Rockstar First Start: Mixed Berries

March 24th, 2018

Well, I suppose it’s ok – but nothing special. It’s like they’ve taken the idea from an own-brand (like Asda/Tesco) and then watered it down somewhat. It tastes to me like a weak mixed berry squash. Just like the Orange and Clementine version, it has a natural source of caffeine and contains fruit juice. It’s still my personal opinion that you shouldn’t start the day with an energy drink – your normal healthy diet should come first, therefore I can’t condone the branding choice here. But… if you had to choose a First Start drink, I’d go for the Orange over this Berries one.

Overall Rating:
(3.2/5)
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Caffeine: 32mg/100ml Tags:
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Calories: 6kCal/100ml
Size: 500ml
Sold By: Tesco
Web Site: Click here

Rockstar First Start: Orange Clementine

February 3rd, 2018

I’m trying to figure out what makes First Start different to other Rock Star energy drinks. It says that it derives its caffeine from natural sources (so that’ll be the guarana then, not so unusual), and that it contains 5% fruit juice. I guess it’s that last point that makes it ‘first start’, like it’s supposed to be your morning fruit juice drink possibly? Bad idea if you’re doing that in any case! Anyway, the drink has a nice sweet orange flavour to it, quite sugary tasting yet low in calories. If we ignore the odd/confusing branding choices, it’s a good old stonking sized can of energy drink.

Overall Rating:
(3.2/5)
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Caffeine: 32mg/100ml Tags:
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Calories: 5kCal/100ml
Size: 500ml
Sold By: Tesco
Web Site: Click here

Colossus Zero

January 20th, 2018

Pretty much like its full fat brother, Colossus is Lidl’s attempt to mimic Monster’s branding witha giant ripped-style letter X on the front of the can. I mean, it’s even using the same colours as Monster with green for the original version and blue for this low calorie version.

Overall Rating:
(2.5/5)
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Caffeine: 30mg/100ml Tags:
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Calories: 4kCal/100ml
Size: 500ml
Sold By: Lidl
Web Site:

Kong Strong Sugar Free

January 13th, 2018

Surprisingly this didn’t actually taste anything like the full fat version, it’s almost like a totally different formula. I found it a bit sickly and maybe with a hint of aniseed too, it’s not often I prefer the non-diet version of a particular brand but in this case normal Kong is better.

Overall Rating:
(1.8/5)
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Caffeine: 30mg/100ml Tags:
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Calories: 4kCal/100ml
Size: 250ml
Sold By: Lidl
Web Site:

Asda Blue Charge Diet Orange and Mango

December 30th, 2017

At least the own-brand me-too drink makers are starting to get it right. This one was at least in the ‘ok’ group of drinks. It wasn’t too sweet or sour, but had just the right amount of tang to it.

Overall Rating:
(2.4/5)
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Caffeine: 30mg/100ml Tags:
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Calories: 3kCal/100ml
Size: 250ml
Sold By: Asda
Web Site:

Aspire Mango Lemonade

December 16th, 2017

I drank this one with memories of the other Aspire drinks close to hand… and as I suspected I didn’t enjoy it. It’s really bitter and watery, with no real fruity flavouring or sweetness to it at all. It tastes how you’d expect something really healthy to taste! There’s no tropical or lemon hints there at all, sorry…

Overall Rating:
(1.7/5)
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Caffeine: 32mg/100ml Tags:
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Calories: 0.8kCal/100ml
Size: 250ml
Sold By: Poundland
Web Site: Click here

Emerge Active8 Water: Dragon Fruit

December 2nd, 2017

Of the three new Emerge Active8 flavours that have appeared recently, this is my least favourite. Its full description is “Dragon Fruit Citrus Zing”, and zing is the right word. There’s a tangy bitterness there which I’m not enjoying too much because it leaves a sickly aftertaste. It’s very fruity and strong compared to the other drinks in the range – my recommendation would be to choose one of the other two instead.

Overall Rating:
(3.5/5)
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Caffeine: 30mg/100ml Tags:
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Calories: 3kCal/100ml
Size: 500ml
Sold By: Morrisons
Web Site:

Emerge Active8 Water: Blood Orange and Berry

November 25th, 2017

A really tasty orange flavoured drink. Lightly carbonated and not too strong at all in terms of its flavour. Again, like the Yuzu variety, it’s balanced just right and quite refreshing.

Overall Rating:
(4.2/5)
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Caffeine: 30mg/100ml Tags:
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Calories: 4kCal/100ml
Size: 500ml
Sold By: Morrisons
Web Site:

Moose Juice: Green Apple

November 11th, 2017

Again in the Moose Juice range, I’m really not seeing the point. They’re aimed at gym goers with their added BCAAs and low calorie content, but being in a large can they’re not easily sippable – you have to drink the whole thing in one sitting unless you go to the hassle of decanting to a bottle. They’re also expensive compare to rival energy drinks, and contain ingredients (the BCAAs I mentioned) that you’re likely to have put in your post gym protein shake anyway. It tastes good and has a nice caffeine hit, but overall it’s difficult to see where it fits in a routine.

Overall Rating:
(3.8/5)
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Caffeine: 40mg/100ml Tags:
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Calories: 3kCal/100ml
Size: 500ml
Sold By: Premier Stores
Web Site: Click here