Review Index | A - G | H - M | N - R | S - Z
Semtex
Pinelli, Czech Republic
The Word:
"Exclusive energy drink"
Good Stuff:
Guaraná, Taurine, Vvitamins
Stats: (per 100mL)
Taurine: 400mg, Caffeine: 32mg, Energy: 217kJ
What I Reckon:
Very watery, kinda like a weak fruit juice. Not particularly flavoursome or sweet but it has a good energy kick
Rating:
4/10 - Potent energy, low-potent flavour.
Shark
Shark Energy Drinks, Austria
The Word:
"Exclusive energy drink"
Good Stuff:
Guaraná, Taurine
What I Reckon:
Pale yellow with a fruity flavour, fairly sweet. Nicely balanced carbonation and taurine.
Rating:
6/10 - Not too bad at all
SHOT
Z Co/Unique Drinks, Auckland NZ
The Word:
"Stimulation Shot!"
Good Stuff:
Guaraná, Taurine, Vitamins B3, B6 and B12, Inositol and minerals
Stats: (per 100mL)
Caffeine: 32mg, Guaraná: 22mg, Taurine: 400mg, Energy: 180kJ, Sugar: 11g
What I Reckon:
There's not a whole lot between SHOT and HEMP, produced by the same company. Both appear to be fruit from the same loins. (Ok, replace the word "loins" with "vat o' syrup" and the word "fruit" with "tapped".) If anything, SHOT is better and doesn't have quite as silly bottle.
Rating:
5/10 - HEMP in a blue bottle
Smart
SMART Drinks Ltd., Liechtenstein
The Word:
"Drink SMART!; think SMART!"
Good Stuff:
Guaraná, ton of vitamins, acidity regulators (?), minerals
Stats: (per 100mL)
Energy: 188kJ, Sucrose: 10.3g
What I Reckon:
Pretty average. Lots of buzzwords, and a diagram on the back telling you how good it is (a la Vitalise). According to the blurb: "based on the same nutritional products NASA consultants developed for its astronauts". Its got lots of healthy-sounding ingredients, which is probably good for those types, but the taste doesn't really cut it for me. Very similar to Blue Jeans Powerkick (how the hell did they come up with that name, anway?)
Rating:
3/10 - Nothing new. Icky taste.
Smash Repair
Zen Energy Beverages, Australia
The Word:
"Get over it with Smash Repair!"
Good Stuff:
Caffeine, Taurine, Amino Acids, Electrolytes, Vitamins, Anti-oxidants
Stats: (per 100mL)
Caffeine: 15mg, Taurine: 100mg, Energy: 187kJ, Sucrose: 50mg
What I Reckon:
This sports-cum-energy-drink has a Gatoradeish nebulous citrus flavour and is non-carbonated. Quite sweet too.
Rating:
3/10 - Gatorade with a kicker
Solis Bliss
Solis
The Word:
"Caress your body, mind and soul"
Good Stuff:
St. John's Wart, Evening primrose oil
Stats: (per 100mL)
Energy: 184kJ, St. John's Wart: 50mg, Evening Primrose Oil: 10mg
What I Reckon:
A mellow fruit juice made up of pink grapefruit, cranberry and strawberry. Has a few healthy ingredients, but don't be drinkin' looking for energy. Very nice flavour too.
Rating:
4/10 - Tasty + mellow
Solis Edge
Solis
The Word:
"Hone your body, mind and soul"
Good Stuff:
Co-enzyme Q10, Carnitine
Stats: (per 100mL)
Energy: 194kJ, Co-enzyme Q10: 2000ug, Carnitine: 10mg
What I Reckon:
This is an ace little drink that takes a different slant on providing energy. The main powerplant in it is co-enzyme Q10 (more info here), which provides energy at the cellular level. It's also an antioxidant which has a great effect on the body by getting rid of free radicals. Another unique ingredient is carnitine (more info here), an amino acid which converts fat into energy, among other things (it's also great for the heart). Getting to the actual drink, it's has a predominately a lemon-lime flavour, and is made up of both those juices as well as orange (only 5% of the content is juice though). A pretty sweet drink as well, it has a great flavour and is very enjoyable. It's not a really hard-hitting energy drink, and doesn't have the usual ingredients such as gurana or caffeine so is great for those who should not be having them.
Rating:
7/10 - Great flavour (perhaps a bit too sweet), features an alternate power supply
Solis Lust
Solis
The Word:
"Thrill your body, mind and soul"
Good Stuff:
Damiana, Schizandra, Ginseng
Stats: (per 100mL)
Energy: 182kJ, Damiana: 40mg, Schizandra: 40mg, Ginseng: 30mg
What I Reckon:
A lime-raspberry flavoured mix which has a very nice flavour. Has a few strange ingredients I've never seen before. Apparently Damiana is a 'Mild purgative, diuretic, tonic, acting directly on the reproductive organs, stimulant, hypochondriastic, aphrodisiae'. Schizandra is also supposed to be a sexual enhancer. Can't really comment on the aphrodesiac worth of the drink ;) but it tastes good.
