And..............I'm back

A lot has happened in this past month so far and attempting to find time to even get on here and type things up, is becoming difficult.  I have good news and bad news.  The good news, is that my other hobby, which is playing around with making jewelry, has apparently gotten some people to like it enough that I have items for sale at the Club Tattoo location in Las Vegas.  I did sell things in the St. Louis Curio Shoppe in downtown St. Louis, but the store in Las Vegas means that my items can be sold for more and I will get a lot more people to view my work.  I do know, that this site doesn't pay me at all, so at least the jewelry helps.

Now, as if designing and choosing 30 items, packing them up and shipping them to Las Vegas from the St. Louis area in 3 days wasn't close enough, try keeping the food writing going on while doing that.  So, I think the first thing that I have to spring back is a new energy drink flavor.  I am slightly addicted to energy drinks so when I see a new one, that isn't full of High Fructose Corn Syrup, I'll buy it and try it.  This is one such instance.  Also, since I have had a mojito in my life and have a friend from Cuba, I thought it would be fitting.

So what does it taste like?  Is it good?  No.  It tastes like the regular Monster fruity flavor with a strong fake lime flavor and it has something else.  I know what they were trying for, making a refreshing lime flavored Monster drink, but in the end, don't make new flavors if they are not good.

Now, while wandering the streets of St. Louis, particularly around the Hospital area, I saw a food truck.  It was one called Sarah's Cake Stop and the truck sold pre-made cupcakes, cakes and cookies.  You know, having a truck drive around, selling sweet sugary things from the side of it sounds like a really good idea. This company makes everything in their main location and then packs it up for moving and selling.  I felt hungry so I got a quick cupcake, of each kind they had.

So, the one in the upper right corner was a gluten free one, a flourless chocolate cake, which tasted fine to me.  What I liked about each and every one of these, is that the icing was more of a whipped cream icing.  It was light, fluffy and wasn't laden with this heavy-ness like regular powdered sugar and water can provide.  They were very moist as well.  The flavors were very spot on as there was a carrot cake one and a red devil cake and vanilla/maple flavored and so forth.   Even though I do make cupcakes at home from time to time, I wasn't filled with this feeling of "oh I can do that", which sometimes permeates my mind when looking at other people's versions of baked goods, but I can say that everything tasted really good for what it was supposed to be.  This isn't like another cupcake company in the area whose cupcakes are just not that tasty, because Sarah's Cake Stop isn't all about hype but instead about the flavor.  A lot of some of the best of St. Louis didn't make it to a television show or didn't pay to run giant ads and articles in periodicals.  A lot of the best of this city, is hidden and you have to brush aside the hype and the junk to see it.  This truck, and more importantly the people of the company, make very good cupcakes and for their price, I am happy.  I would give their cupcakes a 4 out of 5 stars, for being very good and if you see them on the street, you should take a stop and try them out.

A long way for an energy drink

Along with my previous order from Cyberdog, I also purchased their energy drink. It does make complete sense that a company that sells rave and cyber wear would have an energy drink.  I guess it would be perfect if you had a club near one of the Cyberdog stores, so someone could go to the store, buy what they need and then go next door to the club.  The Cyberdog store would get so much business....wow.  Anyways, here is the Cyberlog Energy Drink.

This shows the name of the drink in their "Cyber" font.  This is what has gotten so many attention:

Yeah...This is on my can.  Now while I have to commend the company on their great use of artwork on a can, the contents are what really count.  This drink can reminds me of an energy drink which was released several years ago and had featured pinups on the front of each can.  Anyways, the inside drink is tasty and smooth.  My friends couldn't decide if it tasted like Monster or Red Bull.  However, it still tastes fine.  I was a little concerned about the size of the can as it was a small 250ml can.  That is about 1 cup of liquid, or 8 ounces, when most energy drinks seem to be larger 16 ounce or 500ml or even 750 ml cans.  Still, it was a good tasting drink.  So, my review of the can is a 5/5 stars or (cyberdog logos) and the drink is also a 5/5 stars (or cyberdog logos).

A First World Problem

People around the world are dying of thirst.  They may have only one source of water and that is either polluted by chemicals or it could be polluted with dirt, filth or disease.  Water is the reason why wars are fought, not over gas, but pure, clean drinkable water.  In third world nations, people have to go through great lengths to get water that they can drink.  In first world nations, like the one I live in, we merely walk over to the sink and turn it on.

Now, as I mentioned here, I have a first world problem:  I don't like the taste of water.  Even though I lived in St. Louis for most of my life, which routinely is voted with the best tasting water, I still never liked to just drink pure and clean water.  Where I live now has water that is rich in a chlorine flavor and smell, reminiscent of drinking pool water sometimes.  Even my Pur' filter can clean it and take some of the nasty flavor out, but not all of it.  So, when I want a drink of water, what do I do?

