BevReview.com

You don’t typically associate Squirt with “energy” or “caffeine”. I mean, really, it’s just a citrus-flavored drink with a grapefruit influence, currently owned by Cadbury Schweppes. And for the most part, it’s unique and rather good. Even it’s sibling Ruby Red Squirt has favorable standing with us here at BevReview.com.

Well, it’s no more Mr. Nice Guy for Squirt. The soft drink takes it up a notch in attitude and content with the energy drink-crafted Squirt Citrus Power!

That’s what you get when you jack up the caffeine (9.1 mg/oz. vs. Mountain Dew at 4.5 mg/oz.), add in some taurine, and load up on Vitamins B3, B5, B6, and B12! Squirt Citrus Power seems to take a similar approach to Pepsi’s failed Mountain Dew MDX in that it’s leveraging an existing carbonated soft drink brand… and boosting it to be an energy drink. It’s even a riskier move for Squirt when you think that the original formula wasn’t exactly known for pep or caffeine. But there is some positives to this as well. For example, it doesn’t look like an energy drink… no 16 oz. tall can, use of additives or nutrients listed on the label, or crazy “extreme” branding. It’s basically, “Squirt… energized”, which I think comes out well in the labeling.

It by no means is innovative, but stays true to the Squirt brand. At the core of the grapefruit logo is the Squirt wordmark, with a small subheading of “Citrus Power”. This all sits on a black background with yellow lightning bolts streaking throughout, reinforcing the tagline at the top of the label: “Energized Refreshment”. The bottle is a standard green plastic, topped with black cap to match the label. The addition of “Naturally and Artificially Flavored” is the only other itemization you see on the main label panels. To most folks, this probably will seem like a “safe” drink, especially if they are a little turned off by the energy drink stigma. Whether that backfires is up for debate, however. I would think that it still stacks up against the likes of other citrus brands such as Sundrop, Fanta Citrus, while more loosely adding Mountain Dew, Vault, and even Amp or Full Throttle into the “we’re now competitors” mix.

A 20 oz. bottle (technically, 2.5 servings) packs 290 calories, 95 mg of sodium, and 74 g of sugars. A full ingredient list is as follows:

Squirt Citrus Power
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, taurine, natural and artificial citrus flavor with other natural flavors, potassium citrate, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives), caffeine, modified corn starch, calcium pantothenate (Vitamin B5), ester gum, niacinamide (Vitamin B3), pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), calcium disodium EDTA, Yellow 5, cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)

The 9.1 mg/oz. of caffeine content is on par with other drinks in the category such as Red Bull (9.64 mg/oz.), Monster (10.00 mg/oz.), Amp (8.875 mg/oz.), and Full Throttle (9.00 mg/oz.).

As for the taste? Well, it’s a lot like Squirt, which is a good thing. There’s a slightly different, more salty aftertaste. In fact, there might be an completely different flavor the as you encounter the “finish” of the drink. It’s not bad, but it’s also not as smooth or expected given that the rest of the drink pretty much tastes like normal Squirt. I did notice quite a difference after drinking this beverage, however. Let’s just say that the energy drink effects kicked in!

Overall, I rather enjoyed Squirt Citrus Power. The increase in caffeine, addition of taurine and B vitamins, and unique grapefruit taste make this a nice addition to the energy drink market. The familiarity of the brand and obvious targeting at the casual beverage fan could be very positive for this flavor extension.

Do you remember the original mandarin orange-flavored Orange Slice? How about the clear-but-flavorful Sprite Remix? Combine both concepts and you have Sierra Mist Undercover Orange, a limited edition flavor from PepsiCo tied into the theatrical movie release of Get Smart.

This flavor was first rumored last year when Pepsi moved to protect the trademarks on the name (both regular and diet) back in December 2007. This was followed by a promotional e-mail sighting in March 2008 related to the “Pepsi Stuff” loyalty program.

