Liquid Nitro Energy

It is hard for a new energy drink to make it in the US. People have already fallen in love with their favorites, and it would take something amazing to get them to switch from their usual brand. While Liquid Nitro is not "something amazing", it IS something Really Good, and I would be surprised if this drink, already super popular in Jamaica, did not find its place on the shelves of mainland US stores too.

Buzz:8
Liquid Nitro really surprised me. A cursory glance at the ingredient list showed nothing that was out of the ordinary. There is some guarana, some caffeine, and all the usual energy drink stuff, like Taurine, Ginseng and lots of B vitamins.

So it threw me when I got a nice rush, and a couple hours very sharp focus. My caffeine tolerance is pretty low, but I could definitely feel the rush after slamming down this can. For what it contained, I was very impressed.

This led me to take a closer look at the ingredient list - and I found a few surprises. Besides all the normal stuff, there was some things I don't see very often in energy drinks. There is Ginko Biloba which helps concentration, Fumaric Acid - which is like malic acid, but is new to energy drinks. Also, there is Gotu Kola Extract, which is used to heal wounds, improve mental clarity, and treat skin conditions such as leprosy and psoriasis. All I know is I could really feel the difference - even if short lived.

Taste:8
Being a small drink company from outside the mainland, I was expecting a Red Bull or Monster knockoff. This suspicion grew as I poured it out into a glass - where it had the color and head of a Mexican beer. After a few moments passed, the head settled down and I had a very dark amber redbullish looking drink in my hands.

But the taste threw me too. It definitely had the Energy Drink flavor, where you could taste the herbs - but this was not unpleasant at all. The flavor was more complex and citrus than a red bull, where I could taste a bit of orange or lemon. It reminded me of a mix of squirt and Monster. It became more complex as I drank it, and the light carbonation made this not only very easy to drink down very quickly, but also proved to be completely refreshing. It was a little heavy, but this is also the full calorie sugar laden variety. I would pick this over the Big Boys any day.

Packaging:9
This can is a winner. Clear, unobstructed and clutter free, the HUGE fonts and minimal colors works well to separate it from the rest of the drinks in my fridge, and left out all the superfluous stuff. I really liked the bare aluminum, black and red color scheme, which is unusual as I usually dislike the look of bare aluminum. In this case, it works very nicely.

The important stuff was all listed here though. Caffeine amounts were printed and easy to find. So were the other "energy blend" ingredients and contact info. It was double printed - and looked good in the process. The lid was not on in any particular direction, and it would be nice to show off the can while drinking it, but overall it is a minor point. I can see why this might actually be the number on selling drink in Jamaica. With a little work, I can see it selling big here in the US just as well.