XO4 Peach Energy Drink Review

Cost:$1.69 - $1.99
Cost Per Ounce:$0.28 - $0.33
Active Ingredients:Caffeine, Taurine, B6, Carbs
Taste Rating:8.5
Kick Rating:8.9
Final Judgment Rating:8.7
Energy Drink Ratings Explained

XO4 Peach Energy Drink Review
As I stated in the last post, it has been awhile since I reviewed any Energy Drinks. So today I thought I would get back in the swing of things with the fifth (of seven) reviews on the XO Energy Drink. Today I will be reviewing XO Peach. It has been awhile since I have done a review on an XO product so I will refresh you with the basic background information. The XO beverages come in a 180 milliliter (6 ounce) plastic resealable bottle. They have 110 calories and are quite portable and require no refrigeration to enjoy the taste. Enough fluff and onto the review of the XO Peach Energy Drink.

Official Site:XO Energy Drinks

XO4 Peach Energy Drink Review: Taste
Well first off I can tell you from experience that all the previous XO drinks that I have tried have had a unique taste and there is a flavor for everyone. However, I am not a huge fan of the peach flavor, but I do know what a peach tastes like so that that is how I will base the taste rating. Again, I like to drink these portable drinks before a workout because they require no refrigeration. So after work on the way to the gym I cracked open the Peach XO and took a gulp. It tasted identical to a peach. The flavor was smooth and there was no medicinal aftertaste. Now I don't like peaches, but this drink was actually not bad. If you like peaches, or just plain fruit flavored energy drinks than you should enjoy this one. Taste Rating - 8.5

XO4 Peach Energy Drink Review: Kick
Well all the XO beverages have pretty much the same energy blend (except for the Diet XO. All the original ones have 110 calories and contain 47 milligrams of caffeine, 800 milligrams of taurine, 2mg of B6 and 26 grams of carbohydrates. Now the calories come from the carbs, but so does the majority of the energy. Carbs are a natural form of energy and when blended with caffeine and the other energy ingredients XO pulls off a nice kick that won't deliver an unexpected and unwanted crash. Kick Rating - 8.9

XO4 Peach Energy Drink Review: Final Judgment
Even though I am not a fan of peach I still enjoyed the taste of this one. The kick works just as good as all the other XO beverages. Combine that with the portability and ability to drink at room temperature and you have a great drink. Final Judgment - 8.7


Official Site:XO Energy Drinks

Energy Drinks to Bring Backpacking

Well it has been awhile for me since I reviewed an energy drink. I have been enjoying the last days of summer beginning of fall by using up some of my vacation time. Recently I went backpacking for 4 days in the Porcupine Mountains. Needless to say I did not have access to the internet while I was doing this. That being said I stil took the time to bring some Energy Drinks with me backpacking. Since I was carrying everything I needed on my back for four days and since I did not have access to a cooler, I had to bring beverages that tasted good warm and that were light. So what did I end up bringing with me?

Well my first choice was the 5-Hour Energy Drink. Why was is my first choice? Well, as I stated above I wanted to pack lite. I brought four Lemon Lime 2 ounce 5-Hour Energy shots with me weighing in at about a 1/2 pound (as opposed to one normal energy drink that weighs in at 1/2 pound). I also brought it with me because it is a Sugar Free Energy Drink. The last thing I needed on the trip was to cramp up while going up the mountain. Combine the portability and sugar free features with the fact that it tastes good at room temperature and that it just all along gets the job done and the 5-Hour Energy Drink is definitely a winner when used for backpacking. We did not stop to make lunch any of the days. I ended up having a Cliff Bar and a 5-Hour Energy Drink everyday during lunch time. The combination of these two held me over until we stopped for the night. Oh, and the six hour drive home from backpacking in the porcupine mountains, was another perfect opportunity to down a 5-Hour Energy.

So what is the other Energy Drink that I brought with me backpacking? Well 5-Hour kept me going all day, but the Porcupine Mountains in Upper Michigan can have some pretty drastic climate changes. For this I thought I would bring a new drink called HC Hot Cocoa. This would serve as my morning beverage. I was fortunate enough to have 3 single serve sample packets to try out. All I had to do was boil some water and mix in the Energy HC Hot Cocoa and presto, I had a nice warm hot cocoa energy drink. This worked out perfectly since the morning temperature in the Porky's was usually hovering in the mid to low 50's. I have not actually done a review of HC Hot Cocoa but stay tuned it will be out shortly.

So backpacking in the Porcupine Mountains was a blast. The leaves were changing colors on the trees and the scenery was all around magnificent. I got to see sights like Lake of the Clouds, Lone Rock and countless others. We camped next to waterfalls and right on top of Lake Superior. I could not have asked for a better backpacking trip (except the pounding rain and gale force winds the night we camped next to Superior). I kept my pack to 40 pounds and had plenty of energy to spare thanks to 5-Hour Energy and HC Hot Cocoa. If you are looking for a great experience, give backpacking in the Porky's a try. And don't forget the energy!