The drink is clear. Yup, no color. How about that? No, it’s not Crystal Pepsi, but hey, it’s clear with a different type of flavor. That has to count for something, right? The labeling on the 20 oz. bottle I had is prominently orange, highlighted with lime green stripes at the top and bottom. The Sierra Mist “Undercover” logo (first spotted in the trademark filing) is mostly blue. The “Undercover” name is called out in uppercase yellow letters, almost as if this phrase was being marketed as some sort of subbrand. This idea is emphasized by the fact that the flavor (”Orange”) is written in a substantially smaller size below “Undercover”. A very tiny label of “Limited Edition” is also part of the logo, which is an odd choice, given that these sort of callouts are typically in more prominent locations on a label (such as on the banding).

The flavor itself is described as “lemon-lime soda with a splash of mandarin orange flavor with other natural flavors.” Upon opening the drink, it does smell like an orange soda. Close your eyes when you do it or you will be deceived. Even then, the orange is not as strong as what you might find in a Sunkist or Crush orange beverage. But what about the flavor itself? It’s pretty good, when you consider the fact that it’s based on what I consider a inferior lemon lime drink. The orange flavor is subtle, a little sweet. The difference is the tail of the beverage experience and the aftertaste… both are somewhat different. I think this a combination of two things… the flavor of “mandarin orange” vs. standard orange and the inclusion of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as the sweetener.

The orange flavor in the finish threw me off a bit. It wasn’t what I expected. It’s different. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. It did seem to hint back to the flavor I seem to remember from the Orange Slice days. It’s more unique. At the same time, there was somewhat of a negative taste there, which either was the type of orange flavoring used or the syrupy HFCS aftertaste. In either case, I sort of liked it. However, I wanted to like it and will admit that I wish it tasted a bit better.

Like other Sierra Mist flavors, this drink contains no caffeine. A 20 oz. bottle (technically, 2.5 servings) packs 240 calories, 55 mg of sodium, and 65 g of sugars. The full ingredient list is as follows:

Sierra Mist Undercover Orange
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavor, potassium benzoate (preserves freshness), potassium citrate, and calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor).

This isn’t the first limited edition flavor that Sierra Mist has rolled out. Last summer they offered Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze, and for Holiday 2006 and 2007 they offered up Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash.

This drink also represents another blatant marketing tie-in for PepsiCo. You may recall the August 2007 rollout of Mountain Dew Game Fuel, which was an obvious cross-promotional effort with the Halo 3 game for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console. In this case, Sierra Mist Undercover Orange is tied to Warner Bros.’s summer release of Get Smart, a remake of the 1960s spy parody show. This interpretation stars Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway as Agent 99, both of whom are featured on the Undercover Orange label. The name (”Undercover”) also hints at the spy genre, as does the idea of something being hidden or top secret — such as the orange flavor disguised as a clear liquid.

The drink concept isn’t completely unique. It’s really just PepsiCo’s version of Coke’s Sprite Remix brand that featured Sprite Remix Tropical, Sprite Remix Berryclear, and Sprite Remix Aruba Jam a few years back. Still, it’s nice to see an orange flavor return to Pepsi’s lineup. That’s something that has been missed since the loss of Slice and hasn’t been adequately replaced by drinks like Tropicana Twister Soda Orange.

Overall, Sierra Mist Undercover Orange is a creative limited edition that provides an orange flavor within a clear soft drink, much like Sprite Remix. The mandarin orange taste is considerably different from other orange sodas, though suffers from some of the negatives associated with HFCS and Sierra Mist in general. It’s a clever tie-in to the movie Get Smart and provides a much needed orange flavor to PepsiCo’s lineup.

I’m not a big fan of Coke’s Full Throttle beverage. As I mentioned in my review of their flagship energy drink brand, it tasted like citrus-infused carbonated cleaning solution. That’s not a good thing. But Full Throttle Fury — which has an orange flavor — well, that wasn’t too bad.

Let me first talk about the packaging, however. If you look at this can, would it indicate to you that it’s an orange flavor? The color is red, the name is Fury… just what the heck does that mean? Horrible, horrible branding. (There have been some recent sightings of a redesigned can that is actually orange in color and denotes the flavor in print, so perhaps Coke has learned from their mistake. They tend to be stupid. i.e. “Let’s make Coke Zero with a white label!“… oh wait, black is better.)

