For as good as an energy drink name might be, I am guessing it did not really help move product. The label said for me to not drink this after the expiration date. According to the cap that was back in 2007, about 5 years ago. Seeing as I realized this about 2/3 of the way through the bottle, I am glad energy drinks don't really ferment or go bad over time. There was not even any settling, as the cool bright yellow drink almost glowed in my energy drink fridge.
Packaging:7
I love this little 5 ounce bottle of fury - looking like something left from a cool science fiction movie. The silvery shiny label has a cool red scorpion shield on it - and looks quite sophisticated. The lettering is exotic and cool - yet easy to read, and all around this is a very appealing design.
There are a couple problems here through. While there is a mention that this is high in caffeine, there is no caffeine content listing so you have no idea exactly what you are getting in here. There is a phone number to call the distributor (Taste Nirvana, the ones behind this Iced Coffee).
Taste:8
I was pretty surprised when there was no carbonation inside it. Of course, maybe there was carbonation in it when it was all bottled up seven years ago, but this is a pretty common practice for Thai drinks to not come with any fizz, to for my sanity I just assumed it was supposed to be that way. While researching a bit more about this drink, I felt even better when I saw Dark Scorpion advertised at being non-carbonated.
Of course when researching it on that same page were these little freeze dried actual scorpions, so I felt a little less comfortable. This is a Thai energy drink after all, so I was not 100% sure that the ingredients we are things I recognize. On closer inspection of the ingredients list, not only did it not contain any scorpions, but it even has a little chrysanthemum extract, which is supposed to make the drinker more alert in a releasing your Chi and freeing the Wood elements that is not in harmony in your liver kinda way.
The flavor itself is a little hard to describe. It is not like a regular energy drink flavor, although there is certainly some of that bite in here. There is the citric acid and energy flavor to it, but it is not like a Lipvotan or Bacchus-D either. THe closest I can come to to figuring out the flavor is vanilla and apples, and is really quite delicious. Even for being many years old, it still manages to be one of the more delicious drinks I have ever pulled out of an Asian market.
Buzz:5
Also, it had a little pick me up, although not as much as I was hoping for a drink that would be worthy of Gorg the Strong (last YuGiOh reference - I promise). I did get a little more oomph that I was expecting - probably around 60-70mg of caffeine's worth. There was enough energy in here I felt a bit more energized and perky, although the buzz was pretty short lived. If you are the type of person who gets buzzed from a Red Bull, this might do something for you.
If you were to find these in your friendly neighborhood asian grocery, I would recommend picking up two of these do drink at a time. And while you are at it, check the expiration date just for fun.