Well, before I used anything from propel to kool aid, but lately, I have been doing the new Mio flavor products:

As you can see, we have two new flavors here: black cherry and green thunder.  What makes these different than the normal Mio flavors is that these have sugar free, 0 calorie syrups in them which can turn any glass of water into a non-carbonated energy drink.  That's right, one of these puppies will set you back a forgettable $3.99 but you have the ability to flavor a gallon of water.  Imagine how many times you could run around the world with a gallon of energy drink.

A single serving size, about 1/2 tsp or one small squirt, has 0 calories, fat, sodium, carbs, sugar and protein.  So, it really is just flavoring, with an added bonus.  Each serving size has 10% of your Daily B3,10% of your B6, 10% of your B12.  It also has some caffeine: 60mg per serving.  A serving of coffee has about 130 mg of caffeine.  So, what you have here, is a way to flavor water, add a few vitamins and caffeine.  I have beee using this daily and multiple times.  It is better than any other energy drink I have used because I cannot over dose on vitamins or get too much caffeine.  I rate these both a 5 out of 5 and if you love energy drinks, pick these up.    

what is the Nawgan drink?

You have probably seen the item on drink shelves and were a bit curious.  The large Red Bull sized cans have a drawing of a brain on the can and then in bold letters it says "nawgan".  It says it has caffeine and is not carbonated.  So, in the illustrious words of Cat from Red Dwarf: "Yeah, but what is it?"

It is touted as a brain drink.  The theory is that there is a certain chemical that stimulates brain function and basically causes the receptors in your brain to work better.  They, the medical people of the world, think that this makes people able to think more clearly and more efficiently.  The problem of course is that this is just a theory and they are still not 100% sure what it does.

What this drink has, unlike many other energy drinks that I am used to, is different chemicals and vitamins.  It has Citicoline (which is this chemical that increase nerve activity in the brain), Alpha-Glyceryl Phosphoryl Choline (which is a form of that neurotransmitter chemical that helps increase brain function), Lycopene (which is the antioxidant found in red foods which has been shown to fight against some cancers) and d-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (which is a form of Vitamin E).  Unlike the other energy drinks, which mostly have B vitamins that help the body pull more energy out of the foods you eat, this one is mostly filled with things that increase brain activity; including caffeine.

So, it says that it works, yet when the caffeine free one was ingested at about 10pm, it didn't help my wife nor I stay awake or stay alert longer.  I am trying the "Tarocco Orange" flavor which is supposed to taste like Blood Orange.  The problem is that it doesn't taste very orangy.  The drink tastes like someone left a diet orange soda out for a few days, allowing it to get completely flat and then watered that drink down.  The orange flavor in it is so mild and shallow that it doesn't register as being orange or tasty to me.

I'd give the drink a 2 out of 5.  The issue is that it is impossible to tell whether it works best or not at what it does.  Every morning changes things for me, whether it was a the amount of sleep I acquired the night before or how sound or deep I slept at night and so forth.  All of those factors are in the equation of whether or how active my brain is the next morning or the next day.  So far though, it looks as if I'd rather take my general energy drink than this one.

the magical potion part 2

Just a bit ago I wrote about potions, most notably after watching a Bugs Bunny episode.  A friend of mine at work gave me a magic potion.  She also gave me a warning; "It is Nasty!"

Well, that is one person's opinion, right?

There is the Mana energy potion and I was in need of a pick-me-up yesterday.  So, pushing aside the warnings of taste, I opened the lid and smelled it.  It smelled good.  There was a fruitiness to it and smelled like the scent of a Mountain Dew.  I pulled a Zimmerman and took two large gulps to drink it all.  The first one was from the bottle and the second was after I had poured it into another cup, because I was having difficulty drinking from this oddly shaped bottle.

It WAS nasty.  It tasted like someone took some Mountain Dew syrup, added a cup of sugar and a bad tasting B complex vitamin.  I say that it must have had that bad tasting B vitamin because on the back, was a full array of B vitamins:

So, you have 10% of your Daily Vitamin C, 80% of your B1, 130% of your B3, 80% of your B5, 1600% of your B6 ans 6667% of your B12.  Combine this with Glucuronolactone (a detoxicant), Malic Acid (a flavoring agent which is responsible for giving apples their tartness), DL-Phenylalanie (an essential amino acid which helps prevent depression), L-Taurine (an essential amino acid which does about everything for your body), N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine (which helps increase brain activity), Caffeine, Amylase (an enzyme which helps break down starches into sugars and energy) , Lactase (the enzyme which is necessary for the breakdown of milk), Cellulase (which performs hydrolysis), Lipase (an enzyme which helps in the digestion of fats) and Protease (which helps in the breakdown of proteins).