Rating:
4/10 - Good flavour
Solis Logic
Solis
The Word:
"Inspire your body, mind and soul"
Good Stuff:
Guaraná, Ginkgo Biloba, Gotu Kola
Stats: (per 100mL)
Caffeine: 8mg, Guraná: 75mg, Energy: 187kJ, Ginkgo Biloba: 50mg, Gotu Kola: 50mg
What I Reckon:
Interesting. A coffee kola (which tastes like a coffee-flavoured cola, but without the carbonation), which is kind of weird for me. When I saw it, I was kind of expecting a bubbly drink but alas it's made by Solis, the people who've seem to have banished bubbles from their inventory. The taste isn't really up my alley, but I wouldn't call it a bad. A pretty good bit of energy-boosting ingredients behind it too.
Rating:
6/10 - Off-beat with a bit of power.
Solis Power
Solis
The Word:
"Ignite your body, mind and soul"
Good Stuff:
Guaraná, Gingseng, Vitamins (B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C)
Stats: (per 100mL)
Guaraná: 75mg, Caffeine: 8.4mg, Ginkgo Biloba: 50mg, Energy: 184kJ
What I Reckon:
A very mild fruit juice - a mix of orange and carrot. At first the orange juice flavour hits you, and then the carrot comes into play. It kind of disappates quickly into a watered flavour once the first hit goes past. For those not wanting huge amounts of sugar in their energy drinks, this one might be the go, it tastes less sweeter than your average juice, although it does have more sucrose in it than juice. This drink has a lot of vitamins in it as well as green tea, and is non-carbonated (this range from Great Southland Beverages is the only one without bubbles).
Rating:
6/10 - Not a big fan of the orange and carrot juice flavours
Solis Sanctuary
Solis
The Word:
"Soothe your body, mind and soul"
Good Stuff:
St. Johns Wart, Chamomile
Stats: (per 100mL)
Energy - 187kJ
What I Reckon:
This is basically a iced tea (lemon and green tea mix), designed to mellow you out a bit. For those who don't like iced tea, you might want to give this one a miss, but for others, it makes for a nice drink. The taste is mild, and not too sweet.
Rating:
6/10 - Not an energy drink I know, but it tastes ripper.
V - Vitalise
Vitalise
The Word:
"Vitalise body and mind"
Good Stuff:
Guaraná, Lotsa vitamins.
Stats:
What I Reckon:
Yet another Kiwi import, this drink is going for the 'hip 'n happenin' feeling. The can looks really trendy, and the back has lots of feel good messages telling us how good Vitalise is. It's actually a good drink, very sweet (as in sugar) and for those who don't like the heavy gurana taste, but still want the effects, this drink is tops. Highly recommended. If only they made bigger cans (silly trendy 250ml's) :(. Oh taste wise, its a bit like a carbonated berry-type drink.
Rating:
8/10 - Good taste, pretty sweet and vitamins...what more could you ask for?
Viking
Cadbury Schweppes
The Word:
"Vitalise body and mind"
Good Stuff:
Guaraná
Stats: (per 100mL)
Caffeine 11.8mg, Energy: 354kJ
What I Reckon:
A viscous chocolately drink with caramel and nougat not to mention caffeine and guarana! A spin-off product from Cadbury's Viking caffeine-charged chocolate bar, this is the first milk-based drink I've tried and it works really really well. It tastes like a normal chocolate milk, but is thicker - and of course has the whump of guarana. If only it had more power.
Rating:
8/10 - Full props to innovation
X Fuel
The Word:
"Lemon Energy"
Good Stuff:
Guaraná, Taurine, Gingko, Vitamin B, Yerba Mate
Stats: (per 100mL)
Guaraná: 11mg, Caffeine: 20mg, Mate: 7mg
What I Reckon:
This is the first energy drink I've seen from the Pepsi Cola people. It's has a watered-down lemon flavour and a fair kick to it. A nice touch is the fact that it tells you exactly how much of each of the ingredients it has in it, I think more and more drinks will start to do this. It's remarkably like Coca-Cola's Lift Plus.
Rating:
6/10 - Average flavour, average strength. Unoriginal
Z
The Word:
"Kicks Serious Ass"
Good Stuff:
Guaraná, Taurine, Vitamns (B3, B6, B12), Minerals
Stats: (per 330mL)
uaraná: 73.3mg, Caffeine: 105.6mg, Taurine: 1320mg, Energy: 594kJ, G
What I Reckon:
A mild, lemony taste with a somewhat disturbing hint of eucalypt. Quite a powerful drink for something with such a pleasant taste. Quite cheekly-named 'Z', with the tag 'WXY..Z The Final Stage In Vitalisation', Power Drinks of New Zealand are taking on the giant that is V (Vitalise) in the best one-letter named drinks category and looks like they have the crown. A somewhat bold claim on the bottle states that not only will it "sooth body and mind" as well as "boost you when you struggling" but "may improve sex drive"! I'm sold.
Rating:
9/10 - Good flavour, awesome SWOTVAC-staying power.
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