In the store there were two flavor options, both made by Quinoa Gold: Pina Colada, and Dark Berry. Now, I'm not sure what a "dark berry" is, or if that's even a real fruit, but it looked slightly more appetizing than the pale yellow pina colada. I would have much rather tried a "plain" or "original flavor." Already, I'm nervous to open it, because I can see little grain pieces suspended in what looks like a goo.

The smell is pretty bad, but not much different than I expected since I've eaten quinoa before. Imagine a blend of cooked wheat and rice, blended together in water. Now add to that a sickening chemically-soapy berry fruit punch flavor. Almost like a nice bottle of liquid detergent.

Getting past the smell, the first step feels like I'm drinking the blob. The good part is that it tastes better than it smells, but that doesn't say much. It's a slimy concoction, like a mix of soupy jell-o and mucous with small peices of quinoa. I really can't think of anything with that texture. The closest thing I can think of is rice porridge, but Quinoa Gold is more liquidy and it's cold. I'm not sure that the "dark berry" flavor is helping. Which, by the way, is only listed in the ingredients as "natural flavors."

The bottle claims that it is "caffeine-free energy," but I don't buy it. I don't know how someone can down a gloppy bottle of this stuff before going out and feel pumped. I think they mean to say that quinoa is a good carbohydrate. It has a low glycemic index, and any athlete will tell you that you need to eat carbohydrates for sustained energy over long periods. That doesn't give anyone the right to make a drink out of carbs and call it an energy drink.

Quinoa as a "supergrain" is fantastic and healthy when eaten alone or made into pasta, but the Quinoa drink just isn't working.

I picked up a few bottles of G.T.'s Kombucha Synergy, which means that it's a blend of 95% raw Kombucha and 5% fruit Juice to review. This version just tastes a bit better than GT's 100% Kombucha. I'll be reviewing the Trilogy flavor, which is raspberry, lemon, and ginger.

When you  get the bottle, it usually has the colony growing at the bottom, so you have to shake it up to get it mixed throughout. Depending on how 'young' the Kombucha is, there will be more or less of these culture strands, since they grow over time. If it's your first time trying Kombucha, I recommend getting one with not much of the culture. Since it is carbonated, don't shake it too hard because it will explode when opening it. This has happened to me.

The smell is very acidic, a lot like vinegar. It's actually almost overwhelmingly acidic, and that cancels out any other smells of the fruit juice. My first impression is that it tastes just like it smells, but also that it is extremely carbonated and sour. It creates a tingling sensation on my tongue that lasts about 5-10 seconds, and leaves an aftertaste like I just ate a slice of lemon. The raspberrry and lemon are evident in this Trilogy, and I'm guessing the ginger just gives it that extra kick of tanginess.

Some funky stuff floating around on the bottom

After about four or five sips, I'm really feeling the carbonation in my stomach and it's making me burp. The strange part is that it's oddly refreshing and I keep going back for more sips. I got lucky with this bottle because there are barely any noticeable strings of the bacteria colony, even though it looked like there was quite a bit on the bottom before I shook it. I've had other bottles with long strings throughout the bottle that are slimy and it makes the drink a little chunky, which is not something I look for in my beverages generally.

For the sake of science, I drank this whole bottle. The company actually recommends drinking only half at a time.  It was hard to get down so much of it, but I actually almost got used to the sour vinegary flavor by the end. Other than the burps and aftertaste, it left me feeling really energetic and refreshed.  It's hard to say whether it was the drink, or the idea of the drink that made me feel that way though.

The label claims that drinking Kombucha supports digestion, metabolism, immune system, anti-aging, and more. It's probiotic and, like Russian kvas, the alcohol from the fermenting process is so small at 0.5%, it's safe for everyone to drink.

The one thing I can say Kombucha would be good for is to detox once in a while. Maybe if you can find a flavor you like, since there is a large variety, you would like to drink it more often. It's worth it for the health benefits and refreshing feeling.

