Energy Drink Review: Monster Rehab RoJo

Monster has added 3 new flavours to its product line including, Rojo tea, Green tea, and Orangeade, today we will focus on Rojo.

Taste

The idea of a rooibos tea energy drink sounded quite interesting to me when I saw this. As I cracked it open and took the first taste, I picked up cranberry and something else I wasn't really able to pinpoint, I'm guessing that's the tea. It is sweeter then the other 3 but not overly sweet. There is a bit of tartness from the cranberry juice in the finish. One thing that I did not like is because the rehabs are sweetened with splenda you get a bit of that "splenda taste" in the finish but its barley noticeable. Overall very tasty and refreshing.

Ingredients

Rehab is a'lot different then much other energy drinks that are out there. Monster includes what they call there Rehab Energy blend which includes the following. 

Taurine   1937mg

Panax Ginsing   388mg

Caffeine   161mg

Concentrated coconut water 48mg

Rooibus tea   48mg

D-glucuronolactone   9.6mg

Guarana   9.6mg

Inositol   9.6mg

Goji berry   5mg

Mangosteen   5mg

VB3   39mg

VB5   19mg

VB6   4mg

VB12   11.6mcg

Other ingredients include: water, cranberry juice concentrate  glucose, natural fruit flavours, tea extract, citric acid, sodium citrate, tartaric acid, sucralose, magnesium lactate, monopotassium phosphate, calcium lactate pentahydrate, sodium chloride, acesulfame  potassium, acai.

Buzz

After drinking the can in about 10-15 mins it wasn't long before I started feeling the effects. There is almost no suger in the can (6 grams) so I dident get jittery at all. There was a solid feeling of alertness and the need to work. After powering through the programming I had for the day AND my Social Studies 12 homework in about 2 hours I still felt the effects for a further 1 and a half hours with no crash. After coming down I still felt refreshed and only a bit tired. 

Verdict

Monster has definitely hit home with this. The drink is very refreshing with a solid, long lasting buzz and great taste. I would recommend this to anyone who has had a long night the day before, or before a study session. Overall marks are 90/100.

Coffee Review: Ethical Bean Bold

I first tried this coffee last year when I received it as a Christmas gift and I was very impressed. After coming home from school and being rather burned out I made a cup of this. It kept me going for about 3 hours. Being fair trade, and organic you cant go wrong.

Roast:

Dark

Origin:

Peru (Monte Verde)

Price:

$13.00/1 Pound

Aroma

When I First opened the bag I smelled rich notes of dark chocolate, spice, cedar, a bit of smoke and vanilla sweetness. The aroma of the beans gets stronger and opens up a bit more when ground producing stronger notes of smoke and chocolate. In the glass the aroma changes to a sweet roasted malt, lots of chocolate, smoke and a bit of vanilla. Overall a very interesting and wonderful nose.

Taste

Very and I mean very smooth, silky, and full body mouthfeel. Very rich and complex flavours of dark chocolate and spice. Hints of vanilla, roasted sweet malt, and molasses are also present  The smoke element is very subtle but is still there adding complexity to the overall coffee. Very gentle acidity and a long, flavour-saturated finish.

Buzz

For a dark roast there is a decent amount of buzz to this coffee. The brewing method I have used was drip and the caffeine content will depend on what method you use. After a rather long day at school and still having about 3 hours of code to write, I made a cup of this hopping it would get me through my work, and boy it did. I was able to stay focused and alert while working and got my work done in about 1 1/2 hours instead of 3. The total buzz lasted for about 4 hours.

Conclusion

Overall this is one of  my top 3 favourite coffees. Very affordable and very high quality, it tastes like it needs to be more expensive. After a long day at school or work its very nice to come home to a cup of this. Total mark is 95/100.