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!  

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!