5-Hour ENERGY™

[GoldenJonas]

Manufacturer: Living Essentials, Novi, Michigan

Size: 2 fluid oz.

Flavors: Cherry, Lemon/Lime

Available in Sugar Free: It IS Sugar Free

Date of Review: February 26, 2007

Price: $2.99

Where Purchased: 7-11

Flavor Reviewed: Cherry and Lemon/Lime

Website: http://www.5hourenergy.com/

Ingredients (amount per serving):
Serving Size – 2 oz.
Caffeine – Unknown (the manufacturer states that it is no more than a cup of coffee or approximately 80-175 mg)
Calories - 15
Proprietary Blend (1) – 2,100 mg (“Energy Blend”)

• Glucuronolactone
• N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine
• L-Phenylalanine
• Taurine
• Malic Acid
• Caffeine

Proprietary Blend (2) – 1 mg (“Enzyme Blend”)

• Amulase
• Protease
• Lupase
• Cellulase
• Lactase

Other Supplements –

• Vitamin C
• Niacin
• Folic Acid
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin B12

Carbohydrates – 0 g
(Sugar, 0 g)

Taste Rating Scale is 1 (absolute shite) through 10 (tastes like happy)

Taste: 5 – (CHERRY) It tastes like a shot of Robitussen. Not much else to say...it actually tastes EXACTLY like a shot of cherry Robitussen. It's major saving grace from not getting a much lower score here is that you are only forced to drink two measly ounces. If you can stomach a shot of tequila, rum, vodka, whiskey, etc, this will taste much better....but not much, you may just not need a chaser.

(LEMON/LIME) If you have ever had a Lemon Drop Shot (Vodka, Lemon Juice, Sugar) then you will be familiar with this. Hmmmmmm.....that gives me an idea...I'll call it, "Tesla's Lemon Bomb". You heard it here first folks.

After Taste: 5 – Like gross cherry syrup that annoyingly coats the back of your tongue for an extra 5-10 seconds after the drink has long been pounded down. Once again, the only reason this score is not lower is due to the fact that 2oz's does not stay very long.

Effects Rating Scale is 1 (water) through 10 (check in to rehab NOW!)

Energy Boost: 9 – This stuff boasts a "5-hour boots"...hence the creative name. I felt the effects within 20 minutes after ingesting the shot and I was still pretty alert four hours later. Mind you, I took the shot before my BJJ class and was still a bit jittery after class. It is too bad this crap didn't help the build up of lactic acid in my arms. The boost was not your typical super-caffeine hyper jittery boost that you may get from other high caffeine energy drinks. Actually, the effect was a definite increase in alertness and awake-ness (screw you I'll make up words if I want) with little to no jitter. Very cool indeed.

Side Effects/Crash: 1 – No real noticeable crash.

[LI GUY 1]

I took this once. Got it from 7-11, felt good. No crash, no jitters, felt some tingling on my skin. Decent product and easy to drink.

[GoldenJonas]

The tingling is most commonly associated with what's called a "Niacin (B3) flush". It is a normal reaction that many people have to certain amounts of Niacin in there system.

Niacin is most commonly used as a cholesterol lowering drug and is very successful in that regard. In short, Niacin increase the size of the capillaries in the human body to allow for more blood flow throughout the circulatory system (hence the red flush which occurs) and due to the increase in size of the capillaries the bodies natural defenses come up and result in the release of a hormone called histamine which results in the itching. If you have ever wondered why your skin itches at the spot where a bug has bitten you it is because the body releases histamine at the site of the bite to fight any toxins resulting from the bite.

Don't take my word for it though. I wondered the same thing when I was taking Niacin to help lower my LDL level and broke out in a full body flush that itched like a ************. A little research and a talk with the doctor answered my question; Niacin (b3) is very good for the body, BUT it can have some annoying as hell side effects.

Read here too.

http://www.oralchelation.com/faq/answers24.htm

[GoldenJonas]

5-Hour either decided to make a HUGE market crash or the stores in my area just picked up on this stuff because EVERY "Kwicky-Mart" in the greater Orlando area has this stuff for sale now.

Hell,Walgreen's and CVS are selling it in two packs ($4.99 per pack) with a buy two get one free deal; that's six 5-Hour Energy Shots for only $10.00. YIPPEEEEEEE!!!!!

They also have a new Lemon/Lime flavor (See Edited Review above).