This is an energy drink blog, never in a million years did I think there would be a beverage ( besides chamomile tea ) that would be marketed to make you relax! But that is the joy of marketing… you never know what the hell will come out these days. Drank is a relaxation beverage that contains melatonin ( it helps you regulate sleep and wake cycles ). I think this is a great beverage because it truly does work. I drank one at 12:00PM and my head was on my desk by 2:00PM. This works great for after work of before a nap. So far they have one flavor: grape. There is a mild weird after taste but it is not that bad. You may not even notice the little after kick. Check it out for extreme relaxation: http://www.drankbeverage.com/

I absolutely love the Monster Energy Lo Carb. To me, this is everything that I look for in a functional beverage. The taste is great - it tastes like bubble gum, but not too sweet. I actually do feel the surge quicker with the low cal / low sugar drinks. I wonder if there is a medical explanation for this? I am drinking more and more of the “blue” Monster than ever ( it has the blue / black graphics, the regular Monster Energy has green / black graphics ). Overall, the Monster brand has put out great energy products and endorsed some awesome athletes, and from what I hear, business is good for Monster Energy! www.monsterenergy.com

Encaff energy stix comes with a little pouch ( much like pixie stix ) full of caffeine flavored powder. The black cherry tastes pretty good and it was not hard to swallow at all. I do prefer liquid energy products over this type of product but I do give them kudos for being first to market with this. The packaging could be toned down a little bit, it looks to party favorish. Overall, they worked good, I just dont like eating powder. http://www.encaffenergy.com/

Red Bull Sugar Free Energy Shot is a great addition to the Red Bull family of drinks. This shot has the same great flavor as the sugar free carbonated Red Bull. You won’t mistake this brand for anything else. The packaging design is right on with the light blue packaging of the canned beverage. It is slick and clean. Like most of the other drinks in this category, this has no sugar and is sweetened with sucralose. The caffeine content is not overpowering at all, just 80 mg ( about as much as a cup of coffee ). The energy blend also contains taurine, vitamin b-12, vitamin b-6, and niacin.

For some reason, whether it be my metabolism or the fact that it is sugar free, I felt the boost more than the Red Bull energy shot with sugar in it. These drinks all effect us differently but for some reason this one made me feel better. Kudos to Red Bull! redbull.com

Hydrive Energy Chew comes in a convenient little 4 pack. Each chew is individually wrapped. Kudos on the clean packaging that is not overboard and targeted to the kids. The orange burst flavor is very good. These chews are a little softer than a starburst. The energy blend consists of your typical B and C vitamins and 80mg of caffeine. I enjoyed these quite a bit.

Check out the store locator on Hydrive’s website to find out where to buy these.

www.hydriveenergy.com

We had a whole bunch of fun at the Red Bull Air Race this year. As you can see… we have not updated with any new reviews lately. Business calls! As one of my favorite TV personalities had once said: “Do work son.”

I have have taken some time off to pursue some graphic design and advertising work. I have some pretty sweet new products for you all. Just hang tight.

Nitro 2 Go has a very colorful packaging design for this 4FL OZ vitamin supplement. Although it is very colorful and screams pick me off the shelf, there was nothing on the label that told you what flavor it was. As you can see, this honker will give you *UP TO 14 hours of energy (which is the highest number of hours I have ever seen on a energy shot). This shot has a lemon limey flavor. I am pretty sure it was lemon lime… the label left me guessing.

Mega Man is one of my all time favorite video game series. What I love about Mega Man was that every level was equally difficult to pass. Mega Man is another classic game that will never go away. The E icon has been slapped on this can to market the release of Mega Man in Asia. I really enjoy the teal color and bold typography. Cool idea.

G33k B33r (geek beer for those of you that don’t speak l33t or know how to hack a computer) is a geeky gamer oriented carbonated beverage from the energy brand Bawls. This stuff tastes smooth and fresh. I love the fact that Bawls has embraced the geek culture in it’s brand. We are all geeks to some extent right?

Energy robot has reviewed Health Energy Potion and enjoyed the apple cinnamin goodness. This energy is right out of a role playing game such as World of Warcraft and has the kick to give you mad XP!! There is really no other brand marketing towards gamers as hardcore as Health Energy Potion does. Cool concept and packaging!

DragonBall Z power boost energy drink is full of anime goodness. Don’t get me wrong, but marketing an energy product with lots of caffeine is not the greatest idea since DragonBall Z is for a younger audience. If this was fruit juice I would feel much better.

Yet another one of my favorite video games of all time makes it onto the front of an energy drink can! Street Fighter Dragon Punch has a wicked design and retro look to it. Button mashing and energy drinks go hand in hand.

Donkey Kong Jungle Juice is an interesting idea for a beverage. Kong looks very confused on the can here.  Not really very energetic. Hmm.

Just incase there is a zombie outbreak, you can find an antidote at your local convenience store. The T-Virus antidote is a canned energy drink that promoted the release of Resident Evil. Very cool idea for a drink. You put zombies and gamers together and you got yourself a winner. Brains.

Last but certainly not least is the Power Up Energy Drink. Mario looked totally amped to be on the front of this can. This is yet another iconic video game brand extension. I think this drink would be way more cooler if it was in a mushroom shaped bottle with a happy face on it.