As I mentioned in a previous post, my last Dollar Tree haul included not one, not two, but THREE different energy drinks that I had never seen before. This time we’re going to be taking a look at Liquid Nitro Herbal Low Carb Energy Drink, in the “Tropical Storm” flavor. I’m always a fan of anything tropical, so I had some pretty high hopes for this one. Although many tropical products fail, which brought my hopes back down to Earth.

Since we already went into that backstory, there’s no need to launch into a long introduction. So let’s just get right down to business, shall we?

This has a good, sweet flavor but it’s not one that I would call “super-sweet”. That’s just my personal opinion, though: I guess I could see where others might disagree. There are definitely notes of pineapple in there, and the taste is certainly befitting of a “tropical” theme. There is a weird note in the flavor that “tastes” kind of like seltzer water. That might be a weird thing to say, but

Perhaps most impressive is the nearly complete lack of “diet” taste. There is no sugar, but the sweetness comes in the form of sucralose, a common substitute. Sucralose can be pretty hit-or-miss, depending on the formula: Sometimes, it can blend in almost like sugar, while other times it can lead to that artificial, medicine-like finish. Here, it’s done well, leading to a drink that goes down pretty easy.

Capping things off is the inclusion of five different B vitamins; .05g of inositol (formerly vitamin B8), which is thought to help with depression and polycystic ovary syndrome (among other maladies); and 160mg of caffeine per can. It also touts the inclusion of four different super fruits, although the complete lack of fruit juice makes me wonder how that’s possible. 

I have to say that, of the three energy drinks I purchased from Dollar Tree, all three were well above-average. And even at the recently-raised price of $1.25, these are still much cheaper than most other brands. The one question mark is availability: These were on a display in the middle of the store, and they are not available online. This leads me to believe they are a one-time closeout, rather than a part of their permanent inventory. If that’s the case, not only is it a shame, but you might want to stock up before it’s too late.

Overall: 7/10. It probably won’t make your list of favorite energy drinks, but this offering from “Liquid Nitro” delivers good taste, with the expected energy boost. It does have a tropical flavor, with pineapple seemingly standing out – at least to me – and goes down fairly smooth. There is the taste of regular water (?) that briefly interrupts the sweetness, but overall the taste is good. On top of that, there are “super fruits” and inositol added, giving it its “herbal” designation. (Although how “super fruits” are contained even though there’s no juice content is a head-scratcher.) The $1.25 retail price for a full-size, 16 oz. can makes things even more enticing. Biggest question mark: availability. These aren’t available on Dollar Tree’s website, making me wonder if they are only available as a one-time closeout. Here’s to hoping it’s not.