3 Takeaways From an Energy Drink Blog

To wrap up these few months of blogging about energy drinks, I wanted to put a few thoughts down on paper about the whole experience thus far.

1)  I am greatly annoyed by people who get up in arms about the things other people like, for no other reason than to look down their noses at others for liking things they don't like. All my time looking for sources and articles to reference came across so very many anti-energy drink posts. Isn't there just so much more going on to be mad about than the person next to you slamming a Red Bull? At least I'm living in the U.S. where there isn't an up to %100 tax on energy drinks.

2) The market is flooded with stuff. Everyone who has an energy drink on more than a rare occasion has their favorite that they tend to stick to. Branching out and actively looking at other products and even brands makes you realize just how many dang energy drinks there are out there. Whats more is its more than just the drinks, caffeine powder, and water, and pills, and  gum for crying out loud. Now is the time to explore, find new ways to consume your caffeine, broaden your jittery horizons.

3) The market is changing, and there are good things on the way. Teenagers and 20 somethings are being focused on less and less by energy drink producers. That means we have less sugary, syrupy nightmares on the market. To replace these we will see more drinks that are actually pleasant for someone who has acquired a taste for bitter things, like coffee, and beer, and watching your childhood dreams crushed under the weight of reality.

Top 5 changes a'comin to energy drinks

The energy drink market is constantly evolving and going through phases in popularity and who the drinks are marketed to. Sometimes it is nice to attempt to see a little in to the future. So, I will be sharing my top 5 things to look out for in the energy drink market in 2019.

1) We energy drinkers are getting older, and marketers know it. You will start to see marketing with less motocross and more trying to keep up with your kids Christmas morning. 5 Hour Energy is already on top of it, and you will begin to see the other companies follow suite very soon.

2) Energy drinks are making the move from the gas station to the grocery store. Energy drinks are no longer for edgy teenagers and edgier people in the early 20s. Energy drinks are consumed by a wide market now, and to reflect that you will begin to see more and more drinks show up in the soda aisle of your local grocer right next to the household name sodas.

3) Herbal. I am not the biggest fan of herbal drinks, but that is because I don't even attempt to pretend to be a healthy individual. For people who have not chosen my tomorrow-be-damned path herbal energy drinks will start becoming more and more common. Pepsi is ahead of the curve on this one, already releasing many "organic" drinks. Expect this to be a fad, if not a trend.

4) Powder mix. Mio has already come out with a way to add energy to boring old water (not to be mixed with other caffeinated products (yeah, right)). Other companies will no doubt be breaking in to this market before long a quick Amazon reveals some small companies are using this as of yet exploited niche to break in to the energy drink game. If my Facebook feed is any indication people are becoming more and more conscious of the fact that their bodies need water, and these H2O supplements will be set to monopolize on that.

5) Searching around the web for sources and information on energy drinks, as I am wont to do, I always come across multiple scary news articles. These articles tell me how energy drinks are going to kill me and my loved ones and cause the fabric of society to unravel and plunge humanity in to a new dark age where terror and despair is a constant companion and the living envy the dead. People love to tear down the things others enjoy, and love the attention they get from screaming about the evils of something, anything, no matter how innocent the thing is. With smokers becoming a dying breed, hastened by the rise of vaping, the fun killers need to find something else to scream about, so why not energy drinks. So prepare yourselves energy drinkers, for folks with "I want to speak to your manager" stopping you at the supermarket to tell you how you shouldn't be buying that pack of Redbull, and have your witty comebacks about that six gallon tubs of ice cream ready.

10 FAQs on energy drinks.

There are some questions out there in the energy drink community. Like, why does this taste like camel urine, and more importantly how do I know what camel urine tastes like?

Well I have no answer to those two but I do have a few that I have compiled through some interweb searching for you reading pleasure.

1) What on earth does caffeine from all sources mean, isn't caffeine caffeine?
Well, the caffeine content of energy drinks comes from propitiatory energy blends, including ginseng and all kinds of vitamin Bs. A list with brief explanations of these can be found here.

