I was pretty excited to see an energy shot done by a hot sauce company, Kick Ass , and hoped that they found a way to deliver the punch of a good spicy hot sauce only in energy shot form. This was a pretty tall order, even for a hot sauce company, but it seems like the marriage of heat and sweet shot might be heavenly.
Unfortunately, the company did not get back to my calls, messages or emails. For me to get a shot to sample was going to set me back at least five or six bucks, which seemed a lot to try. Fortunately, on an outing to Buffalo Bill's grave, my wife spotted a bottle of this along with som Kick Ass Butter Jalapeño Microwave popcorn. After that might, I knew if that shot was half as good as their popcorn, I was in for a real treat!
Packaging:8
So rather than go for the standard 2 ounce squat energy shot, they went for the taller variety, the one Monster, Venom, Rockstar and Red Bull used. Of course, the packaging is far superior to them, having one very pissed off donkey about to screw you over on it.My nightmares could be made up from the scary ass ready to do some major damage on whomever he is staring intently at.
Besides the pretty label, everything is very easy to read and make sense out of. The label is clean and clear, and they even go so far as to list the caffeine content on it as well!While they are not going to win any revolutionary product awards, this is a fantastic use of the long thin energy shot package.
Taste:10
This is almost worth the five dollars after all. On first smell, I was intrigued. It smelled spicy and very sweet - like jalapeño jelly. It was just a little more fruity than a straight jalapeño though - like they mixed cayenne with apples. I just could not wait to try it.
Therein lies the biggest problem - this is FAR too small a bottle for the deliciousness that was in here. This was one of the best energy shots I have tried - or at least in the top 5. It starts off spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. It reminded me of candied apples with a little heat to hold it together. The bottle was gone in no time - and I felt badly for not buying more than one of these when I had the chance. It is really that good - something you will not want to stop drinking.
I have a great way to make up for mot contacting me after my numerous attempts to get hold of you. Please come out with a bigger size packed full of this incredible flavor profile. I promise to drink my weight in your spicy deliciousness.
Buzz:6
As tasty as the shot was, they could have done a bit more to really kick the energy up a notch. There is a decent 100mg of caffeine in here, along with the usual vitamin B overload, ginseng, Coenzyme Q10, and some L-Glutamine.
The kick in here does not come from actual capsaicin (the stuff that makes peppers hot) but artificial ingredients. Capsaicin is responsible for thermogenic properties, and can be found in everything from weight loss products to workout drinks. You can use hot sauce to give all sorts of energy which is just not utilized here. While Kick Ass shot is a decent offering, I would have loved it more if it really tried to kick my ass in the energy department too.
You can find them mostly online at asskickin.com, or if you are ever visiting Buffalo Bill's grave in Golden Colorado you might be in luck.
