Lightning Energy: Drink Review

Price: $0.75 to $2.00

Size: 16 fluid ounce cans

Availability: Some markets

Website: http://llenergy.com

I found Lightning Energy by accident while browsing the supermarket; it was misplaced in the spot where Monster Energy usually is. It was also on sale for 75 cents a can, which is a steal for an energy drink. I decided to try the sugar free/carb free/calorie free version in a blue can, but they also make a regular version in a red can.

The packaging features a lightning bolt and some blurb about lightning being nature's energy. All the standard energy ingredients are there and the standard in your face marketing was present on the packaging.

The taste:

I was oddly impressed by the taste. It had a blue raspberry like taste to it and was surprisingly smooth for what I'd consider an "ultra-budget" energy drink. I didn't try the regular version, but I suspect it would be sugary and sweeter than the sugar free version.

There was a slight aftertaste but not enough to keep you from drinking down the whole can easily if you're not paying attention.

The kick:

With the standard energy drink ingredients, the makers also added a high amount of Vitamin C and about 200mg of caffeine per can. This does put it at a higher caffeine level than many other energy drinks of the same size which is a plus.

I didn't feel anything at first but soon felt the caffeine kick in. The buzz wasn't as strong as one would expect for 200mg of caffeine which was slightly disappointing. But hey, for 75 cents it wasn't a bad caffeine kick at all.

The buzz was short lived, maybe 2 hours max. Little crash, but this may be only with the sugar free version.

A quick look at the label also indicates that the makers overloaded the drink with a high level of B12 vitamins; more than I've seen in other popular energy drinks.

Overall:

If you are on a budget and need a quick cheap boost, Lightning Energy might be worth a try. However I only found it on shelves, which means it isn't always available cold. So you'll want to chill it before drinking.

I found another review that said this drink comes from Northern New Jersey, but no indication of who makes it. Also another review stated that Liquid Lightning has been around for a while, so I believe the version I tried is their new version.

Also as a side note, there is a drain cleaner by the same; although I'd hope that no one would mix the two up when purchasing them.