2) Don't energy drinks cause (insert medical issue here)?
Energy drinks are full of all kinds of ingredients that people react o differently, some may people may have poor reactions to some of these. However the rumors about energy drinks causing STDs and giving people heart attacks when they look at a Monster can for too long are false. Don't listen to the mom groups trying to get you to run away from the fun things in life.

3)Is it okay to mix energy drinks with alcohol?
No. Mixing a stimulant and a depressant is a bad idea. Don't do it. One vice at a time people.

4) I heard some companies put hard drugs in energy drinks before they were regulated.
This comes from the idea that Coca Cola had cocaine in it. It didn't, it had coca leaves but not cocaine as we know it today. Also during World War II the German caffeinated chocolate Cho-ka-kola had amphetamines in it to keep German soldiers alert on night missions (don't get too mad at the Germans, we do it to this day). Modern energy drinks however do not, and have not ever had drugs beyond what are essentially cocktails of supplements to zap the nervous system.

If your day is done and you want to ride on, Scho-ca-cola

5)Can I really be addicted to energy drinks?
Yes, caffeine is a drug, however mild. You can be addicted and will go through withdrawal if you quit. However addiction and drug are rather strong words to describe what we are talking about. Is there a German word for slightly addictive, but not really?

6)Do energy drinks dehydrate you?
Absolutely. It is not the caffeine however, it is the massive amount of sugar in most energy drinks that dehydrates you.

7) Why do energy drinks always make me pee way more than normal.
Caffeine is a diuretic it makes ya need to pee. My trick is to time slamming a can of something so that I can be near a bathroom no later than half an hour later.

8)How can I tell how much caffeine is in a drink?
Some cans list caffeine content, but don't trust it. I wrote a post about this here.

9)How many energy drinks per day is too many?
Your genes hold the answer to that. The link to the left gives a great explanation on what genes are responsible for caffeine metabolism and what it means. 400mg a day for a healthy adult is generally considered the cap on safe caffeine consumption but your body may be able to handle way more, or far less.

10) Does drinking energy drinks as a teenager stunt your growth?
No. Playing heck with your nervous system as a teenager is not a great idea, but the caffeine does make you shorter when you reach adulthood. So it is genes, not drinking coffee regularly from the age of 12 that made me 5'6''.

One of these things is pretty much like the other, one of these things is almost exactly the same.

 I was at my local gas station today when I noticed something. A lot of energy drink companies are coming out with punch flavored products now. So, armed with dreams of being a sommelier of energy drinks and a few Amazon photos I set out to compare NOS Rowdy Punch and Monster Punch Baller's Blend.

I began with the outside of the can. I compared ingredients, and caffeine content and found something interesting. They are darn near identical. They both have 160mg of caffeine or so they say. They both have all kinds of vitamin b including a bunch of niacin (vitamin b3, you know, the stuff that supposedly gives you hepatitis). Even their full ingredients list seems to be just a scrambled list of the other, both even having the same food coloring, red #40.

So on paper they are pretty much the same thing, I hear the voices in my head say, but they cannot possibly be identical in taste as well.

They taste pretty much the same. After my first sip of the Monster I said to myself "I like this better", because the Monster was much less carbonated and ever so slightly less sweet. However after a few sips of both, washing my mouth out in-between. After doing a blind study with opaque cups, a blindfold, and my New York card-shark skills. After feeling my sanity slip away trying to taste a significant difference in the two and drinking both at once. I can confidently say they they are as different as off-white and eggshell.

The only noticeable difference I can see is that the NOS is an opaque pink, and the Monster is a transparent red.

Perhaps they have a different kick, with their ever so slight difference in energy blends, but I was not about to sit here and down roughly 320mg of caffeine at the end of my day. So I will leave finding a difference between the two for you to find out.

