Now, two big energy drink makers have come out with their own versions of an energy water/Gatorade - perfect for taking with you to whatever aerobic thing gets you moving. Nos has come out with a very decent variety of drink - and not Rockstar has too - although it is even more Sports Drink-y than others I have tried.
Packaging:9
The first thing that struck me is all the black and yellow going on. I like the black and yellow, but every time i look at this drink I get that damned Wiz Khalifa song stuck in my head. I imagine in places in Pittsburgh this drink will go well (Their sports teams, Pirates, Steelers and Penguins use black and yellow as their team colors). Other than that - I think this drink does pretty well on the design theme. I get that it is an energy water - can easily see the flavor and caffeine, and it is a very pretty design - managing to appeal to just about everybody from serious gym heads to your occasional lawn mower looking for a little zing in his energy.
In terms of functionality, they did a whole lot right. They caffeine is big and bold on the front, unmistakable that unlike most energy waters this actually contains precious caffeine. Also, it is in a PET bottle - so it is reusable and resealable and looks and acts a whole lot better than just carrying around an aluminum can while you are on your morning jog.
Taste:7
If you like the yellowish green Powerade/Gatorade flavor you will enjoy this well enough, but if you are not one for drinks filed to the brim with electrolytes you will probably not be prepared for the salty sweet mouthful you are going to receive. this Rockstar has that all-too-familiar twinge of heavy doses of salty potassium to help get you through a workout and recover afterwards. But that doe mean that this is not going to taste like your normal Kool-Aid mix.
My advice is that before you take on this flavor of Rockstar, try your hand as some of the classic Gatorade flavors and see if you like that taste. If you ever had that in the past you will drink this and fondly remember those days - if not you will just end up with some salty-sweet lemon water and probably be less than happy.
Buzz:9
I took this to the gym on a very sweaty workout day to see how well it would perform, and I can honestly say that I would not have made it through my 4 mile run if it were not fir the power of a Rockstar energy water. I drank about 2/3 of the bottle before my workout, and judging by the amount of sweat that I wrung out of my shirt at the end of it I sweated out the entire contents. Other than caffeine, taurine and ginseng to help power my way through a very intense workout, there was magnesium, calcium and a full RDA of Vitamin C as well as the usual B vitamins to help me recover.
What was really cool was that at the end of my running days I am usually spent - so tired that the 5 minute drink home is a little too exhausting. Not so much this day - chugging the rest of the Rockstar gave me almost instantaneous energy and recovered my spirits enough to almost fully recover from my hard aerobic morning.
While I would stay far away from this drink if I were not doing a hard workout, for a gym drink this really kicks some serious ass.
In terms of functionality, they did a whole lot right. They caffeine is big and bold on the front, unmistakable that unlike most energy waters this actually contains precious caffeine. Also, it is in a PET bottle - so it is reusable and resealable and looks and acts a whole lot better than just carrying around an aluminum can while you are on your morning jog.
Taste:7
If you like the yellowish green Powerade/Gatorade flavor you will enjoy this well enough, but if you are not one for drinks filed to the brim with electrolytes you will probably not be prepared for the salty sweet mouthful you are going to receive. this Rockstar has that all-too-familiar twinge of heavy doses of salty potassium to help get you through a workout and recover afterwards. But that doe mean that this is not going to taste like your normal Kool-Aid mix.
My advice is that before you take on this flavor of Rockstar, try your hand as some of the classic Gatorade flavors and see if you like that taste. If you ever had that in the past you will drink this and fondly remember those days - if not you will just end up with some salty-sweet lemon water and probably be less than happy.
Buzz:9
I took this to the gym on a very sweaty workout day to see how well it would perform, and I can honestly say that I would not have made it through my 4 mile run if it were not fir the power of a Rockstar energy water. I drank about 2/3 of the bottle before my workout, and judging by the amount of sweat that I wrung out of my shirt at the end of it I sweated out the entire contents. Other than caffeine, taurine and ginseng to help power my way through a very intense workout, there was magnesium, calcium and a full RDA of Vitamin C as well as the usual B vitamins to help me recover.
What was really cool was that at the end of my running days I am usually spent - so tired that the 5 minute drink home is a little too exhausting. Not so much this day - chugging the rest of the Rockstar gave me almost instantaneous energy and recovered my spirits enough to almost fully recover from my hard aerobic morning.
While I would stay far away from this drink if I were not doing a hard workout, for a gym drink this really kicks some serious ass.