REVIEW OF RELENTLESS

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 197 MILLIGRAMS PER 16 OUNCE CAN.

RATING: 7.8 OUT OF 10.

     During my Big Lots Energy Drink Raid I acquired quite a special beverage. Relentless Energy Drink, from the United Kingdom. The version I am reviewing is the American version but I believe it is basically the same drink. The packaging is very creative and probably one of the best looking energy drinks I have seen in a while. I especially love the font of the word "Relentless." Just look at the photograph and you'll see what I mean.

     Now, Relentless is one of those energy drinks that do not wish to divulge the flavor on the front of the can, so I had no idea what it would taste like. Turns out, this drink is very different than what you're used to having. The first sip reminded me of a traditional energy drink, but it had something extra, something I can't put my finger on. EDJunkie says "it has that classic energy drink taste but then at the finish it has more of a citrus flavor than your typical energy drink." Possessed by Caffeine describes it as "a bit sour (not bitter) and a bit citrus....[it almost has] a citrus vanilla flavor." I do agree with the added citrus flavor, and if you are looking for something unique, I suggest you pick one of these up at your local Big Lots for 70 cents.

     Before I tell you how much of a kick Relentless gave me, let's check out what its packing under the hood. It has 200 percent daily value of niacin, 200 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 200 percent daily value of vitamin b12, 50 percent daily value of pantothenic acid, 1,888 milligrams of taurine, 197 milligrams of caffeine, along with yerba mate extract and guarana extract. 

     So it isn't quite as good of an energy blend as the Rumba Energy Juice I tried yesterday, but it does provide a more powerful kick. The only problem is, it did not last as long as Rumba, which again is most likely due to the lack of energy enhancing ingredients in Relentless. The tried-and-true Monster Energy Blend that is put into Rumba packs a lot of energy ingredients, where as Relentless only has b vitamins, caffeine, taurine, and a little bit of yerba mate and guarana. So, if you want a long lasting energy drink, go for Rumba. If you want a quick jolt, go for Relentless.

     Overall, I was fairly impressed with Relentless. I will admit I am not the biggest fan of the flavor, but I will give it a few extra tenths of a point for being unique. Also, the energy blend gets the job done and nails all of the energy drink essentials, although it could use some other ingredients. The effects also gets the job done, however its duration is not as long as some of the other energy drinks I have tried. I'll give it a 7.8 out of 10. 

REVIEW OF RUMBA

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 170 MILLIGRAMS PER 15.5 OUNCE CAN.

RATING: 8.4 OUT OF 10.


     Good afternoon everyone, today I've got a great review for you, but before I get into that I would like to update you on some site news. First of all, Energy Product of the Month will no longer exist, but instead there will be Energy Products of the Year. Why am I doing this? It's simply due to the fact that I only get to review 2 or 3 drinks a month, and comparing only 3 drinks is way too simple. In other news, a Big Lots has opened in my city, and I have acquired 3 drinks that I will be reviewing: Rumba, Relentless, and Havoc. First up, Rumba.

     The very first characteristic you notice about Rumba is its packaging. Rumba uses bright and engaging fonts and a vivid color scheme to draw attention to itself. It also states right on the label that it is 100 percent juice. Those juices are apple, orange, peach, tangerine, pineapple, white grape, and passionfruit. Taking a sip, I get completely bombarded with a cornucopia of fruit juices, not one of them taking a front seat. It makes a lot of sense though, since this is really a bunch of fruit juices that are amalgamated together to create a unique flavor experience. And it sure is unique. In my opinion I have had energy drinks that taste better than this, but if there was an award for "This Does Not Taste Like an Energy Drink At All" this would win it hands down. If you love 100 percent juice drinks, pick yourself up a Rumba.

     When I first looked at the energy blend provided in Rumba Energy Juice, I noticing something a little interesting. I thought "where have I seen this energy blend before? Oh, I know, it is the same blend that is used in Monster." That's right, it's the same blend, and here it is: 191 percent daily value of vitamin c, 191 percent daily value of vitamin b2, 191 percent daily value of vitamin b3, 191 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 191 percent daily value of vitamin b12, 1,910 milligrams of taurine, 382 milligrams of panax ginseng, and a 4,771 milligram energy blend consisting of glucose, caffeine, guarana seed extract, l-carnitine, glucuronolactone, inositol, and maltodextrin. Not to shabby! My only complaint is that it does seem rather high in sugar, about 32 grams per 8 ounce serving (61 grams per can) compared to Monster's 27 grams per 8 ounce serving.

     With the same energy blend as a traditional Monster, the kick was pretty respectable. I chugged this in the morning while I ate breakfast and I didn't feel bad about doing it because it was a 100 percent juice drink and complimented by bowl of Mini Wheats quite well. The buzz came on about 20-30 minutes later and kept me awake through most of the school day. It is nothing too substantial, but like I said earlier, it was respectable.

     Overall, I have to say I was impressed with Rumba's performance. The flavor was fantastic and tasted like nothing I have tried before, the energy blend is from Monster so you can't go wrong there, and the effects were definitely noticeable. I'll give it a solid 8.4 out of 10.

REVIEW OF ABB DIET TURBO PUNCH

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 90 MILLIGRAMS PER 18 OUNCE CAN. 

RATING: 6.2 OUT OF 10.


     When you think of American Body Building, you tend to think of guys who eat anabolic-androgenic steroids for breakfast and have 36 inch biceps with veins that make it look like a map of San Francisco. But despite ABB's hardcore line of drinks, like this one and this one and this one, they do have a softer side with their anytime energy drinks. These drinks include Diet Turbo Tea, Diet Turbo Lemonade, and Diet Turbo Punch. Let's check out the Turbo Punch, shall we?

     Well they may downsize the caffeine content quite a bit, but this packaging still means business. What worries me is that the word "diet" is in the name, which means it should taste like a Sucralose-laden mess. Not this one though. The flavor is extremely sweet, almost like drinking a liquefied sucker. Sure it may sound unappetizing, but trust me on this. American Body Building nailed the flavor pretty nicely.

     Well since this is their non-hardcore energy drink, it shouldn't have all of those crazy ingredients, right? You bet. All it has is green tea extract, guarana extract, and Korean ginseng. The total caffeine content from all sources is a modest 90 milligrams. To be honest, 90 milligrams is nothing when you're talking about an 18 ounce drink. That means this drink is less concentrated than a Vault (my first review, enjoy).

     So with that lack of caffeine, the effectiveness of the drink should be pretty lackluster right? Once again, you bet. American Body Building Diet Turbo Punch is in no way a powerful drink. I don't think I noticed hardly anything after I consumed the contents of the bottle. They need to make this into an energy shot so the caffeine is more concentrated. I mean, a bottle of Speed Stack has 250 milligrams of caffeine, now that is what I am talking about. This thing though, not so much.

     Overall, this new member of the anytime energy line-up has a great flavor, albeit it is very sweet. It also stays true to its promise of being an anytime energy drink by not putting in crazy ingredients. However, due to its low caffeine content, the kick is not up to par. Personally, I'd go for one of their hardcore energy drinks. Just make sure you consume it wisely, those drinks can be pretty powerful. 6.2 out of 10.