavor when a drink is basically half protein. The first thing I noticed was the thickness. It has the consistency of a smoothie so slamming it quickly wasn't easy. I also noticed an overwhelming sweetness to try to mask the protein flavor. Thankfully this was only 3 ounces because I'm not sure I could handle more. I will give them credit for creating a palatable beverage that jams in that much protein. If this was even an 8 ounce energy drink, I would dump about half of it down the sink. Sorry, but it really isn't my cup of tea. The energy blend is primarily a mixture of 1,194 milligrams of taurine, caffeine, and l-trytophan, which is the ingredient that explains why people get sleepy after eating a lot of turkey. It also contains 17 vitamins and minerals: vitamin a, vitamin c, vitamin d3, vitamin e, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin b6, folic acid, vitamin b12, biotin, pantothenic acid, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, chromium, and sodium. Not to mention it has nearly unpronounceable ingredients such as cholecalciferol and retinyl acetate. And while were at it, what in the world is cholecalciferol and retinyl acetate. According to Wikipedia, cholecalciferol is vitamin d3. Ok, that explains that one in a huge way. Retinyl acetate is vitamin a. So these are just fancy names for vitamins, kind of like cyanocobalamin and pyridoxine hydrochloride are vitamins b12 and b3 respectively. The caffeine content is masks beneath the cup of coffee nonsense. Seriously, coffee can vary from 60 to 200 milligrams according to Mayo Clinic. Regardless of what the caffeine content is, this worked like a charm. I found myself playing outside more often than inside. When I played basketball, I noticed that I had more energy and was less tired. It actually lasted quite a while, coming close to the advertised 6 hours. My only complaint with this drink is the foul flavor. 7.3 out of 10.

REVIEW OF VUKA THINK

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 160 MILLIGRAMS PER 16 OUNCE BOTTLE.

RATING: 8.5 OUT OF 10.


Where do I even start? Today with crazy and hectic all the way through. The schedule was mixed up and despite it being high school, people still dressed up for halloween. I even got in trouble on the bus for no good reason. And when I say "no good reason", I actually mean it. I really need to start taking drivers training. Thankfully through all of this craziness, I was aided by the Think drink from Vuka. This comes in the solid aluminum 16 ounce bottle like all the other Vukas. The bottle is painted a lovely purple. Unfortunately, the price of this beverage is quite expensive. It costs $3.50 for 1 bottle, $14.00 for a 4 pack, and a 12 pack will set you back $36.00. However, Vuka fits into the category of gourmet energy drink or high end energy drink so it should be more expensive. The flavor is listed as pomegranate lychee. Now I have had pomegranate juice before, but I have never had a lychee. When I took a sip, I noticed their was a pomegranate flavor coming in along with something extra which must have been lychee. It is very tasty and extremely light on the carbonation. It is definitely unique and not something you would see everyday. What's cool about Vuka is every drink has different ingredients for different energy needs. This is the Think version so it has 100 percent daily value of vitamin b3,  100 percent daily value of vitamin b5, 100 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 100 percent daily value of vitamin b12, 160 milligrams of natural caffeine from coffee beans, 100 milligrams of gingko biloba leaf extract, 100 milligrams of panax ginseng root extract, 50 milligrams of grape seed extract, and 50 milligrams of dimethylaminoethanol bitartrate (better known as DMAE Bitartrate). Unlike the Awaken version, this contains no juice, only natural flavors. All right, let's get to the kick. I was looking for a boost in alertness and focus from this drink. I have to say it worked pretty well although I think the effects might be a placebo. I felt like I was a little bit more focused in tougher subjects such as Concepts of Algebra Two. I also felt more attentive in a small meeting I had to go to. Overall, I was impressed with Vuka Think. I liked the unique yet delicious flavor and I like the their attention to quality. 8.5 out of 10.

REVIEW OF ED HARDY ENERGY MINTS

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 20 MILLIGRAMS PER MINT.

Courtesy of Chemical Evolution

RATING: 6.8 OUT OF 10.