Upon opening the can, it smells like orange. That’s a good sign. As for the flavor, definitely fruity. The orange taste is obvious, but I thought I detected a bit of cherry as well. Maybe I’m way off, but the drink just didn’t taste like a pure orange flavor. Think Mountain Dew LiveWire… or something else that doesn’t quite feel stereotypically orange.

When compared to the original Full Throttle flavor, Full Throttle Fury is much better in the aftertaste department. Overall its a smoother, drink. There’s somewhat of a bitter taste in the middle of the drinking experience, but it’s not entirely bad. Overall, Fury produces a rather interesting, rich flavor. Huge improvement over the flagship. One would imagine that it would consider PepsiCo’s Amp Energy Relaunch as a new competitor.

Like the original flavor, Full Throttle Fury comes in a 16 oz. can, denoted with the brand’s aggressive flame logo, which is only made bolder by sitting on a red background. The “Fury” name is denoted in an orange-colored, brash font. The font logo panel also notes that this drink is “A product of The Coca-Cola Company”.

Nutritionally (an oxymoron when you are talking about carbonated drinks), Fury is very similar to the original Full Throttle. It contains 144 mg. of caffeine, which breaks down to 9 mg/oz. This is on par with other drinks in the category such as Red Bull (9.64 mg/oz.), Monster (10.00 mg/oz.), and Amp (8.875 mg/oz.). An entire can will cost you 220 calories, 170 mg of sodium, and 58 g of sugars. When you take a look at the inclusion of nutritional supplements, each 8 oz. serving (there are 2 per 16 oz. can) contains 90 mg of ginseng, 605 mg of taurine, 0.70 mg of guarana, and 14 mg of carnitine.

A full ingredient list is as follows:

Full Throttle Fury
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, taurine, naturalflavors, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate (to protect taste), ginseng extract, caffeine, carnitine fumarate, Yellow 6, caramel color, niacinamide (Vitamin B3), pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), guarana extract, cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)

Full Throttle Fury is a decent-tasting, orange-flavored energy drink. It’s superior in many ways to Coke’s original Full Throttle. Only the confusing packaging really hurts the beverage overall.

A forum member over at Salute to Soda posted the following image in regards to the previously-rumored Sierra Mist Undercover Orange flavor. PepsiCo moved to protect the trademarks on that brand (both regular and diet) back in December 2007.

It was noted that the image was included in an e-mail associated with PepsiCo’s “Pepsi Stuff” loyalty program, under the guise of being one of the first try to try a new flavor. You’ll note from the image that the diet version is shown, branded as Sierra Mist Free Undercover Orange. The label description is hard to read, but it’s clear that the flavor of “Mandarin Orange” is listed, a nice callback to the taste of Sierra Mist’s predecessor, Orange Slice.

Also of note from this image is that the drink appears to be clear. Now isn’t that interesting? So maybe the name of “Undercover Orange” refers to the idea that the drink tastes orange, but doesn’t look like it. Clever! And why would they be using this gimmick for a drink like this? Well, it’s just my speculation, but perhaps there’s a movie tie-in at play, such as the upcoming Get Smart film that is set to debut in June.

Sierra Mist has been doing a lot of limited edition flavors as of late, including last summer’s Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze and the 2-time holiday favorite, Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash. The idea of a “hidden” identity would fit well with the spy genre represented in the film.

On the other hand, Sierra Mist could be positioning the phrase “Undercover” as their version of Sprite Remix. You remember those flavors, don’t you? Sprite Remix Tropical, Sprite Remix Berryclear, and Sprite Remix Aruba Jam! All were clear beverages based on a lemon-lime product, much like Sierra Mist Undercover Orange seems to be. On top of that, if you look at the logo design, you’ll note that the phrase “Undercover” is larger, with only a subheading of “Orange”, leaving the possibility open for other flavors there.

