Cowboy Up energy shot

I am what most people would call city-folk.  Yes, I do know which end of a cow to feed, but my experience with cowboy life was mainly done in day camps and small ranches around suburbia.  I was about as far from the rural life as one could get until about college - when I moved to a small town and had regular run-ins with the Regular Folk.  It was only after spending a while in a small ranching town in Colorado that moving livestock through main street did not give me a start, and finding gas stations selling bullets as well as handguns was commonplace.

Cowboy Up Energy was made for these people, the backbone of America.  Unfortunately, while their energy drink is if nothing else original and unique, Cowboy Up energy shot is boring, plain and worth passing over.  While there are a gazillion clones of 5 Hour Energy out there, the reason it really bothers me that they went for a unremarkable energy shot is because their Cowboy Up drink is one of the most original on the market today.

Packaging:4

It is pretty clear from the get-go that there was a problem with their energy shot.  While their drink came in a brilliant metal bottle, Cowboy Up energy shot came in a very standard 2 ounce bottle - the kind you find on private label drinks and 5 Hour shots.  There was a wrap around the shot - which was decent enough, although a little plain.  It listed the basic ingredients you could find in any energy shot as well as a missing caffeine content.

I was really wanting more from Cowboy Up on this aspect, seeing how amazing their energy drink was.  This packager would be passable for any other energy shot, but for a company which had such a standout energy drink package this was even more of a letdown.

Taste:4
I really expected something unique here too. While I did not particularly like Cowboy Up's flavor, no one can deny it was unlike any other energy drink flavor ever. Much like Lassi, the Indian yogurt drink or Boba Tea, it is either something you find irresistible or undrinkable.  One thing for certain is that you would never taste anything with that flavor profile again.

Again, Cowboy Up energy shot is a disappointment.  It tastes just like a 5 Hour energy knockoff too - down to the slightly sour slightly sweet yellowish orange liquid.  For as unique as their drink was, this shot registers as just another me-too clone with their label slapped on.

Buzz:5
That pretty much sums it up - a clone in every way including the buzz factor.  This has all the stuff your clone energy shot has with very little change in formula.  Whether or not you feel anything from it depends on whether or not you feel anything from a 5 Hour energy shot.  This will give you a couple hours energy, without really packing on the caffeine and other energy ingredients.

As I finished the sample it became clear that this probably was not their own unique product, but something they had made for them from a private label energy shot maker.  The problem with that is that Cowboy Up deserves something better - something different.  In a world of knock-offs and clones, the folk with the aluminum bottle and spur opener need something to remember for an energy shot - and this product certainly is not it.