Bawls, Mpower, Foosh, Penguin, VoJo, XTZ, and M-60. What do all of these have in common? They all make mints with caffeine in them. The caffeine levels in energy mints can vary from a measly 2.2 milligrams all the way to Mpower's 120 milligrams, which is the most caffeinated mint on the market. I have tried just 2 energy mints and I was impressed with both. Today I'll be taking a look at Ed Hardy Energy Mints, manufactured by Eat Hearty. It comes in an altoid style red box with a bulldog on the cover. On the back, it states that 5 mints equals 100 milligrams of caffeine. They are about the size of an altoid, but they are more lustrous and don't have that intense mint flavor. The mint flavor was at a lower level than I would have liked it, but at least it didn't have any medicinal flavor. In my opinion, it was a pretty good energy mint. Since these have 20 milligrams of caffeine per mint, presumably from guarana, I ate about 10 of these in one sitting, and then had around 2 more at lunch, making a total of 240 milligrams. I thought the first 200 milligrams worked pretty well and lasted me until lunch. At lunch I took two more mints to power me through the rest of my insane school day. And by insane, I mean we had two tornado warnings, half of third and fifth hour were basically erased, lunch times were screwed up, and everyone started to question why we even came in the first place. I apologize for this review being so darn short but it's just an average energy mint with guarana and maybe some ginseng. I would rather take 2 or 3 Foosh Mints instead of 10 or 12 Ed Hardy Mints. Here is a sneak peek at what I will be trying next: Ed Hardy Coffee Rocks, Vuka Workout, Vuka Think, Vuka Renew, Provita, Provita Chill, Provita Slim, Wave Sugar Free, and if the samples get here, I will try my first energy gum and also take a look at an energy drink called Caffeine. 6.8 out of 10.

REVIEW OF ED HARDY CHOCOLATE ROCKS

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 600 MILLIGRAMS PER 1.40 OUNCE BOX.


RATING: 9.5 OUT OF 10.


I have always been a big fan of chocolate covered coffee beans. Ever since I first tried Crackheads, I have loved these candies ever since. Ed Hardy Chocolate Rocks are a little bit different. The are not chocolate covered coffee beans, or chocolate covered anything for that matter. They are decadent pieces of semi-sweet chocolate, and are one of the tastiest things I have ever ate. They were so "addictive" that I ate the entire box, barely able to pace myself. So that's basically it for flavor. Now, one 1.4 ounce box, which isn't that big contains 600 milligrams of caffeine. Not 6, not 60, but 600. To put that into perspective that is 7.5 Red Bulls worth of caffeine, or 3.75 cans of Monster. No matter how you look at it, 600 milligrams is a serious amount of caffeine. My advice is to spot at half the box. They get the caffeine from Guarana Seed Extract, because this is just a ball of semi-sweet chocolate, rather than a coffee bean. I really don't know what else to say about the energy ingredients. It's just an ultra amount of caffeine, and to be honest, my consuming of the whole box was more idiotic than anything else, even though I hardly had any side effects. You might become uncomfortably jittery. Ok, since I don't want this post to my almost laughably short, I will elongate my experience with these chocolates. The weird thing is, these babies take a while to kick in. I took about 30 to 40 minutes to feel the full effects. It started of as a basic medium level boost, and when it peaked, let's say I was content, but not exactly impressed. With that much caffeine, I should have been wired out of my mind, and yet I wasn't. Just a side note, please do not comment on how you consumed 3 pots of coffee in one sitting or drank 10 Red Bulls in an hour. I'm not entirely sure if caffeine has anything to do with weight but I am 5 foot 6.5 and 107 pounds (I know, I am skinny, blame my metabolism or my family genes. I eat food.) Anyway, these chocolates absolutely rock. They taste ridiculously good, they have insane amounts of caffeine, and they deliver a pretty nice kick in the pants. 9.5 out of 10.

REVIEW OF VUKA AWAKEN

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 160 MILLIGRAMS PER 16 OUNCE BOTTLE.


RATING: 7 OUT OF 10.