Well, just like the clear Crystal Pepsi days, here’s to everything old being new again!

Full Throttle is an energy drink brand owned by The Coca-Cola Company. It debuted in 2004 as Coke’s response to the growing energy drink market, led by the likes of Monster and Red Bull.

As of 2006 sales data, Full Throttle is the #4 brand behind Red Bull, Monster, and Rockstar (Coke distributes Rockstar, but does not own the brand). Pepsi’s SoBe No Fear and Amp brands round out the #5 and #6 spots, respectively.

The name and design of the Full Throttle brand hint at racing, probably more of the motorcycle variety. The logo is one you’d stereotypically associate with “bikers” and the Harley Davidson crowd, targeting 20-30 year-old men. The can design of the flagship drink is primarily black, highlighted by a silver logo with red and yellow attributes. It doesn’t hide the fact that Coke owns the product, as at the bottom of the logo panels it’s denoted as “A product of The Coca-Cola Company”. The drink is primarily packaged in 16 oz. cans, though it’s also found 24 oz. sizes.

Like most energy drinks, you’ll find the basic popular ingredients included, such as lots of caffeine, ginseng extract, taurine, guarana extract, and B-vitamins. While it’s not denoted on the packaging, the primary flavor of Full Throttle is citrus. In fact, upon opening a can, you are greeted by a sweet, citrus-y smell that also hints of scents you’d associate with your more common energy drinks. The color of the drink is yellow, similar to Mountain Dew.

As for the taste of the drink itself, it starts off sweet, with an influx of citrus flavor, however that experience ends quickly. A more energy drink-ish flavor kicks in after that, which isn’t a good thing. Overall, I’d describe the flavor as something akin to drinking carbonated cleaning solution. Very medicinal aftertaste. The drink wasn’t as smooth as I hoped, especially when compared to a cleaner flavor like that found in Amp, however it was leaps ahead of the bitterness experienced with Red Bull. The mild carbonation was just enough to give it a welcomed bubbly texture.

A 16 oz. can of Full Throttle contains 144 mg. of caffeine, which breaks down to 9 mg/oz. This is on par with other drinks in the category such as Red Bull (9.64 mg/oz.), Monster (10.00 mg/oz.), and Amp (8.875 mg/oz.). In contrast, Coca-Cola contains 2.9 mg/oz., while Mountain Dew clocks in at 4.5 mg/oz.

A full ingredient list is as follows:

Full Throttle
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, taurine, natural and artificial flavors, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate (to protect taste), ginseng extract, caffeine, acadia, carnitine fumarate, glycerol ester of wood rosin, niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Yellow 5, pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), guarana extract, cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)

Nutritionally, a whole can will cost you 220 calories, 170 mg of sodium, and 58 g of sugars. When you take a look at the inclusion of nutritional supplements, each 8 oz. serving (there are 2 per 16 oz. can) contains 90 mg of ginseng, 605 mg of taurine, 0.70 mg of guarana, and 14 mg of carnitine.

Overall, I’m not a fan of Full Throttle. My hunch is that the only reason it holds the #4 sales position is solely based on parent Coke’s distribution and marketing prowess, and not based on flavor. It’s not the most pleasant tasting energy drink.

Do you remember when we reviewed Red Bull a while back and asked the question as to why they haven’t launched any flavor extensions like their competitors? Well, it appears that the folks at Red Bull GmbH have been busy, because they are soon going to be rolling out Red Bull Simply Cola.

This is probably a good move for Red Bull, as it expands their product offerings, but not necessarily in the energy drink direction. They already have a strong fanbase and market position, so it would seem that fans would give Red Bull Simply Cola a try. Additional, the angle of the product seems to be going after the natural, authentic route that seems to be all the rage these days, namely with Pepsi Raw and Pepsi Retro. That should help to separate it from the pack. No doubt, it will also be priced at a premium.

A friend of our affiliated mothership website, ChefTalk.com, sent along some digital photos of an industry brochure announcing the new beverage.

