Crunk Citrus

First launched in 2004 by multi-platinum selling rapper and producer Lil Jon and beverage industry mogul Sidney Frank, Crunk has been something I go to on a regular basis for a good pick-me-up. Now I have to say that I am a fan of Crunk!!! regular, and a HUGE fan of Crunk!!! Sugar free. I was very pumped when I heard this was coming out - enough to call the company early and ask for some samples. Lil' Jon is using his superhero hip-hop powers for good, not evil, with these energy drinks, putting all sorts of good stuff in these cans. If you can take a bit of high fructose corn syrup in your diet, you get an entire vitamin cottage packed into the 16oz can.

“We takin Crunk!!! to another level,” Lil' John has said. “Citrus is the best damn tasting energy drink you will ever have!” - and the drink has a full multi-level marketing program for rollout. “We are planning to implement a full blown marketing campaign including events, street teams, sampling and regional radio. Promotions will also include looking for the freshest DJs that can create the craziest CRUNK!!! Citrus mix and the most CRUNK!!! Citrus Girls for our 2009 calendar,” says Kevin Doyle, Vice President of Marketing.

Buzz:8
Thanks to the HFCS, the 240 calories found in this can is pretty high. I am hoping that soon they will come out with a sugar free version of this and really blow the cooler doors off. while I appreciate all the herbs a whole hellovalot, The heavy HFCS is a pretty big turn off. They left out the usual energy drink mix of taurine and inositol, instead packing in Vitamin C, Vitamin E, B Vitamins, Calcium, magnesium, selenium, , green tea leaf, damiana, licorice root, l-tyrosine, horny goat weed, n-acetyl l-cysteine, gingko, panax ginseng, grape seed extract, skull cap, white willow bark, ashwaganda and milk thistle(!!!!).
As for the caffeine jolt, it is not amazing, but 194mg per can is decent - more than Red Bull or Monster anyways... There was a good amount of sugar buzz from it, as the HFCS gives you a sleepy crash a couple hours later too.
Taste: 8
This is definitely better than the average citrus energy drinks out there. According to their site the flavor is supposedly lemon lime - all I tasted was a sweet tart grapefruit - like grapefruit-ade. It tastes very natural - only a bit heavy and very carbonated. While it did not completely blow me away, it was very good and exactly what I was hoping for.

Packaging:8
Nothing super fantastic - but very solid. The style fits with the other drinks, and the color works well for a citrus drink. The layout and type are clear and easy to read, and they thankfully list all the stuff you want it to - nutrition, caffeine content, website, contact info and cool slogan.

Website:7
Guh. while this site is FINE, I expected more from Lil' Jon, truthfully. This is a very corporate-y site, filled with stock distressed fonts, backgrounds ripped from the URBAN category on istockphoto and the home page blasts music at you - without having any way to turn it off. I don't mind the music - but I do mind sites that yell for your attention and don't leave you a way to shut them up. This site also does not know when to stop. More than just drinks, this site has wallpapers, features on athletes and DJs, news, shopping cart, downloads, Recipes, store locators, and even a blog.
Not saying this is bad - or poorly done. Quite the contrary - it all works very nicely and looks urban grungy. But it also has no distinct personality or artistic quality - going for the easy win.

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