REVIEW OF RUNA

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 120 MILLIGRAMS PER 8.4 OUNCE CAN. 

RATING: 6.9 OUT OF 10. 

     I'm not mysophobic by any means, but I do appreciate it when things are clean. And I think most people would agree. So when I heard of a company that sells a "clean energy drink" I had to see what all the fuss was about, and after a quick email exchange, I acquired some samples. So without further ado, here's what I think of Runa Clean Energy.

     The can itself is certainly very clean and sleek, with its silver 8.4 ounce bullet can. While I have seen better package designs, I do enjoy the simplicity of Runa. As I looked for a flavor on the can, the only thing I could find was the word "original" which leads me to believe that this could either be a Red Bull clone or something very unique. Thankfully, it was the latter. It's very difficult to describe the flavor of this drink, but basically it is an extremely lightly carbonated, lightly flavored beverage. As a matter of fact, you could describe the flavor as clean, like water. While it isn't big on flavor, it still manages to be a refreshing drink.

     With a name like Clean Energy, you'd expect it to have a very limited amount of energy enhancing ingredients, and you'd be right. It does have something called guayusa, which is an all-natural Amazonian leaf that delivers a "clean energy boost." I don't know how much guayusa is in this beverage, but it's enough to yield 120 milligrams of caffeine.

     So now that we know why it's called Clean Energy, the question now is, does it feel like a clean energy boost? I suppose what they mean by a clean boost is that there are no jitters or edginess. If that's the case, then yes, it did it's job.

     With all the lawsuits that are happening to the big energy drink companies, a drink like this is actually a smart idea. It doesn't really make sense for companies to cram in every single chemical that ends in -ine into their drink, so Runa just went with what works: Caffeine. From guayusa of course. In a nutshell, I like the drink, and I can't wait to review the other flavor they sent me.

REVIEW OF ROCKSTAR SUPERSOURS GREEN APPLE

CAFFEINE CONTENT: 240 MILLIGRAMS PER 16 OUNCE CAN. 

RATING: 7.3 OUT OF 10.

      First of all, I'd like to apologize for not reviewing anything for nearly 2 months. I have been on quite a long review hiatus, but rest assured this site has not been discontinued. Not yet, at least. I won't review products nearly as often as I used to based on the lack of samples and the absence of new products at my local grocery store. However, I did manage to find one drink that I haven't evaluated yet: Rockstar SuperSours Green Apple. I enjoyed the blueberry flavor, so let's see if Green Apple can step up to the plate.

     If you've ever tasted any of the SuperSours drinks, the first thing you'll notice is an absence of any detectable sourness. Of course, you wouldn't want to drink anything sour so I could see the logic behind not making it a sour flavor profile. Nevertheless, it still has that sweet and tart green apple flavor reminiscent of Jolly Ranchers. If sweetness isn't your cup of tea, then I suggest you skip this one. On the other hand, anyone who loves an artificial green apple flavor will be jonesing for more of this stuff. Personally, I fall into the later category, so I happened to enjoy the flavor, even if it did taste like liquefied Jolly Ranchers.

     Inside a can of Rockstar SuperSours Green Apple we have 200 percent daily value of niacin, 200 percent daily value of vitamin b6, 200 percent daily value of vitamin b12, 200 percent daily value of pantothenic acid, 2,000 milligrams of taurine, 240 milligrams of caffeine, and an undisclosed amount of inositol, milk thistle, panax ginseng, and guarana. All things considered, this looks like your standard Rockstar blend, only with 50 percent more caffeine.

     After consuming one of these bad boys, you should feel a pretty hefty jolt of energy. With 50 percent more caffeine than your favorite energy drink (which is probably Monster), it will easily provide a much more potent effect. From my personal experience, I would say that this is definitely stronger than Monster or even the original Rockstar.

     While I don't fully understand the marketing tactics behind a drink that looks and tastes like only 13-16 year olds would consume it, I still believe that this is a pretty good energy drink. Sure, it does have some flaws, such as the flavor can get annoyingly sweet after you're 2/3rds of the way through the can. All in all though, I'd still give this drink one thumb up.