They also sent along a link to the German language article about the drink. I’ll include both below, starting with the transcription of the brochure. I apologize for the visual quality of the images.

The Cola from Red Bull.
Strong & Natural.

Why a Cola from Red Bull?

Why not? And we simply believe that a cola can also be made from natural ingredients. Just like back in the old days.

Red Bull Cola can do without any secrets. On the contrary, all of our ingredients are listed on the back of the can.

Thanks to its formulation, Red Bull Cola is not only a cola, but a special kind of cola: strong and natural.

Coca Leaf, Kola Nut, Lemon/Lime, Clove
Cinnamon, Cardamom, Pine, Corn Mint
Galangal, Vanilla, Ginger, Mace
Cacao, Licorice, Orange, Mustard Seed

Natural flavors from plant extracts and natural caffeine from coffee beans.

Strong and Natural.

Red Bull Cola is a special composition of ingredients, all from 100% natural sources.

In addition, it contains flavors derived from both the kola nut and coca leaf, ingredients in the original colas. So, it is a very special recipe. What else would you expect from Red Bull?

The result is a classic, not too sweet cola taste, which comes from using the right plant extracts.

No Chemistry?

We followed this simple principle in the making of Red Bull Cola. Therefore, our color contains

• no phosphoric acid
• no preservatives
• no artificial flavors

So you see, making a first-class cola can be that easy. Just Simple Cola.

Red Bull Simply Cola

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If the orange-flavored Mountain Dew LiveWire ever became an energy drink, it would look and taste a lot like Amp Energy Relaunch. As part of the 3 new Amp Energy flavors released in March 2008 (which include Amp Energy Traction and Amp Energy Elevate, Amp Energy Relaunch seems to continue the PepsiCo strategy for Amp by borrowing flavor structures from other Dew products.

While Amp Energy Traction tastes like Mountain Dew Pitch Black and Amp Energy Elevate hints at Pepsi Blue, Relaunch brings us back to 2003’s limited-time launch of Mountain Dew LiveWire. I’ve found it very interesting that these 3 new Amp additions all seem to tie in with existing Pepsi products. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. In fact, from my personal perspective as one who doesn’t partake of energy drinks, I found it very welcoming. In fact, it might be that “everyman” approachability by casting familiar flavors in these products that ultimately help them succeed.

Upon opening the can, it’s obvious you have the orange flavor here. Hints of your typical orange soda emanate from the opening, touching on a scent that is probably most closely aligned with Sunkist. The color of the beverage is along the orange-colored lines of LiveWire.

The taste was pretty much what you’d expect from an orange soda, but surprisingly was not as fake tasting as some of the more syrupy experiences we’ve had, including Fanta Orange and Orange Crush. There was still an element of “energy drink” flavor there, most likely tied to all the supplements, but overall the flavor was a mild orange, closer to the makeup of Tropicana Twister Orange or Sunkist. My biggest issue was probably around the aftertaste, which wasn’t horrible, but there was something present at the end that just didn’t seem quite right. I’d say of the 3 new Amp flavors, Relaunch is probably my least favorite.

As Pepsi’s positioning has previously noted, each of the 3 new Amp Energy spinoffs feature something a little different in the way of supplements, giving each a dedicated “purpose.” In the case of Amp Energy Relanch, that purpose is to “Revive”, accomplished with the addition of electrolytes (much as you would find in sports drinks like Gatorade) and B vitamins.

Like the original Amp Energy and Amp Energy Overdrive, Amp Energy Elevate contains ginseng (17 mg vs. Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 10 mg), taurine (148 mg vs. Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 10 mg), guarana (124 mg vs. Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 150 mg), and B vitamins. Not marketed, but also included is maltodextrin (74 mg vs. Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 55 mg). The boost in electrolytes moves up the sodium content of this drink when compared to the rest of the Amp lineup (110 mg vs. Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 65 mg, Amp Traction’s 70 mg, and Amp Elevate’s 65 mg). If you like salt, Amp Energy Relaunch is the drink for you!