"I don't know why I had a heart attack, I only had two drinks" or how the energy drink companies are lying to you.

You pick up an energy shot at your local gas station. You had a cup of coffee this morning but work has kicked your butt today and you need a boost. The shot lists caffeine as an ingredient but does not list the amount. You have always had a high tolerance for caffeine, so it's fine. Little do you know that you are in for a ride, that shot has 300mg of caffeine, 400mg is considered safe.

The FDA has been cracking down on energy drink companies reporting of caffeine content in their products, but they are still finding loopholes that let them report inaccurate numbers, if at all.. Some drinks merely labeled their caffeine content as coming from proprietary blends, with no specific content listed.

If you are like me, and actively attempt to keep blood out of your caffeine system, watching your daily intake closely is a must.


Luckily there are sources available online like caffeineinformer that will help you track your drink's actual content and keep you from having an anxiety attack at best, and a heart attack at worst.

I am the last person to push for more government regulation, 

                                                      This guy is my spirit animal
but I am all for asking energy drink companies to accurately report their contents. I will continue to drink their stuff, probably to excess, but at least I can be well informed about my excesses.

I recently watched an interview with the CEO of Monster Energy Rodney Sacks and there are a few things I would like to talk about. If you want to watch the interview here is the link.

The first round of question and answer I found interesting was Sacks' words on the target markets of Monster. When asked what Monster's target consumer is Sacks replied that Monster is a "lifestyle brand (it's) edgy, in your face". The primary market is males ages 18-30, but Monster hopes to expand their consumer base to women.

How most intends to expand to female markets is the next interesting question. Sacks was asked how Monster's coffee energy drinks like these set themselves apart from the rest of the energy drink and coffee market. Sacks responded by saying that the Monster coffees would have more "drink-ability" as well as be more of a "frappuccino".

The hope with these coffee-like drinks is to appeal to more female energy drinkers, and expand Monster's customer base. The appeal of these drinks is drink-ability like a coffee shop concoction, with the kick of a monster.

The final interesting note I took from this interview was Sacks' take on the success of Monster Mutant. The interviewer noted that Mutant's sales had slowed and asked what it was like now. Sacks responded that "there is a citrus category and we feel we can introduce a really god product". This has to do with Monster being "clearly positioned against Mountain Dew and Kickstart". I feel a comparison review coming on.

This interview was a year old admittedly, but it gives us a good insight in to what the industry is doing, and how they are going about feeding our habits.

A Salute to Rip It

A pack of Marlborough NXTs (I have since quit so don't judge), a backpack full of blue gloves and zip ties, a spare set of socks and underwear in a plastic bag, a massive water jug and two Rip Its (preferable the orange ones, but green would do in a pinch). That is what I had with me every night I left for work when I was a hydraulic technician in the U.S. Air Force.

Rip Its can be found at most gas stations and supermarkets but are often over looked in favor of the big name energy drinks. They are a little on the syrupy end. Their kick has that sugar high feel. Some of the flavors are an acquired taste (looking at you green ones), but they have such a large range you are sure to find one you like. 

That may sound like a lukewarm review, but Rip It's biggest selling point isn't its caffeine or sugar content, its the price. Around a buck just about everywhere you go. What's even better is the whole pallets of mini Rip Its sent to military bases all around the world. 

 I have gotten to know Marines and Soldiers  since I have been out who have told me tales of dip bottles, and empty Rip It cans rolling around the floor of their vehicles. If you look in the trash cans of my old Aircraft Maintenance Unit you would find several empty packs of smokes, fast food bags, and dozens of empty Rip It cans.

If you don't believe me, here and here are articles to prove it. The Rip It Facebook page is also liked by all four (sometimes five) branches of the military, even the one that is a cult, and the one that is a corporation.

If there is one thing every vet will tell you, its that the military runs on dip, cigarettes, energy drinks, and booze. Rip It fills one of those needs better than anyone else. For this I award Rip It with the Caffpower Keep 'Em Fighting award.