Who's Your Daddy Green Tea Energy Drink

Cost:$1.49
Cost Per Ounce:$0.09
Active Ingredients:Caffeine, Taurine, B-Vitamins
Taste Rating:9.3
Kick Rating:8.3
Final Judgment Rating:8.6
Energy Drink Ratings Explained

Who's Your Daddy Green Tea Energy Drink Review
Well I have tried the Sugar Free Who's Your Daddy Green Tea and I have to say I really enjoyed it. So needless to say I pretty much knew what I was getting when I tried the regular version. The only difference is that the regular version has 110 calories (8.4 ounces). I am not sure if this comes in a 16 ounce version, it probably does because the sugar free version comes in both 8.4 and 16 ounce sizes.

Official Site: Who's Your Daddy Energy Drink

Who's Your Daddy Green Tea Energy Drink Review: Taste
Well first off the taste is just a little more sweet than the sugar free. It still has the green tea flavoring followed by a nice blend of citrus. The addition of the citrus helped take the bite out of the green tea. Overall I would have to say that it ended up being a good blend. Taste Rating - 9.3

Who's Your Daddy Green Tea Energy Drink Review: Kick
The taste is pretty much the same as the sugar free version and so is the kick. The only difference seems to be that the energy kicks in a little sooner as the sugar seems to get pumped into your veins faster. Well the energy ingredients of the 8.4 ounce version are as follows; 100 milligrams of caffeine, 800 milligrams of taurine and a bunch of B-Vitamins, I would have to say the kick was pretty good. If they make this in a 16 ounce version I would opt for that. Even though it is only 8.4 ounces, it gives a better kick that the likes of the Redbull Energy Drink. Kick Rating - 8.3 (8.4 ounce rating)

Who's Your Daddy Green Tea Energy Drink Review: Final Judgment
Unique green tea citrus taste followed by a pretty decent kick. My preference is the sugar free version (less calories!) but both are great. If you are not a huge fan of the green tea aftertaste then you could give the Who's Your Daddy Green Tea a try as the citrus flavor takes most of the bite out. Final Judgment - 8.6

Official Site: Who's Your Daddy Energy Drink

Vixen Foxberry Sugar Free Energy Drink Review

Cost:$1.99 - $2.29
Cost Per Ounce:$0.13 - $0.14
Active Ingredients:Caffeine, Taurine, B-Vitamins, Guarana
Taste Rating:8.7
Kick Rating:8.5
Final Judgment Rating:8.6
Energy Drink Ratings Explained

Vixen Foxberry Sugar Free Energy Drink Review
Well the review from today will be on the Sugar Free Foxberry Vixen Energy Drink which is made by Fluid Motion Beverages who also make the Talon Energy Drink. Well Vixen Foxberry is sugar free and marketed towards the female gender. Why am I drinking it? Well someone sent it to me so I thought I would give it a try. Besides I am not one to pass up a free energy drink! Enough fluff and onto the review.

Vixen Foxberry Sugar Free Energy Drink Review: Taste
As I stated above, this drink is marketed and made for women. Not being one of those I will give me best taste judgment from a male perspective. First off it is definitely a light berry flavored fruit punchy energy drink. It actually tastes quite similar to, although quite a bit lighter than, the Blood Punch Energy Drink which is marketed towards guys. The flavors are not identical, but they are similar, with the main difference being that Vixen is a little lighter, probably because it is sugar free. Taste Rating - 8.7

Vixen Foxberry Sugar Free Energy Drink Review: Kick
Well it has a pretty good light fruit punch / berry taste, but how will it perform in the kick category? Well I am about 185, a little larger than most males, so the effect might have been slightly different. I have no idea how much caffeine is in here, but it is on the ingredient list. The energy ingredients also include Guarana, Taurine and a bunch of B-Vitamins. So does the kick perform? Well, it was alright. Not over the top, but definitely not weak. The kick probably lasted about two hours and there was no crash afterwards as there is no sugar. Kick Rating - 8.5

Vixen Foxberry Sugar Free Energy Drink Review: Final Judgment
Well this is not going to be my drink of choice (a guy's gotta keep his image right). Anyways, its not marketed towards me. I can say the kick was decent and so was the taste. Then again, a woman's going to either have a totally different opinion than me or just outright disagree with me (jk!). Final Judgment - 8.6

XO 2 Diet Energy Drink Review

Cost: $1.69 - $1.99
Cost Per Ounce:$0.28 - $0.33
Active Ingredients:Caffeine, Taurine, B6, Carbs
Taste Rating:8.7
Kick Rating:8.5
Final Judgment Rating:8.6
Energy Drink Ratings Explained

XO 2 Diet Energy Drink Review
Well this is my fourth of seven XO Energy Drink reviews. My previous reviews include; XO + Vanilla, XO2 Original and XO Citrus. All three have performed quite strong so far in my reviews. The taste palates have been unique and the convenience factor (small package that you can drink at room temperature) is a plus. So today I think I will try out the XO 2 Diet Energy Drink that comes in a small, portable 180 milliliter (6 ounce) shot that you can slam quite quickly. The XO2 Diet diet version only has 15 calories compared to the normal 110 calories found in the others. Enough fluff and onto the review!