Bonus Kombucha video: Tina Fey does a great job of explaining it:

It only has 3 ingredients: water, black currant juice (from concentrate), and fructose. But it's only 22% juice. How can that be? I'm not sure, maybe that means it's only 22% concentrate, with the water as the majority of the other 78%. If you know how they calculate the percentage of juice, please leave a comment. Regardless, this leads me to imagine that straight-up black currant juice is probably either bitter or sour - which is why cranberry juice is usually sold as a juice blend. The water and sugar really easily cut that though if it's the case, because it's actually very good.

Black currant is a small black fruit very high in antioxidants and vitamins, including Vitamin C. It has four times the Vitamin C of oranges, and twice as many antioxidants as blueberries. I think that qualifies it as a superfruit. It comes from Europe, and is working on making a comeback in the United States where it was banned in the past because of a threat to the logging industry. It is still banned in some states.

The black currant juice I tried was made by Currant Affair. You can visit their website at www.ConnecticutCurrant.com

Overall, a very good and refreshing acai juice blend. One of the best I've tasted.

It says on the bottle that this blood orange juice is made from blood oranges from Mt. Etna Volcano in Sicily, Italy. It's imported into the US and registered USDA 100% Organic. It's not from concentrate and it's high in Vitamin C and antioxidants as most citrus fruits are. The best part about this brand is that it's 100% organic blood orange juice, so you know it's fresh and healthy.

Get blood orange juice here:

Volcano, Juice Blood Orange, 25.3-Fluid Ounce (6 Pack)

Quila Lime smells like a margarita mix, just like the name suggests. Based on the original flavor's bright red appearance, I expected the lime spike to be bright radioactive green. It's actually a more mellow light green-yellow, similar to Rose's lime juice. The carbonation is at a good level, and it's as sweet as the old spike. I actually prefer this new flavor over the fruit punch.

It tastes just like regular lime soda. I don't mean lemon-lime like sprite, I mean like Jarritos Limon flavor. Once again there's no bad aftertaste characteristic of most energy drinks. Even though it's called 'Quila Lime, I don't recommend mixing it with Tequila. While it might taste good (okay, I admit, it does), it's a recipe for disaster if you drink a lot because of the opposing effects of both drinks. You think vodka and redbull is bad for you? Think about how spike shooter is at least 4 times stronger than red bull.

Overall, 'Quila Lime is a good addition to Spike Shooter's product line. It tastes as good, if not better than the original fruit punch and still has the same hardcore energy kick.

You can get it here:

Spike Shooter 'Quila Lime 24-Pack, $40.72
Spike Shooter 'Quila Lime, 4-Pack - $8.99

Someone is also selling Quila Lime in rediculously large quantities, so if you want nearly 20 gallons of it, check it out here:Spike Shooter 'Quila Lime - 12 24-Packs, $555.07. Supposedly buying more than 6 cases saves you a boatload on shipping.

Bottle of Mona-Vie

I first came across Mona-Vie when looking for a healthy acai drink. It calls itself "the premier acai blend," with 19 different beneficial fruits. However, it's very expensive just for one bottle, rivaling a decent priced liquor. A 750 ml bottle of the monavie active blend can go for $45 in the US.

I finally got my hands on this expensive blend of fruit juices from someone I know who ordered it, since I don't believe it's sold in stores.My first impression looking at the bottle is that there's a significant layer of foam on the top which, if you swirl the bottle around, leaves a film on the side of the glass. The good news is that this foam is full of seeds and reminds me of what would form on top of a home-made fruit juice. Anyone who has used a fruit juicer to make fresh juice will know what I mean.

As soon as I open the bottle there's a very strong acai smell, though you can tell there are other fruits mixed in. It smells very sweet, like strawberry jam with some blueberry. Based on the advice of someone who has tried it before, I'm only going to pour a little bit in my glass. The juice is dark purple.

On first sip I get a weird barrage of flavors. It's sweet, sour, and bitter all at the same time. I can taste some tannins, which leave the mouth feeling dry after each sip, probably from fruit skins or seeds, which are part of the mona vie active ingredients. And the seeds are definitely there, not overwhelming, but noticeable. I guess it is exactly what you should expect if you threw a bunch of fruits into the blender and put it through a light strain to remove the pulp. The acai flavor is prominent, but diluted. I love acai juice, and I feel like the other fruits, none of which I could guess by the taste of the mona-vie, really detract from the flavor rather than add. In a taste contest, mona vie vs. acai, regular acai juice would win hands-down every time.

