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Review of Amp Energy Lightning Energy Drink.

Price: $1.50 to $3.00.
Size: 16 ounce cans.
Availability: Most markets.
Website: http://www.ampenergy.com

Pepsi introduced the Amp Energy line of energy drinks with a strong association with their Mountain Dew brand of soda drinks. Over time this association appears to have dissolved and Amp Energy is seen more as a stand alone energy drink brand. Over the years, Pepsi has introduced various versions of Amp Energy, and Amp Energy Lightning came to the lineup in early 2009.

Amp Energy has been moving away from the standard Mountain Dew flavoring with flavors ranging from green tea to fruity flavors. Amp Energy Lightning is supposed to be a lemonade inspired energy drink.

Taste -

I discovered that is important to gently shake the can before opening, but make sure that you tap the top of the can a few times before opening it after shaking. If you don't shake it up a bit, the first sip will taste watery and bland.

With the first sip, there is a distinct lemon taste in Amp Energy Lightning, almost too strong of a lemon taste. This drink is extremely sweet. If consumed ice cold, it goes down smooth, otherwise it will be hard to drink it all down. The taste lingers in the mouth and some energy drink consumers might feel their lips puckering as if sucking on a lemon. But others might find the overly sweet taste to be just right.

The consistency of flavor and sweetness was an issue when I was sampling this drink. I'd get an extremely sweet and almost overpowering lemon flavor followed by the next sip that tasted like water. Again, mixing this drink up is important to minimize this taste issue.

Kick -

The all important part of energy drinks. I've reviewed other Amp Energy drinks and most lack the power and kick of their competitors. Amp Lightning does not do anything amazing in the energy area and the kick is moderate if existent at all. There is about 160 mg of caffeine per can (2 servings in a can) and the standard Taurine and L-Carnitine, and guarana. There does not appear to be any ginseng. While the company promotes that there are B-vitamins in Amp Lightning, some reviews of the product online indicate that this is debatable.

The kick that I did get from this drink likely came from the moderate caffeine levels and the sugar in the drink. It took about 30 minutes or so for any effects to be felt and I felt alert for a short period of time. The energy was not as intense as some of the standard energy drinks out there, but it could be good enough for those who want to focus for a few hours without jitteriness.

The crash that came about 3 hours after drinking this Amp energy drink was a bit too harsh. Sure, there are energy drinks out there that get you wired and bouncing off the walls for hours on end followed by a small crash, but this crash was too much for such as weak energy drink. I blame the sugar in this drink for the bigger then normal crash.

Verdict -

The taste can be refreshing for some individuals, but the flavor consistency issues take away from the refreshment. The buzz or kick isn't worth it when it comes with the unusually harsh crash that comes later on. It is worth a try if only because of the taste that is different from any other energy drink, but for dependable energy you will want to look elsewhere.

Learn more about this author, Maxwell Payne.
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