Official Site: XO Energy Drinks

XO 2 Diet Energy Drink Review: Taste
So this is supposed to be a less sweet version of the XO2 Original. Again as I have with the other XO Energy Drinks, I opted to use this one after work on the way to the gym. So I had the drink sitting in my car all day, which probably brought the temperature of the drink to about 75-80 degrees, which is a little higher than room temperature. However, the drink still went down quite smooth. The temperature of the drink did not affect the taste at all. The flavor is less sweet than the original but it still has a nice mix fruit type flavor. Overall, pretty similar to the XO2 original, only difference seems to be that it is slightly less sweet and has 95 less calories. Taste Rating - 8.7

XO 2 Diet Energy Drink Review: Kick
All 3 of the last XO's that I reviewed packed a pretty good kick. However, with this diet XO, calories were cut meaning the carbs were removed from the drink. There are still plenty of energy ingredients in the diet version including; 47 milligrams of caffeine, 800 milligrams of taurine and 2mg of B6. But without the 26 grams of carbs the kick did not seem to be on the same level as the others. Don't get me wrong, you could feel the energy, it just did not seem to have as much kick as the XO beverages that I tried in the past. Kick Rating - 8.5

XO 2 Diet Energy Drink Review: Final Judgment
So the taste is still a pleasant mix fruit flavor that is only slightly less sweet than the original. The kick did not seem to be as effective as the three prior, non diet, XO's but it still got the job done. This is where you have to choose a trade off between diet and regular XO. The diet has slightly less kick for 95 less calories. This would actually be my choice. Heck it would save me 5-10 minutes of cardio at the gym! Final Judgment - 8.6


Official Site: XO Energy Drinks

Mountain Dew Game Fuel Review

Cost: $0.99 - $1.29 (20 ounces)
Cost Per Ounce:$0.05 - $0.06
Active Ingredients:Caffeine
Taste Rating:8.9
Kick Rating:9.3
Final Judgment Rating:9.0 (good value)
Energy Drink Ratings Explained

Mountain Dew Game Fuel Review:
Well again I am not sure if Mountain Dew Game Fuel classifies as being a full out Energy Drink; however, it does have some of the qualities of one. And since Diet Pepsi Max (with increased caffeine) went over so well it was only natural that Mountain Dew upped the anti as well. So the Mountain Dew Game Fuel is being promoted as a gamers drink, specifically those gamers interested in Halo 3 for the X-Box 360. So how does this Mountain Dew game fuel compare to other popular Energy Drinks and the regular Dew? Well read to find out how the taste and kick compare!

Mountain Dew Game Fuel Review: Taste
Well before I start the taste test I would like to clarify that I am trying a 20 ounce plastic bottle. I will use this First off the taste is almost exactly that of a regular MT. Dew; meaning it still has that sweet citrus taste with the exception that it also has a bit of cherry flavoring added. Why do I say almost? Well, since there is a distinct cherry flavor and since there is more caffeine present the flavor had to be altered a little bit. However, this flavor alteration is pretty miniscule. I have been drinking Mt. Dew for years and the only difference that I could tell was that there was now a slight, I mean very slight medicinal aftertaste. And of course the cherry flavor is nice as well. Just not as much cherry as code red. Kind of a cross between the regular and code red flavors. Taste Rating - 8.9

Mountain Dew Game Fuel Review: Kick
So there is a distinct cherry flavor added as well as a slight medicinal after taste but the real change seems to be in the caffeine content of this drink. For a little comparison! The old MT. Dew had 4.58 milligrams of caffeine per ounce. The new beefed up MT. Dew has 6.00 milligrams of caffeine per ounce. So 20 ounces of the original would be about 90 milligrams of caffeine whereas the new 20 ounce game fuel has 121 milligrams. So 30 more milligrams of caffeine in a 20 ounce is not too shabby; especially when you compare it to a Red Bull Energy Drink which only has 80 milligrams of caffeine (but other energy ingredients help Red Bull out as well). Taking the small price tag into consideration ($0.99 to $1.29) and the upped caffeine content I would have to say the new Game Fuel is a nice addition to the line up. Just imagine if MT. Dew comes out with a 2 liter Game Fuel - 68 ounces x 6 milligrams of caffeine per ounce = 408 milligrams of caffeine for about $2.00. Kick Rating - 9.3 (points added for value)

Mountain Dew Game Fuel Review: Final Judgment
The new cool new cherry flavor taste (combined with original citrus taste) and upped caffeine content make the new Game Fuel a pretty good bargain for the price. This new beverage will enable the new Halo 3 X-Box gamers to stay up even longer than before which makes this a good cross promotional item for the Pepsi Company. Heck I don't play Halo 3 but I still see the benefits of the cheap priced caffeine. I reviewed the 20 ounce size but it is also available in 12 ounce, 1 liter, 2 liter, 12 packs and 24 packs. And you can buy it pretty much anywhere. Just hope the parents of the younger kids figure this out before they buy it at the grocery store or gas station. Final Judgment - 9.0 (extra points for value)