Amp Energy Relaunch contains more caffeine than the original Amp Energy and Amp Energy Overdrive, breaking down to 10 mg/oz., in comparison to Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 8.875 mg/oz. (Standard Mountain Dew contains 4.5 mg/oz.)

A full ingredient list is as follows:

Amp Energy Relaunch
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural and artificial flavor, sodium citrate, taurine, guarana seed extract, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness), sodium hexametaphosphate (to protect flavor), caffeine, maltodextrin, gum arabic, niacinamide, panax ginseng root extract, Yellow 6, calcium pantothenate, salt, calcium disodium edta (to protect flavor), brominated vegetable oil, riboflavin, Red 40

Like Amp Energy Traction and Amp Energy Elevate, the can design of Amp Energy Relaunch has changed when compared to Amp drinks of the past. It sports a orange/black color scheme, with a similar-styled “Relanch” logo sitting under the familiar “Amp Energy” name and icon. Reflecting PepsiCo’s intention to distance Amp from the Mountain Dew brand, a smaller Dew logo appears in monochrome towards the bottom right portion of the can. The association is still there, but not as prominently as well the brand was “Amp Energy Drink from Mountain Dew” or even in more recent iterations where the Dew logo was still featured in full color under the Amp logo. The 16 oz. size doesn’t note the previously used “Tall Boy” size brand either.

Text under the secondary logo panel lays out the following:

Revive and hydrate with a burst of orange citrus and an intense surge of energy to get up and get moving again. Tackle whatever life brings with the power of Amp Energy and a specially formulated energizing combination of electrolytes and B Vitamins to jumpstart your body and mind.

Amp Energy Relaunch - More Power To You

As is the tradition with other Amp Energy beverages, the pulltab reflects the primary color of the can, in this case… orange.

Though I have never been a huge fan of Mountain Dew LiveWire, Amp Energy Relaunch wasn’t too bad. It had a somewhat obscure aftertaste that can probably be attributed to the increased use of sodium in the beverage, putting it more in line with a sports drink as far as experience. Still, the decent orange flavor, carbonation, and overall balance of flavor help it to stand out. We’ll see if the marketplace agrees.

It’s time for St. Patrick’s Day, and with that comes a traditional limited-time drink from McDonald’s, the Shamrock Shake.

The Shamrock Shake was brought to market by McDonald’s in the 1980s. It essentially is a vanilla shake with some mint flavoring brought out around St. Patrick’s Day. For a while it was sold alongside a ice cream sundae with mint-flavored topping as well. It was a big deal back then; not so much today.

McDonald’s went out of their way to advertise the shake, including using the McDonaldland characters. In one commercial, Ronald McDonald and Grimace meet Uncle O’Grimacey, an “Irish” character whose entire purpose was to promote the coming of Shamrock Shakes:

More adult-oriented advertising was also used to promote the St. Patrick’s Day favorite:

Over time, it’s been rumored that the formula for the Shamrock Shake changed, with Internet opinion hinting that the flavor now is worse than the original. I never had the chance to try an original version, so I cannot personally confirm if that’s the case.

Today, Shamrock Shakes are harder to find. They are no longer widely promoted by the Golden Arches, and their distribution does not seem to be universal. Fortunately, I was able to find one at a nearby McDonald’s location… so I ordered the small (12 oz.) version.

The color of the shake is white with a hint of green. Unless you take the time to mix the green “mint” syrup into the vanilla shake, it remains primarily white. As for the flavor, it starts out mintish, more along the lines of a mouthwash like Scope. It’s tolerable and hints that “yes, this shake is supposed to be mint.” However, the aftertaste is where things go bad, evidencing the syrup/powder flavoring used in the mix. It’s just not very good at this point. Overall, the mint experience is weak, and combined with the poor aftertaste, the Shamrock Shake is really something that should not be partaken beyond the first few sips.