Ever since I first saw a photograph of Vuka, I knew I had to have it. Thankfully, Vuka was kind enough to send me samples of their 4 flavors: Awaken, Think, Workout, and Renew. Today I will be covering Vuka Awaken. Awaken comes in a beautiful orange 16 ounce hard aluminum bottle. The flavor is orange, but it has other juices such as white grape, apple, and pear. When I took a sip, I was hit with a pleasant orange flavor along with other fruit flavors and some bitterness. Since this energy drink is so sophisticated, you would assume that it would have 100 percent juice. Unfortunately, it doesn't. It has 50 percent juice which is somewhat of a bummer. Still, the overall non-carbonated orange flavor was pretty good. Each flavor of Vuka has different energy ingredients for all of your certain energy needs. This one is called Awaken, so it is formulated to jolt you out of any morning grogginess. For one 16 ounce can of Vuka Awaken, this has: 200 percent daily value of vitamin b3, 200 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 200 percent daily value of vitamin b12, 200 percent daily value of pantothenic acid, 160 milligrams of natural caffeine, 50 milligrams of panax ginseng root extract, 50 milligrams of white tea polyphenols, and 50 milligrams of grape seed extract. What I'm wondering is where they get 160 milligrams of natural caffeine. This drink contains no guarana, which is normally used for natural caffeine. The only caffeine containing ingredient is white tea polyphenols, and I don't think 50 milligrams is going to yield that much caffeine. So I wonder where they get it? So, did this awaken me out of my morning sluggishness? Well, a little bit. I did feel a slight kick from this, but not much. Keep in mind, everyone's body reacts differently to caffeine, so just because I think it didn't work very well doesn't mean it won't work for you. Overall, I though my first experience with Vuka went fairly good. 7 out of 10. Also, take a look at the energy products that I will be reviewing in the near future: Provita, Provita Chill, Provita Slim, Vuka Think, Vuka Renew, Vuka Workout, Ed Hardy Chocolate Rocks, Ed Hardy Coffee Rocks, Ed Hardy Energy Mints, and Wave Sugar Free. I am also expecting samples from Vibe Gum.

REVIEW OF WAVE

CAFFEINE CONTENT: UNKNOWN.

RATING: 7.6 OUT OF 10.


I noticed that a lot of others reviewers evaluated Wave Energy Drink and they all seemed to enjoy it. I contacted Wave and they were kind enough to send samples. To start, the can is blue and silver with a wave graphic on it. The color of the drink is crimson, for "sophistication" and it comes in the typical 16 ounce aluminum can. As for the flavor, it appears that Wave took Red Bull as their base and removed most of the gumminess and bitterness. Then they added what might be a mixed berry flavor. I definitely prefer this over a Red Bull. It is not medicinal and goes down very smoothly. Wave boasts about their high vitamin b content, so let's take a look at their energy blend. It has 28 percent daily value of vitamin b1, 172 percent daily value of vitamin b2, 192 percent daily value of vitamin b3, 480 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 96 percent daily value of vitamin b12, 96 percent daily value of vitamin b5, and 1,140 milligrams worth of energy blend that consists of taurine, caffeine, inositol, l-lysine, choline bitartrate and guarana seed extract. You get all of this with a whopping 300 calories and 70 grams of sugar. Unfortunately, the makers of Wave are not willing to disclose their caffeine content. However, they state that Wave has a lower caffeine content than the main energy drinks. All I know is that it is lower than 160 milligrams so based on the information given my best guess is around 120 to 140 milligrams. I honestly do not know why some companies refuse to give out their caffeine content and I'm not just speaking to the makers of Wave. What exactly are you trying to hide from us? Do you think we're going to make fun of you because you have a low caffeine content? If anybody from any company that doesn't disclose caffeine content reads this review, I encourage you to comment below the post. Before this turns into a huge rant, I'm going to talk about the effect Wave had on me. Since this drink contains a lower caffeine content, I didn't expect much. I received a moderate jolt similar to drinking a small cup of arabica coffee. The effect lasted the usual 3 hours. Overall, I am impressed with Wave. I thought the flavor was smooth, the blend was adequate and the kick was decent. 7.6 out of 10.

REVIEW OF GO FAST LIGHT

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 162 MILLIGRAMS PER 16 OUNCE CAN.

RATING: 7.5 OUT OF 10.


Today I will be taking a look at the low calorie, zero carb, and sugar free version of Go Fast, named Go Fast Light. When I cracked open the can and took a sip, I realized that the flavor was the traditional Go Fast flavor, which is a lemon-citrus, but it was partially ruined by the artificial flavor sucralose. It had that "diet" flavor to it. Those of you who drink Diet Coke will know what I'm talking about. It actually says "with no diet aftertaste" right on the can, and I have to disagree. However, for a diet energy drink it isn't that bad, but I'd rather have a Monster Lo-Carb or Rockstar Zero Carb. Go Fast does in fact have an extensive list of energy ingredients. Per can it has 200 percent daily value of riboflavin, 200 percent daily value of vitamin b3, 300 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 260 percent daily value of vitamin b12, 200 percent daily value of pantothenic acid, 2,000 milligrams of taurine, 182 milligrams of ribose, 162 milligrams of caffeine, 500 milligrams of ginseng extract, 150 milligrams of guarana extract, 150 milligrams of gingko extract, 50 milligrams of inositol, and 100 milligrams of milk thistle herb extract. A total of over 3,000 milligrams of energy inducing ingredients. It's always nice when an energy drink states their caffeine content right in the nutrition facts. Anyway, let's move on to the kick. About 20 to 30 minutes after consuming the 16 ounce beverage, I started to feel a medium boost of energy. It stayed like that for roughly 3 or 4 hours and had no crash. Overall, Go Fast Light doesn't bring anything no to the table, and I would rather have a Monster Lo-Carb. 7.5 out of 10.

