Guarana, Taurine and Ginseng sound more like exotic animals than the compounds of trendy energy drinks. To determine the actual boost factor of these liquid lightning beverages, I decided to perform my own everyman test, throwing back one of the common varieties per day for five days. Some of the cans are listed as two servings per can, but I consumed every ounce. I figure most people are not going to stop after one serving.

In order to keep it fair, I averaged the same amount of sleep each night and had the drink at roughly the same time each morning. The results are as follows:

Monster Energy
Grade: B-
Taste: sugary sweet
Crash factor:moderate
Servings per can: two – 16 fl. Oz.

Monster Energy Drink’s sugary sweetness was a little much for the early morning hours, but not completely unpleasant. The initial energy rush was pretty potent. The boost is comparable to a couple shots of espresso or strong cups of coffee. The energy it provided stretched consistently throughout the day. However, I felt a slightly shaky, jittery feeling set in for a brief period in the early afternoon. Overall, Monster performs well and definitely adds pep to the day.

Rx EnergyHerbal Tonic byArizona
Grade: D
Taste: bitter citrus
Crash factor:minimal
Servings per bottle: 2.5 – 20 fl.Oz.

The Rx Energy taste is strong citrus with a hint of sweetness, and is not particularly good at first. After drinking about half of the bottle, the taste was more appealing. The early boost was very mild. The same boost could be felt from drinking a caffeinated soda. The crash factor was minimal due to the fact that a stronger boost never kicked in. It also gave me quite a feeling of nausea for about an hour. Rx Energy’s contents probably make it the best for you out of the others sampled; however, it does not perform well as an energy product.

Red Bull Energy Drink
Grade: A
Taste: citrus sweet
Crash factor: very minimal
Servings per can: one -8.3 fl. Oz.

The most common and probably most popular energy drink, Red Bull’s sweetness is a welcome alternative to my morning coffee. Plus, the little can makes the drink easy to chug and painless to consume. The energy boost was substantial and maintained throughout most of the day. The mighty little can packed more energy punch than some of its competitors that are double the size. There was no noticeable crash factor or side effects. Red Bull seems like the choice for those sluggish days.

Amp EnergyDrink
Grade: B+
Taste: super sweet Mountain Dew
Crash factor:minimal
Servings per canone – 8.4 fl. Oz.

The Amp taste is the best of the sampled drinks and, like Red Bull, has the small, easy-to-chug can. The tiny can packs a decent punch. The feeling is like that of drinking two Mountain Dews but with a pretty minimal crash factor. There is no recognizable energy difference throughout the day. It just creates an overall alert feeling and added liveliness. With a little more umph, Amp could be a strong competitor to Red Bull, yet Amp lacks the mixable quality that Red Bull has perfected. Amp is good for a quick fix.

RockstarEnergy Drink
Grade: C+
Taste: supersweet citrus
Crash factor:substantial
Servings percan: two – 16 fl.Oz.

Any drink that encourages you to “party like a rock star” is good in my book. Rockstar’s overly sweet taste is perhaps too much for my palate. However, it is not intolerable, and it definitely pumps sugar into the blood stream. Rockstar packs a big energy punch. The boost is instantly obvious and creates an energy buzz. The downfall is that while the drink packs an initial big punch and lasts a good amount of time, the fall is more evident. Actual rock stars may be able to party hard for a short period and crash, but it’s not likely for the real world.