Powerade Energy Orange

Imagine a Vitamin C tablet, one of those chewable ones that you only eat when you have a cold. That’s the type of orange flavour that this drink has. It’s considerably stronger in flavour and caffeine than its rival, Lucozade, and personally I don’t think it tastes as good, but it does of course wake you up much more!

LSV

Another bargain basement Red Bull clone. One swig of this drink made me clench my teeth together and inhale sharply. It was quite abrasive to the throat at first but I soon got used to it. Yup, the taste is a little on the sharp side. Having said that, there are a lot worse out there and this one is placed somewhere in the middle.

Asda Blue Charge Diet Cranberry

A bit too strange for my liking. It had the same background flavour as Asda’s normal Blue Charge but with a very faint taste of cranberry and coloured slightly red. I assume this has been designed as a mixer, and I could imagine this going down well with a bit of Vodka in, but sadly not on its own merit. It is diet (I couldn’t find a non-diet version of this on the shelves) so that will probably appeal to people after a low-calorie energy drink with a difference, and at a nice low price (tapping rear trouser pocket / wearing hard-hat to avoid falling prices, etc…).

No Fear

Forget about the drink for a minute, check out the can. It’s resealable! This has got to be one of the greatest inventions so far of the 21st century. It’s pretty watertight and can withstand being held upside down and shaken with ease.

“Have No Fear, Show No Fear”, that’s what it says on the can. I can’t say for certain that I felt no fear after drinking this, mainly because I’m not sure I was in a suitable scenario which would test the aforementioned fear-resistance-boosting properties, but what I can say is that it tasted very nice. It’s a Red Bull Clone, but a very syrupy-sweet one that is easy on the way down. No nasty after-tastes, no bitter or sour flavourings, just a pleasant and sweet pick-me-up.

Mountain Dew Voltage

Another can from Americandy imported from the US. Described on the can as “Charged with Raspberry Citrus Flavor and Ginseng” it is certainly unusual. Apparently it was created as the result of a national vote and it is definitely an unusual flavour. It’s very refreshing as per Mountain Dew original but with an obvious raspberry flavour. Lower in caffeine that a normal energy drink, but with enough to count! If only they sold this in the UK… (hint, hint Pepsico). Unlike original Mountain Dew, this drink is blue in colour which should give a clear indication that it won’t taste the same, but of course that means it contains Mountain Dew’s trademark food colouring ingredients!

Asda Blue Charge

Asda’s own brand of energy drink is an obvious Red Bull clone, but where it differs from most is its lacking of the sour taste usually associated with these imitation products. Blue Charge tastes quite fruity by comparison and even manages a similar smoothness as Red Bull. The ingredients list specific vegetable concentrates of Apple, Carrot and Hibiscus. I’m assuming it is this concentrated mixture that gives Blue Charge its key flavour, which sadly isn’t that nice! The smoothness of the flavour and not necessarily the flavour itself is what contributes significantly to the Red Bull experience and I’m confident that Asda are aware that they are capable of producing a direct clone of Red Bull and have adjusted their final product slightly to avoid lawsuits because this drink tastes like a deliberate attempt to change the flavour subtly. Sadly though, it’s a very smooth drink with nasty taste.

Mountain Dew

The original US Mountain Dew is my favourite drink ever so obviously it’ll get full marks for taste and originality! This can was purchased in a store called Americandy in Cardiff who specialise in imported American produce. It’s sadly not widely available in the UK with the inferior Mountain Dew Energy being the flavour touted over here. Jammed full of high fructose corn syrup and concentrated orange juice, this proper Mountain Dew is possibly the best thing in the world ever apart from chocolate.

The taste is slightly of citrus but not sharp in any way at all and the colour is the trademark fluorescent yellow. It doesn’t have a huge caffeine hit but that’s not what this drink is all about. It’s full of sugar, a bit of caffeine, but mainly it is nice and refreshing especially on a hot day.

Emerge Stimulation Shot

Nice. Quite sweet considering this is an energy shot, which are usually very bitter. It perked me up and didn’t make me feel like I’d just downed a dose of medicine. Sadly I can only find this shot as part of a pack of 4, but it’s not that expensive by comparison with other shots.

Rockstar Energy

Rockstar Energy has a distinct and quite synthetic taste. It’s a pleasant tasting drink with a hefty kick of caffeine and sugars… totalling 60 calories per 100ml that puts it at the potent end of sugar rushes. The can’s design does make it look like you are drinking a can of lager, which could cause raised eyebrows in your office should you choose to consume it there – be prepared to explain it away. I think that has something to do with the black can with a gold star on it. It doesn’t have a great aftertaste, but the drinking experience overall is quite good. Keep it cold because the taste starts to go downhill once it warms up.