As for what’s actually in this thing, the official nutritional information from McDonald’s website itemizes the following:

Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream
Milk, sugar, cream, nonfat milk solids, corn syrup solids, mono- and diglycerides, guar gum, dextrose, sodium citrate, artificial vanilla flavor, sodium phosphate, carrageenan, disodium phosphate, cellulose gum, vitamin A palmitate.

Shamrock Shake Syrup
High fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, sugar, natural flavor (plant source), xanthan gum, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), yellow 5, blue 1.

The 12 oz. drink that I had contains 420 calories (yikes!), including 6 g of saturated fat, 40 mg of cholesterol, 125 mg of sodium, and 72 g of carbs.

Overall, I’m not impressed with the current Shamrock Shake experience. Maybe it was great back during its early years, but no so much today!

Representing the “mixed berry” flavor of the 3 new Amp Energy line extensions hitting March 2008 is Amp Energy Elevate. Like its Amp Energy Traction sibling, the flavor seems to bring back memories of another retired PepsiCo product.

Feel like reliving the taste of Pepsi Blue? While that long lost 2002 marketing flop saw a hint of its taste return in the Summer 2007 limited edition Pepsi Summer Mix, it seems to find more of a native home as part of the mixed berry flavor in Amp Energy Traction.

While the can is blue, the drink itself has more of a purplish appearance, much like a light-colored grape flavor would. The scent is very sweet and hits of a berry, Kool-Aid-like experience. Think liquid SweetTarts. And tart is something that does factor into the flavor as well. It’s not painful or anything, but it isn’t a smooth “berry” flavor either. In this case, it works. There’s probably a bit more flavor present than I’m hinting at, but the Pepsi Blue vibe just hit me when I first tested this energy drink.

As Pepsi’s positioning has previously noted, each of the 3 new Amp Energy spinoffs feature something a little different in the way of supplements, giving each a dedicated “purpose.” In the case of Amp Energy Elevate, that purpose is to “Focus”, accomplished with the addition of L-Theanine, an amino acid typically found in tea. According to Wikipedia, L-Theanine “has been shown to reduce mental and physical stress, may produce feelings of relaxation, and improves cognition and mood when taken in combination with caffeine.”

Like the original Amp Energy and Amp Energy Overdrive, Amp Energy Elevate contains maltodextrin (74 mg per serving vs. Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 55 mg per serving), ginseng (17 mg vs. Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 10 mg), taurine (148 mg vs. Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 10 mg), guarana (124 mg vs. Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 150 mg), and B vitamins. The addition of L-Theanine comes at 12 mg per serving and is apparently a brand name version (Suntheanine).

Amp Energy Elevate contains more caffeine than the original Amp Energy and Amp Energy Overdrive, breaking down to 10 mg/oz., in comparison to Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 8.875 mg/oz. (Standard Mountain Dew contains 4.5 mg/oz.)

A full ingredient list is as follows:

Amp Energy Elevate
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, natural flavor, citric acid, taurine, guarana seed extract, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness), sodium hexametaphosphate (to protect flavor), caffeine, maltodextrin, gum arabic, niacinamide, panax ginseng root extract, L-Theanine (Suntheanine® brand), calcium pantothenate, Red 40, calcium disodium edta (to protect flavor), brominated vegetable oil, caramel color, riboflavin, Blue 1

Like Amp Energy Traction, the can design of Amp Energy Elevate has changed when compared to Amp drinks of the past. It sports a blue/black color scheme, with a similar-styled “Elevate” logo sitting under the familiar “Amp Energy” name and icon. Reflecting PepsiCo’s intention to distance Amp from the Mountain Dew brand, a smaller Dew logo appears in monochrome towards the bottom right portion of the can. The association is still there, but not as prominently as well the brand was “Amp Energy Drink from Mountain Dew” or even in more recent iterations where the Dew logo was still featured in full color under the Amp logo. The 16 oz. size doesn’t note the previously used “Tall Boy” size brand either.

Text under the secondary logo panel lays out the following:

Bring your mind to a whole new level to keep connected, focused, and alert. Sharpen your game — the power of Amp Energy with a blast of mixed berry and a kick of L-Theanine.

