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.

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.

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.

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.

Relentless Inferno (Orange)

Does anyone remember being given Calpol as a child? I’m not talking about the original purple liquid, I mean the Calpol for older children. It was orange flavoured and drinking Relentless Inferno immediately reminded me of orange Calpol. That’s no t a bad thing, but it’s the most accurate way I can describe the flavour. It doesn’t have the usual background taste of Relentless at all, it just has a very sweet syrupy orange flavour. It gets quite sickly towards the end of the huge can, and is not ideal as a refreshing drink for a hot day. I’d suggest it is suitable for sipping slowly over a few hours while working away at your coursework or latest project deadline… slow is the key here.

Emerge Light

Like its calorific cousin, Emerge Light is another Red Bull clone. Maybe it was the mood I was in at the time, but I preferred this low calorie version to the full fat. Of course, this now means I need to do a side-by-side taste comparison to be totally sure. Sadly though, there still isn’t much to discuss about this drink as it doesn’t stand out at all from amongst the crowd.

Lucozade Energy Orange

Much better! It’s still a very watered down flavour, but the subtle orange masks the underlying fizzy sugared water taste of the original Lucozade nicely. Quite refreshing and pleasant to drink, but lacking the caffeinated kick of a conventional energy drink. I’d suggest this is suitable for drinking later in the day if you need a short-lived pick-me-up which won’t stop you getting to sleep later that evening.