Overall, the mana potion has a lot of good stuff in this shot.  But, most of these acids and enzymes work to help your body breakdown food.  This means that for this potion to be most effective, it must be taken with a meal or a snack.

Its good, as it is your daily vitamin in a drink, but bad since it tastes nasty.

A Monster Disaster

Not too long ago, I did a fun review contest of some energy drinks, or at least those which did not use High Fructose Corn Syrup as their main form of concentrated energy.  I tend to like or grew accustomed to the flavoring selection of the Monster brand energy drinks.  Soon I was drinking them every day.  A 24 pack from Costco, set me back $28 and I was happy as a clam.  I use energy drinks as the pick me up as I don't drink coffee.

So, everything was going fine at work.  I bought a 4 pack of regular Monster drinks and then was enjoying one of them one morning at work.  As I was finishing a can around 10am, I felt something solid hot my lips.  I went from okay, normal dull day at work, to "oh my god what was that?"  I took the can and what drink was left inside to our kitchen at work and poured it into a glass and noticed a brown circular object at the bottom of my glass.  I was shocked as it was brown, wrinkly and looked like something that I did NOT want in my drink or near me at all.  I poured it into the sink and with a carefully placed butter knife, I sliced the object in two to discover that it was nothing more than a raisin.

I was curious and sent an email to Monster asking if raisins are used in the manufacturing process at all.  Now, I wasn't trying to find the secret recipe but try to figure out if raisins went in Monster somewhere or if it was because some random worker on the line dropped it into a can.  After some back and forth emails, Monster sent me some coupons for some free Monster drinks.

Now, I'm not going to get any more Monster drinks, so why did they bother to send me these?  I compare this whole experience to one that you are enjoying a box of cracker-like snacks only to discover that they are made of dead people: and called Soylent Green.  You are disgusted and you don't want any more of those things and want to keep them away from you as far as you can.  Then you know what happens?  The manufacturer gives you a free box of Soylent Green.  You know that it is made from people, and you expressed your dislike for wanting to consume any more, so why do they give you some more?  Some people would take it, I would not.  Thanks Monster, but I take back all of the nice things I have said about you or your drinks. 

No amount of health or energy is worth this...

Do not drink Solixir, it is not tasty at all.  The flavor of this all natural energy drink tasted like someone left a Corona beer outside and then added a bunch of chopped leaves and dirt into the mix.  I also know that it is filled with natural and most likely healthy things like ginseng, angelica and even turmeric root.  But, the flavor is quite awful and I could not finish the can.   Here is a picture as a warning and this is likely a 1/2 star out of 5.

I am ending the week with a Hydrive...

This is Hydrive. 

Hydrive energy drink seems a bit more tame, compared to the others I have tasted this week.  This triple berry flavor tastes like fruit punch flavored bug juice and is very sweet.  Almost like a cross between a Gatorade and a Monster drink, but it says that it has only 6 grams of sugar in the whole bottle, which is almost one tenth of the sugar amount of Monster.

Hydrive taunts you into trying it because all over the bottle it preaches the main reason for its energy: antioxidants.  Sure, antioxidants are great, in theory.  In fact, I don't believe there is any real, tangible evidence that shows that antioxidants do prevent diseases or can make you live longer.  Antioxidants are supposed to fight free radicals, which are often explained like a bull in a china shop.  The bull is a free radical, something you get that can be bad for your body, like a sugar molecule or even a carcinogen.  Antioxidants, are supposed to basically jump on and attach themselves to the free radical, thus creating a layer of padding to prevent the free radical from destroying your cells.  So, if the free radical is a big bull, the antioxidants are layers upon layers of bubble wrap that someone had placed around it to prevent it from damaging anything. 

Besides that. the drink is good. It is very sweet and as it gives half of the % daily value of B's and vitamin E that any of the other drinks does.If you are taking a normal supplement for your B vitamins, then this is good just to make sure you have all you need. I give Hydrive a 3 out of 5.

I'm a Rockstar because I drink nasty energy drinks

Okay, I try to look at the good in everything and unfortunately, this is not that good.  Let me start off straight by saying that the Rockstar: energy drink, is not that good.  Energy drinks are like beers, there are many kinds, many flavors, but some companies take the same flavor and just bottle it and change it ever so slightly as to think they are creating a new flavor.  For instance, Miller Genuine Draft and Miller Lite.  They taste the same and likely have one ingredient different, but that is it.

Rockstar tastes just like a Red Bull.  Owned by different companies but they taste the same.  Rockstar, wasn't all the way empty when I rinsed out the can to be recycled so I'm not sure I would recommend it to anyone.  I'd give it a 1 out of 5, mainly because if something is inedible, it gets a 1, sorta.

Sugar free Lightning flavor...?

Yeah, lightning really is a flavor and it does taste pretty good.  The drink, Amp: Sugar free lightning, tastes like a sweet and tasty soda, like a mix between a 7-up and an orange soda packed with good stuff.  But as I see more and more of this stuff, what are these things?

