Dollar Tree offers quite a few energy shots from the Stacker 2 brand, who I would say are more well-known for their dietary supplements. I typically stick to their “Xtra” line, which seem to be straightforward knockoffs of the national brand energy shots that give you five hours of energy, but on a recent trip, I wanted to try something a little bit different. Instead, I opted for their “B12” shot, which gives you 10,000% of your daily recommended B12 intake. 100 days’ worth of B12 in one 2 oz. bottle…and for a single dollar? Sign me up!
Honestly, I’m a little confused on the differences between the products in Stacker 2’s product line, and I’ve tried many of them at one point or another. For example, this one has 10,000% B12, which we just went over, but even their regular “Xtra” shots contain 8,750% B12…does the extra 1,250% really create a noticeable difference? And what is the purpose of all the vitamins in their “proprietary energy blend”, which comes out to 2.2 grams in the “Xtra” shots, but 2.175 grams, of mostly different vitamins than the “Xtra” version, in the B12 shot?
I’m just kind of wondering aloud, because this seems to give me the same “performance boost” as the “Xtra” versions, which kind of makes me feel like it’s unnecessary to have all kinds of different vitamin combinations, when the end result ends up being more or less the same. But maybe I’m just missing something here.
Regardless of the answer to that ponderance, this one has actually defied the odds to become my favorite Stacker 2 energy shot, at least as far as their Dollar Tree inventory is concerned. I was especially nervous about the “Acai Pomegranate” flavor, as many of Stacker’s shots taste like their formulas haven’t been changed since they first came out in the early 2000’s…that is to say, kind of gross, at least compared to other leading energy shots. All it took was one sip to allay my fears: although I get more of a “berry” flavor out of it than a pomegranate, it tastes loads better than the berry flavored “Xtra” shot, which has a gross intermediary flavor that just shouldn’t be there. The taste here is mostly clean and inviting, with only a slight hint of the “diet” aftertaste found in many sugar free products.
Performancewise, as stated earlier, this one works just as well for me as the “Xtra” shots, which is to say I get a noticeable increase in energy soon after firing some down, that seems to last me a while. I’ve never actually timed it to know if it approaches the “five hour” level of the national brand, but it lasts about as long as most other energy shots I’ve tried, and with the same absence of a sugar crash afterwards.
And all this for just a buck! That might not have been such a big deal a year ago, when Aldi was selling their Red Thunder energy shots (which are superior in taste, but pretty even in performance) for $.69, but since those have also gone up to $.99 each, that means these are up there as some of the most affordable energy shots on the market. If you find yourself in a Dollar Tree needing a caffeine fix, these should do the trick without breaking the bank.
Unless your bank has less than a dollar in it.
Overall: 7.5/10. While the flavor still isn’t on par with some of the more “premium” shots, these are the best tasting ones I’ve tried yet at Dollar Tree. Don’t let the flavor fool you, though: I’d say these taste closer to the typical “berry” energy shot, as opposed to pomegranate acai (they even smell similar to the berry shots). But, unlike others I’ve tried from DT, there’s very little in the way of bizarre secondary tastes, consisting only of a typical “diet” flavor (like an artificial sweetness) as it goes down. I’m still not sure what the difference is between this and the other Stacker 2 shots (besides different vitamins in the “proprietary energy blend” and a slight boost of vitamin B12), but this one gets the job done for a great price.