Close-up of Mona Vie with oil and seeds

An interesting thing I'm noticing as I drink, is that there is some separation of oils at the bottom of the glass, circled in white in the picture. That is probably the reason they tell you to shake well before drinking. I'm not sure which ingredient is causing them, but I assume it's from the esterified fatty acids which are a form of the beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids that are easy for us to absorb.

The good thing about this drink is how unrefined it is, and the blend of fruits that give a whole spectrum of different nutrients. It's 100% juice, with no added colors, flavors, or sugar. This fact is also what makes it lacking in the taste department.  It's meant to be taken as a health supplement, rather than a drink for taste. I'm not sure what makes this mona vie active juice compared to the regular monvie drink.

A small amount doesn't taste bad, but I wouldn't grab a bottle of mona-vie when I'm thirsty.

Monavie-Active Health Juice, 4 Bottles - $89.99
Monavie-Active Health Juice, 1 Bottle - $31.00

On a trip to Georgia my first taste of sweet tea vodka was Jeremiah Weed. I had only recently tried sweet tea for the first time, and I was eager to see what sweet tea vodka was all about. It's incredibly sweet as you would expect, which cuts most of the kick that vodka usually had. Based on a friend's suggestion I tried sweet tea vodka and lemonade, for an alcoholic version of an Arnold Palmer, sometimes called a John Daly. Throw in some ice, and it's an excellent and simple cocktail.

When I was at the liquor store next time I saw Firefly for sale and decided to try a new flavor. I chose to buy the peach, and it was a good choice. It smells just like the best peach iced tea. Its sweet but it's still vodka, at 35% alcohol. It''s a little thick to drink by itself, but over ice or mixed with some lemonade it would be great. It's also delicious mixed with orange juice for a new twist on a fuzzy navel.

The Spike Shooter original flavor is bright red and lightly carbonated. It smells like a melted cherry popsicle. The taste is like a very sweet cherry flavored soda, and is very drinkable. It doesn't have any of the nasty flavors that many other energy drinks have.

The real thing that makes spike energy drink unusual is it's potency. It has 25,000% of the recommended daily value of vitamin B-12, and that's not a typo. Spike Shooter ingredients contain an absorbable form of B-12 called methylcobalamin, which is said to reduce stress, increase healthy cell growth, but most importantly boost your energy. Caffeine is the third ingredient in the drink after water and citric acid. The 250mL can is said to have the same amount of caffeine as the largest starbucks coffee. In addition to both of these, the Spike Shooter formula has it's own secret recipe of mystery energy boosters.

You definitely will feel the energy too. On the first sip I can feel it in my jaw as the chemicals get absorbed. By the third sip it's already pumping energy throughout my body.  I've got some intense focus as I'm writing this, as is to be expected with energy drinks, but I didn't expect it to happen this fast. Continuing to drink the can, the effects continue, but remain relatively constant.

You get almost as much benefit from having a few sips as you do from drinking the whole can. If you drink it fast enough you will probably feel your heart start to beat faster, and may feel a little jittery. There's a reason they say not to ever exceed one can daily. I'm a pretty tall guy, but if you're a smaller person or under 18 I definitely don't recommend drinking a whole can. It will seriously affect you, and will probably not be a good experience.

It's best to drink Spike a few sips at a time. For general energy, keep an open can in the fridge and one or two sips in the morning will take the place of coffee. It sure beats a grande latte, and has no calories, carbs, or sugar. If you're trying to stay awake, drink the can slowly over a few hours and you will have no problem staying up for a long time. Drinking it all at once will not have as good of effects.

Spike Shooter is definitely the most extreme energy drink I have ever tried, and I'm surprised to say it actually tastes good. Drink with caution though.

You can order spike shooter original flavor here:

Spike Shooter Original, 8.4oz 24 Pack - $59.76

Spike Shooter Original Flavor, 4 cans - $8.99