Once again I was at Big Lots, perusing their large selection of energy beverages, when I happened upon this one.  I tend to enjoy anything fruity, and so my eyes lit up when I saw the word “punch” in the flavor title.  Also exciting was the price tag, which seems to be the standard for a 16 oz. energy drink at our local Big Lots: $.50.  So I picked up a can without hesitation…only to have my wife drink it a couple of days later.  I went to Big Lots, picked up another one, made sure she knew that it was for me, and took it to work the next day.

I have to say that I’m a little torn here.  The flavor itself (and the scent, for that matter) is strongly reminiscent of Rockstar’s Juiced energy drink from several years ago, which blended orange, passion fruit, and guava juices to form a sweet, but pretty potent, energy kick.  That actually happens to be one of my favorite energy beverages of all time.  But as good as it tastes, the flavor in this one is created using no fruit juice; so what you’re getting, essentially, is a chemical-induced flavor.  Again, there’s nothing wrong with its taste, per se, but with all the current health issues cropping up almost daily, just how good can such a thing be for you?

Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but that fact just stayed in the back of my head all times, to the point that I really didn’t enjoy it a whole lot.  I will say that this gave me a lot of energy…after downing a little more than half a can, I was wired (and incredibly paranoid) for around the next six hours, which probably indicates I had a little more than  I should have.  But it also tells you just how powerful this stuff can be; for fifty cents, there’s a helluva lot of energy to be had.

I might get this at some point in the future if I really needed a quick kick of energy, but with the constantly rotating energy drink options at Big Lots, including some with actual juice in them, I couldn’t see myself getting this one too often at all.

Overall: 5.5/10. It actually tastes good and gives a strong, powerful kick.  Not to mention, a can is fifty cents.  So why such a low score?  It might not bother many out there, but despite tasting like a juice-infused energy beverage, this has absolutely zero juice in it.  None.  So what you’re getting is essentially chemically-induced flavor, which paired up with the already excessive amount of chemicals and questionable ingredients that most energy drinks have, just doesn‘t feel necessary, or healthy.  If Big Lots were to start carrying these full time, or if they ever got in another shipment (these seem to be a close-out item), I would occasionally think about picking one up, especially for the price, if I needed a quick kick, but with their constant rotation of such beverages, I’m sure I could find something better for around the same price.