Rockstar Punched was my first run-in with the Rockstar brand of energy drinks, and it gave me a high opinion of the brand.  So when I saw that my local megamart was carrying the zero carb version of Rockstar, I decided to splurge.

In most cases, Sucralose is the magic ingredient.  I look for it when purchasing "zero carb" or "sugar free" beverages, as it does a great job of emulating the flavor profile of sugar.  Rockstar Zero Carb is proof that Sucralose is not a magic ingredient.

It's hard to find an energy drink which is, at the same time, tasty and buzz inducing.  Rockstar has done a great job with Rockstar Punched, a fruit punch flavored energy drink which contains a decent amount of buzz along with a flavor which won't put you off your lunch.

At 260 calories per 16oz can, it falls right into the "guilty pleasure" department of Energy Drinks when on a diet, but you can do much, much worse in the energy drink market than Rockstar Punched.

To continue the series of carbonated beverages, I present to you Lo-Carb Monster, a favorite of mine for over a year, despite it's crazy price.  If I'm looking for an energy drink for a quick buzz, this is the first one I go for.

The addiction started well over a year ago, at a datacenter company I worked for who stocked their refrigerator with tons of free bubbly beverages.  As you may or may not know, I'm a bit on the hefty side, and my main temptation isn't twinkies or 72oz steaks and mashed potatoes... it's soda pop.

What with my pleasant experience with AMP's Lightning energy drink, I was really looking forward to my experience with AMP's "Traction" drink, which I got in the same bundle sale at my local megamart.

Normally when describing a drink I don't usually choose a word associated with tires.  But in this case, it's accurate.

I like the buzz of an energy drink, but I find that most are either too bitter or too sweet to be enjoyable.  Amp's Lighting flavored Energy Drink is nice and tart without being bitter.

At 220 calories, however, it won't be a regular part of my daily energy drink routine.  It's tasty, but not too sweet, and actually tastes like a real lemonade (most "lemonades" are too sweet;  as an energy drink, this Amp had the tartness that makes a lemonade a lemonade.)