Amp Energy Elevate - More Power To You

As is the tradition with other Amp Energy beverages, the pulltab reflects the primary color of the can, in this case… blue.

Overall, I liked Amp Energy Elevate. The flavor was good, it reminded me of an old favorite in Pepsi Blue, didn’t taste too much like an energy drink, and had a nice bitter/Dew citrus element that tasted somewhat familiar.

Back in February, we reported on a rumor that both an orange and grape-flavored version of Amp Energy was going to hit the market. The prospective launch date of March 2008 seemed to be true, as I have a can of Amp Energy Traction — the grape flavor — in my hands right now. (Which, by process of elimination, leaves Amp Energy Elevate (Mixed Berry) and Amp Energy Relaunch (Orange) to be found next!)

After drinking my first sip, all I can say is “Welcome back Pitch Black!”

Amp Energy Traction shares a lot in common with the 2004 limited edition Mountain Dew Pitch Black. For one thing, the smell is very similar, producing an obvious grape influence. The purpleish coloring of the drink is right in line with that famed Dew spinoff. And frankly, the taste is rather close. It’s not a clone of Pitch Black, but it does seem to come from the same family. It’s a muted grape taste with just enough citrusy, Mountain Dew-ness to remind you that the Amp Energy line is technically a spinoff of that brand.

Like the Amp Energy and Amp Energy Overdrive, Amp Energy Traction contains maltodextrin (146 mg per serving vs. Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 55 mg per serving), ginseng (17 mg vs. Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 10 mg), taurine (148 mg vs. Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 10 mg), and guarana (124 mg vs. Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 150 mg). Interestingly missing from this list is B vitamins, of which Amp and Amp Overdrive both contain B6 and B12. There is also the addition of 72mg of d-Ribose.

Amp Energy Traction also contains more caffeine than its siblings, breaking down to 10 mg/oz., in comparison to Amp/Amp Overdrive’s 8.875 mg/oz. (Standard Mountain Dew contains 4.5 mg/oz.)

A full ingredient list is as follows:

Amp Energy Traction
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavor, taurine, maltodextrin, guarana seed extract, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness), sodium hexametaphosphate (to protect flavor), caffeine, d-Ribose, gum arabic, niacinamide, panax ginseng root extract, calcium pantothenate, Red 40, calcium disodium edta (to protect flavor), brominated vegetable oil, riboflavin, Blue 1

Amp Energy has gone through another packaging redesign, placing a stronger emphasis on the “Amp Energy” brand and less on its Mountain Dew roots. This seems to coincide with PepsiCo’s increased marketing of the line, reflected through the NASCAR sponsorship of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s #88 car and a Super Bowl commercial. Even the name of the product, Traction, hints at a racing heritage (much like the cherry-flavored Overdrive does). The new packaging emphasizes one color (purple), complimented by a heavy dose of black. The Amp Energy logo remains unchanged, however the way the “Traction” flavor is noted seems to reflect larger, bolder placement. The Mountain Dew logo has been reduced to a monochromatic footnote towards the bottom of the can. It should be additionally noted that the phrase “Sustain” can be found on the front, calling out the inclusion of maltodextrin and d-Ribose. This is backed up by a small textual explanation under the secondary logo found on the back of the can:

The power of Amp Energy charged with grape and the specially formulated intense combination of maltodextrin and d-Ribose. Grab hold and mainatin (sustain) through the long haul with focus and control.

Amp Energy Traction - More Power To You

Finally, even though this is a 16 oz. version of the drink, the previous size brand of “Tall Boy” is nowhere to be found at the top. Instead, in that same space, is a callout of the supplements used in the drink, much like the original Amp can design many years ago. While you are looking at that section of the can, you’ll note the Amp Energy tradition of coloring the pulltab to match the drink flavor has been continued; this time its purple.

Overall, I really liked Amp Energy Traction, probably because it reminded me so much of one of my favorite Mountain Dew line extensions, Pitch Black. The grape flavor is good, but not overpowering. It definitely still tastes like an energy drink, but it’s a favorable experience all around.