Well if you’ve read any of my other Stacker2 energy shot reviews, you’ll know that I’m pretty underwhelmed by their offerings, as a whole. They have a couple decent ones, but none that I would really consider “great”. However, the best one I’ve had (the Acai Pomegranate) comes from this same line, so I’m really expecting this one to at least be better than their others. Does it disappoint? Well, let’s find out!

There aren’t many red flags in the scent department…usually you can tell if something’s going to taste off just from sneaking a quick whiff. This one might be the company’s most accurate one yet, at least as far as the aroma is concerned. It smells almost like straight-up pink lemonade. There is still a little bit of “chemical” smell intertwined in there – standard in energy shots, but almost mandatory in Stacker2’s offerings, and to a sometimes unbearable degree – but it’s muted and not entirely noticeable. In other words, I thought I might have found my favorite shot from the prolifically underwhelming company.

But alas, there’s still one major variable at play here: taste. How does it stack(er2) up to the competition?

I have to say it’s good. It doesn’t dethrone the Acai Pomegranate as my favorite of their shots, and the taste doesn’t quite live up to the lofty expectations set forth from one little sniff, but it’s certainly better than most. It actually starts off promising, with a taste strongly akin to pink lemonade…you know, since that’s what it’s going for. But alas, there is still that chemical flavor hidden within; they just seem to have found a way to mask it better in the scent. Now, the medicinal taste isn’t nearly as bad as other shots I’ve had in the line, but it’s still enough to detract from the flavor profile they were going for. And once again, there’s an almost bitter finish in the back of the throat that does it no favors.

The standard praise to the line applies: it’s only $1, which is excellent value for a 2 oz. energy shot; and it works. I get a noticeable energy kick after taking a swig that lasts quite a while, with none of the post-sugar crash, since they’re sugar free (like virtually all energy shots are). On those grounds, Stacker2 has built a rather solid foundation on which to build; now if only they could consistently get that pesky little trait known as “taste” down pat, I’d be more apt to enthusiastically recommend them.

Overall: 6/10. It still suffers from an almost bitter finish, and a medicinal taste that derails the pink lemonade promise of the first couple seconds after it hits your tastebuds, but this is still one of the better options from Stacker2. It’s very sweet, at least at first, but considering the flavor on which it’s based, you should probably already expect that going in. It could stand to be a more enjoyable overall experience, but considering it works, and only costs $1, this is one of their shots I could see myself getting again, even in the near future. Just taper your expectations, and you’ll be rewarded with a boost of energy, if little else.