There are many flavors that dominate the energy drink spectrum, but I can’t ever say that I’ve seen “almond” anywhere in the title of one. But of course, that was all the more reason for me to grab a can of E-on’s Almond Rush energy drink, especially since I happened upon it at Big Lots, where 12 oz. cans were a mere $.33. How in the world could this possibly be good? I was also looking forward to the look on my wife’s face when I showed her this purchase–much to my chagrin, she eagerly announced that can was hers to drink. My plan kinda backfired.

I don’t know much about E-on’s energy beverage line, and a quick search of the internet actually revealed a little bit more than I cared to know: The line is owned by the ominously named “Global Functional Drinks”, and the 12 oz. can each E-on beverage is housed in, is manufactured by Rexam, a UK-based consumer packaging company. Okay. Other than that, and a few Amazon reviews, there isn’t much information available on these; any time there’s not much information on a nationally-available product via the INTERNET these days, you have good reason to be nervous about said product.

Then, one day right before I was leaving work for the day, my wife texted me saying the almond drink “was the bomb!” Now, she’s into energy drinks just as much as, if not more than, I am, so this was definitely a surprise revelation. Thankfully, she saved some for me to try when I get home…and I have to agree that this is an excellent-tasting energy drink. The “almond” in the title is evident, but there’s the surprise addition of fruit juice flavor in there–that my wife and I both incorrectly guessed was cherry (it’s lemon)–and the combination surprisingly makes a solid one-two punch. The taste actually reminds me of something from my childhood, but I can’t place my finger on what…if it ever comes to me, I’ll update this blog accordingly.

Now, I did specify it’s “excellent-tasting” for a reason…because there are some typical energy drink concerns still at play here.  For starters, a 12 oz. can has 37 grams of sugar. While there are definitely drinks with more in them, that’s still quite a lot for such a small drink (even though it looks larger, 12 oz. cans are the standard can size for soda). I am impressed that there is no high fructose corn syrup in it, though–it’s made with actual cane sugar, so that’s some good news. Now as for its effectiveness, it has 142 mg of caffeine per can, which puts it about on par with most similar drinks (which tend to have around 160-180 mg, but are generally in 16 oz. containers). I only had a few sips of my wife’s leftovers, and they gave me some slight jitters, but I also tried it at 5 p.m., and wasn’t looking to be up all night. I have no doubts that a full can would provide some solid energy. B vitamins are actually a little weak, with a whole single serving providing between 20-25% of three of them…and that’s it.

But can you really be too picky for a mere $.33? The flavor alone is worth that kind of price, and I’d consider any other benefit just icing on the cake. The sugar content will prevent me from getting too many of these (because I’m sensitive to caffeine and tend to crash super hard on sugary drinks), but this is a delicious beverage that I’d be happy to sip throughout the day.  One of the better tasting energy drinks I’ve ever had.

Overall: 9/10. One of the best-tasting energy drinks I’ve ever had, and best of all, they’re available for a mere $.33 at select Big Lots stores. The “almond” in the title is definitely noticeable, but is also blended with some (2%) real lemon juice…the combination is actually way more bearable than you might think.  The biggest drawback is the 37g of sugar per 12 oz. can…while many other sugared energy drinks (and sodas) are comparable, it doesn’t make it any better. 142 mg of caffeine per serving (again, one can) is about on par with other energy beverages, and even a few sips gave me a quick little burst of energy; it should give most a similar jolt. Extra credit is given because there are no weird, synthetic ingredients…even the sugar is cane sugar, as opposed to high fructose corn syrup. Definitely worth a try at this price, assuming the “almond” doesn’t scare you away.