Magic Man - 9.3

I have moved away from the United States, and am now living it up in Germany!  Finding this energy drink, Magic Man, was a definite treat to find at my local Rewe supermarket here in Cologne.  Magic Man delivers everything you could want from an energy drink.  To begin with, it is packaged in a screw top bottle.  Personally, this is my favorite.  I like being able to top it back off and put it back in the fridge for later.  Also, one huge (literally) factor is the size of this bottle.  The smallest size comes in 500ml (16.9oz) which is definitely enough for one go.  Magic Man also comes in a 2 Liter bottle!  This is actually the first time I have ever seen this happen.  This is the perfect option for having a party and needing a good mixer.  

The next factor which is very important is the taste.  Magic Man has the same sort of energy drink taste like a red bull, but I definitely wouldn't call it a red bull copy.  It is very sweet, lightly carbonated, but instead of a mostly berry flavor, like red bull, it has a bit more of a tropical fruit sort of taste to it, but it is definitely not overwhelming.  Drinking the entire 500ml was no hard task, and was completely enjoyable.

The last factor that I am considering when giving Magic Man a score of 9.3 is probably the best thing about this drink.  The price is phenomenal.  Granted, it is in euros, which is doing a bit better than the US Dollar at the moment, one 500ml bottle costs 49 cents!  It is actually quite astounding.  The even more astounding part about it, is with Germany's recycling system, you get cash back for your bottles when you bring it back to the store.  For this bottle, you get 25 cents back.  That means that this energy drink costs less that 25 cents!  The 2 liter bottle costs 1.50, which is definitely another good deal.  

With the great taste, great packaging, huge size, and best of all, a cheap price, I am a definite fan of Magic Man energy drink, and I am sure I'll be drinking a lot of it in the future!  

Vitamin Energy (Dragonfruit) - 8.7

I was actually rather surprised at seeing an energy drink by Glaceau piggybacking the same brand name as Vitamin Water. When a consumer thinks of Vitamin Water, they probably percieve a drink that is a healthy hydrating alternative that is low in sugar and supplemented with necessary vitamins. However, with energy drinks, a consumer probably is not thinking about making a "healthy" beverage choice. With that said, marketing an energy drink under the umbrella of Vitamin Water is nothing short of genius, giving an energy drink a healthy perception that so many others have tried, seemingly without success.

I purchased the can at $1.99, but in a 16oz can. The drink contains the normal energy components such as taurine, ribose, vitamins B and C, and contains "natural" caffeine. I haven't done any research on what makes caffeine natural, or if it even matters, but that's what the can says. Just like the Vitamin Water brand, Vitamin Energy contains "all natural" ingredients, and no artificial coloring.

Opening up the can and taking my first sip, I was pleasantly surprised. First, I had not even read the label or the ingredients before starting to drink this one, however I had really not expected it to be a carbonated drink, but it is! That is not necessarily a bad thing though, because I think I was secretly wishing that it did contain some fizz.

The dragonfruit taste was also very pleasing. It wasn't a sour taste at all like you get with a lot of energy drinks, and it wasn't an overbearing taste either. The drink seemed to go down very easily with very little harshness. It actually seemed very light tasting. Those who have drank a VItamin Water know that the water does not taste syrupy at all like sports drinks do, and Vitamin Energy did not taste syrupy either, unlike a lot of energy drinks, probably due to Glaceau's low sugar philosophy. Again, I was surprised.

With all of that said, I feel like I gave a relatively high rating due to all of Vitamin Energy's positive efforts. It is a drink that comes in a large can, packed full of "natural" caffeine and other energy supplements, tastes delicious (unlike other low sugar drinks), has a very eye pleasing can, and drinks very easily without that syrupy feeling. Points were lost due to a couple of things. The first is that I have never liked the supposed-to-be entertaining paragraphs of banter on the side of the can. They always make me ask the question "why did they write that on there?" I feel like that is a large corporation's way of trying to feel more like a friend to the consumer, which comes off a little negative to me. I also took points off because the taste and consistency may not be for everyone, which goes for any drink. Vitamin Energy is very different from the normal energy drink, and when a consumer is buying one they may expect that syrupy, sour, sugary concoction that many brands deliver. Others may not be so pleasantly surprised like I was with Vitamin Energy, however this is one that I would definitely recommend, and I plan on trying the other flavors, tropical citrus, and fruit punch.

Savage Energy - 3.2

The first brand of energy drink that I would like to review is Savage Energy. This is one that I have seen around for a while, but have never really tasted it. The drink comes in a very large black bottle with a wide screw-top lid. The size of the drink is what made me buy it as I was trying to get the most bang for my buck. The truth is that the size of the drink is about the only thing that Savage Energy has going for it.

Sadly, I bought this one in a 4-pack carry case, much like a 6-pack of beer would come in. The price was at $6.99 for all four, which seemed fairly reasonable in comparison to other energy drinks, and the bottles each hold 16 fl oz.

I always make sure that before I drink an energy drink that it has been properly chilled in the fridge, because a hot energy drink seems to suck the energy out of you rather than give it. After having the drink in the fridge all day, I finally opened one up, and upon first whiff I could smell what I was getting myself into. The "citrus" flavor that the bottle advertises was more like opening up a pack of sweet tarts - the amount of sugar was clear just by the smell. After taking my first sip, my smell proved right, and drinking savage was like drinking fluid sweet tarts, and although sweet tarts are great, they are not meant to be drank. I was already not a fan of Savage.

To further reiterate how sugary this drink tasted, I let a friend finish the rest after I drank half of the bottle - I couldn't take anymore. The taste left in my mouth was a very syrupy taste, that was complimented by a stomach that felt it just ate too much halloween candy.

Carbonation also did not seem very strong in this one. It seems that a lot of energy drinks are only "lightly carbonated" but this one seemed extra-light as far as carbonation goes. A little more carbonation may have offset the syrupy taste of Savage.

As far as energy factor goes, all of the ingredients are there, but with the sick feeling of just indulging in too much sugar really feels draining, and drinking savage did not make me feel like getting up and getting active. It made me feel like drinking a tall glass of water to dilute the mess I had just poured into my body. All in all, the poor taste, lack of energy, and not being able to finish the whole bottle are the factors that have earned Savage Energy a 3.2. The only thing this brand has going is unique packaging, and more fluid than a red bull for a cheaper price. I should have stuck with the red bull.

I am going to try another one of these in the morning. I am getting up early to go film a surf competition out at Carolina Beach, and if my experience with Savage Energy improves, I'll be sure to post about it. However, if not, I'll let this post stand it's ground. Better luck next time I suppose!

An Introduction: Why I Am Writing This Blog

Love 'em, or hate 'em, energy drinks have exploded onto the pop-culture scene, and the different brands seem to come and go just as quickly as teen pop idols come in and out of rehab. It has been a frustration of mine to go into the grocery store and pay a high price for an energy drink that I have never tasted before, or have even heard of before. I wanted to make a blog that follows my journey down a caffeine road, that shares some useful information to the reader.

I will make this clear first; I am not a heavy consumer of energy drinks, and don't ever plan on being one. I do however enjoy trying new ones and finding out which one I shouldn't buy the next time around. Now, I can share this information with you.

I am going to apologize now to anyone who is upset that I am going to be doing a lot of comparing to the Red Bull brand. Even though Red Bull is not the only brand out there by any means, it has clearly set itself as a standard for other energy drinks whether you want to admit to it or not.

I hope all visitors enjoy what they read. Comments are always welcome!

-Andrew