REVIEW OF EX SLIM

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 80 MILLIGRAMS PER 8.4 OUNCE CAN.

RATING: 6.9 OUT OF 10.


It seems like these healthy energy drinks are becoming more and more prominent. Here we have EX Slim, the low calorie, low carb, and sugar free version of EX Pure. I remember when I first tried EX Pure and I recall that I could not pinpoint the flavor. It's the same with this one. Basically, if you like the flavor of Kombucha Tea, you will like this. What does this drink taste like? I couldn't really tell you. It is sweetened with Sucralose and the flavor was thankfully not overwhelmed by the artificial sweetener. The overall flavor isn't really sweet. It's sort of like Verve, only it doesn't have that carrot juice flavor. Since this is a healthy energy drink, I expected it to have some quality energy boosting ingredients. It has 83 percent daily value of vitamin c, 74 percent daily value of vitamin b3, 83 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 41 precent daily value of folic acid, 50 percent daily value of vitamin b5, 300 milligrams of kombucha tea extract, 80 milligrams of natural caffeine, and 50 milligrams of panax ginseng root extract. I like the vitamin c, although I wish it had 100 percent daily value instead of 83 percent, and I like the addition of kombucha. But what is Kombucha? According to the can, Kombucha is an ancient healthy food culture containing organic acids, probiotics, acids and enzymes that helps your body find its natural balance, which promotes overall well-being. So there you have it. Now let's move on to the kick. I have a high tolerance for caffeine so I did not expect a lot from 80 milligrams of caffeine. Shortly after drinking the contents of the can, I started to feel less tired. I was still a bit lethargic, but EX Slim took off that edge so I could be awakened. The buzz had no real peak or crash and it was at a low to mid-level. Overall, EX Slim is a decent energy drink. It has a palatable flavor, a nice little blend, and a decent boost. 6.9 out of 10.

REVIEW OF UP! BERRY

CAFFEINE CONTENT: UNKNOWN.

RATING: 8.2 OUT OF 10.


Well, there you go. I just performed a Brett Favre. After 19 days of "retirement", I am back reviewing energy products. Perhaps I just needed a rest after reviewing 26 energy drinks in a month. You can also check out my other blog at addictedtorootbeer.blogspot.com which has reviews of root beers, birch beers, sarsaparillas, and similar products. If your a fan of root beer, you should check it out. Also, I would like to address my hit counter. If you look, you'll notice it says 787. That is because I reset the hit counter for some odd reason. I can assure you that it is over 30,000 unique views. I also think that this would be a good time to thank all of my viewers. It means so much to me when you comment on my posts, even if it is a derogatory statement. I also want to personally thank Edjunkie, Possessed by Caffeine, Caffeine-A-Holic, Band'd Designs, What I Drink at Work, Energy Heaven, and all the other blogs that have put me on their link list and made me part of the "energy drink review family". Now, let's get cracking on the review of Up! Berry. I reviewed the grape flavor of Up! on September 25, and I didn't enjoy it very much. I thought the taste was fine but the kick was lack-luster. Hopefully that will change with Up! Berry. When I unscrewed the cap and slammed it down, my palate was greeted with a nice mixed berry flavor. I thought it tasted better than 5 Hour Energy and it did not have that bite. Overall, it was a pretty good shot and it did not require a chaser. Now let's talk energy enhancing ingredients. Per bottle, this shot has 100 percent daily value of niacin, 2,000 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 100 percent daily value of folic acid, 8,333 percent daily value of vitamin b12, and a 2,125 milligrams energy blend consisting of taurine, malic acid, caffeine, glucuronolactone, n-acetyl, l-tyrosine, and l-phenylalanine. The caffeine content is "as much as a cup of brewed coffee". The only reason they don't put the actual amount is because people can't relate to 150 or 200 milligrams. But if they see "as much as a cup of coffee" then it will make more sense. For us energy drink reviewers, it's a pain in the butt. The last time I had Up!, I took it before a workout and it didn't effect me at all. So instead I took it before school to see if it helped me there. And sure enough, it warded off the morning grogginess and woke me up for 1st hour. The buzz was at a mid-high level and lasted until 5th hour. Overall, this shot did a lot better than it's grape flavored counterpart. 8.2 out of 10.