I understand what ginseng is and guarana, caffeine and taurine, and the B vitamins, which it is nearly impossible for you to OD in.  I have had people ask me about this and like so many things, B vitamins are water soluable.  This means that if you have too much in your body, your body removes the excess in water: you pee it out.

As I said, Amp: sugar free, doesn't have the sugar which is great so you don't have to worry about those added calories.  It does really taste like a good citrus soda and that helps make up for the fact that it is technically good for you.  Despite what I have seen others say, about how energy drinks are bad or addictive, I am trying to look at as much as I can to see if there are really any that are pretty good for them.  I mean, what is so bad in one of these drinks?  It may have no sugar and it may have twice as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, but I think that is about it.

Amp: sugar free lightning is good and perhaps better than the Monster drinks and as good as the Venom one.  I'd give this one a good 3 out of 5.

Time to unleash the Khaos?

No spelling mistake on my part: Khaos is the name of another flavor of energy drink from the brand Monster.  This energy drink is different than the other Monster drinks in it that this one is mostly made up of Juice. This tastes like a mix of soda and OJ.  It says, in the ingredient list, that it contains apple, orange, peach, tangerine, pineapple and white grape juice.  Boasting vitamin A and C, this drink has more energy in it, or at least more vitamins than a normal Monster drink.  I give this one a 2 out of 5 as well as the fruit mix doesn't taste that good to me.

Unleashing the monster

 I have to admit it, though I have given up soda, or strongly carbonated beverages that have no nutritional value, I do support and drink the lo-carb version of the Monster energy drink.  Now, most energy drinks contain sugar and caffeine and while that may be the norm for them all, the low-carb Monster energy drink seems to be at least somewhat healthy and good for you.

Unlike other energy drinks, Monster actually has vitamins and other chemicals that are considered antioxidants.  One can of Monster gives you twice of your RDA for B12, for instance.  This chemical is essential to your immune system and your health.  Taurine is listed as an ingredient and this chemical has been shown to act as an antioxidant and help the body run better.

Now the first energy drink was likely Irn-Brew, which was introduced in 1901 in Scotland.  Iron Brew, as it became known as, contains as many as 32 secret ingredients and while I would love to find out why it is so popular and what it did to become the first 'energy drink', it has such a large secret that only two people know of it at any one time and they cannot be at the same place at the same time; for safety.

Now, what are some issues with the other drinks?  Well, in particular, the largest competitor with Monster is Red Bull.  What is in a Red Bull and can it really give you wings.

Red Bull is adapted from a Thai energy drink that when the name is translated into English, gives you "Red Bull".  It was introduced worldwide in 1987 and is considered the most famous energy drink of the world.  Red bull contains Taurine, caffeine, B vitamins, Glucuronolactone, Sucrose and Glucose.  There is 110 calories in a single 8.3 oz can.  It has 27 grams of sugar, 100% of your daily Niacin(B3), 80% of your B12, 250% of your B6 and 50% of your Pantothenic Acid(B5).

Taurine is an antioxidant which has been shown to also help lower bad cholesterol levels in the blood
Caffeine is the thing that gives us that buzz
B Vitamins are important for a healthy metabolism and immune system
Glucuronolactone is a sweetening agent that helps to detoxify the body
Sucrose is your basic table sugar
Glucose is the simple sugar that is produced by plants during photosynthesis
Pantothenic Acid is vitamin B5 which is important for a healthy metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and proteins

Now a Monster drink, in particular, the regular Monster drink, since I looked at the regular Red Bull, is 2.5 servings in a single can.  Red bull only lists but a small number of ingredients on their site or anywhere else while Monster lists as many as 15-20 ingredients.  A serving size of Monster will let you have 27 grams of sugar, 100% of your B2, 100% of your B3, 100% of your B6 and 100% of your B12. Also, it is not listed on the Nutritional table, but Monster does list Pantothenic Acid(B5) as an ingredient.  So, it does in fact contain the B5 that Red Bull has as well.

So, Monster has more B12, less B6 and B2 and some B5.  So, what is the difference?

B2 is important in the creation of energy from metabolism.  So, having this is ideal.  Monster wins.
B6 is a major co enzyme for reactions that help with the metabolism.  Red Bull wins.
B5 is for metabolism of fats, carbs and proteins. There is a tie.
B3 is for DNA repair. Tie for both.
B12 is for the brain and nervous system.  Monster wins, as it has more.

From what it looks like, B2 is actually more powerful than B5, so having the ability to get a greater amount of energy from foods is better than being able to metabolize the foods at all, I think.  Also, with the additional 20% of your daily B12, Monster seems to take the win.

Again, I prefer the low-carb Monster which doesn't give me the sugar and gives me the vitamins and nutrients that my body needs.