Pep is a very precious commodity, especially in fast-paced modern America.
Demand for energy drinks has soared in recent years.
For this survey, I chose one of the most popular flavors from each brand for comparison.
Photos: The brands. Design: Eat This, Not That!
The results, much like the effects of these drinks, were eye-opening.
Here’s how each brand ranked in descending order from my least favorite to the overall best.
I grabbed one from my local grocer for6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e
The look:Surprisingly somber.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
The taste:Shockingly tannic.
The first sip hit with a strong, astringent kick that tingled on the tongue.
Once the sensation faded, a swirling melange of tangy, tart, and sweet flavors took over.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
Prime tasted the most unnatural to me, which is why I ranked it dead last.
ItsSour Patch Kids Redberryflavor is perhaps the most popular.
I grabbed one from a local grocer for $3.49.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
The look:Golden and effervescent like a sparkling white wine.
The taste:Tart and syrupy.
The first sip was all sour lime before a strong sweetness took over.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
Like Prime, Ghost is a sugarless product made with sucralose and suffers from the same sort of phoniness.
It’s also the most cloyingly sweet of all the drinks in this survey.
Red Bull effectively invented the category.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
Sugar-free and various seasonal flavors are available, butthe original formularemains a classic.
I grabbed mine from a local supermarket for $2.
The taste:Syrupy sweet and vaguely medicinal with a none-too-subtle metallic aftertaste.
Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
It’s hard to compare to anything else because Red Bull is its own thing.
Without the added booze, it now tastes very unbalanced.
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Photo: Chris Shott/Eat This, Not That!
Yet, itsOG flavorin the black can with green lettering remains a popular choice.
I got mine from a local supermarket for $2.50.
The look:Slightly foamy and yellow-brown like a light beer.
The taste:Sugary and acidic.
TheFrozen Bombsicleflavor is a standout.
I picked up a 16-ounce can at the local supermarket for $3.99.
The look:Crystal clear and bubbly like a glass of sparkling water.
The clean look seemed in keeping with the brand’s professed clean-living ethos.
The taste: Like liquefied Sweet Tarts candies, with hints of raspberry, cherry, and lemon.
Though flavorful, the sweetness felt somewhat muted, making for a refreshing, lightly fizzy sip.
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That restraint with the sweetener seemed to limit the artificial effect you normally get from the sucralose.
Overall, this refreshing drink offered the most well-balanced sip of all the energy drinks I tried.
Yet, there was one brand that I enjoyed even better.
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Its Cherry Slush flavor is a top-seller.
It’s available in both mini-sized 8.4-ounce and full-sized 12-ounce cans.
I picked up the bigger version for $2.99 at my local Walgreens.
The look:Distinct.
This drink poured an eye-popping hot pink color with just the right amount of fizz.
The taste:Nostalgic.
This flavor lived up to its billinga dead ringer for the classic cherry-flavored Icee.
The fizzy drink went down easy, too.
Its smooth mouthfeel stood in stark contrast to the abrasive bite of other energy drinks.
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