Best Energy Drinks

Best-tasting and most effective energy drinks

The real test of what constitutes the "best" energy drink is whether the drink delivers the energy boost it promises with few side effects. Taste also matters. If the drink is considered a good value and it's healthy, that makes it an even better pick.

Red Bull (*Est. $2.20 for 8.3 ounces) introduced the energy drink craze to the U.S.; it's still the best-selling energy drink in America, and the energy drink by which all others are measured. Interestingly enough, Red Bull is made in Austria and then shipped around the world. Red Bull contains sugars, 80 mg of caffeine (for the 8.3-ounce size), taurine and B vitamins, but no added herbal stimulants. It receives middle-range to high reviews from the websites that specialize in energy-drink reviews, with some reviewers expressing hesitancy to criticize the energy drink that created a whole category of drinks. Red Bull also makes Red Bull Sugar Free (*Est. $2.20 for 8.3 ounces). Taste test results are also lackluster. William Grimes, in his review for The New York Times, writes: "The drink looks like weak beer and has a lemony flavor, pleasant enough but not very distinctive."

Monster Energy (*Est. $2 for 16 oz.) is one of the best-selling energy drinks in the U.S. Several reviewers mention it as the energy drink to try after Red Bull because the taste and energy boost are similar to Red Bull, yet it comes in a can that is twice the size for about the same price. Monster Energy has 54 grams of sugars, 160 mg of caffeine and 2,000 mg of taurine. The Energy Drink Ratings blog says that this sweet-tasting citrus drink has a good kick and gives you good taste for the money. Monster also makes a variety of other flavors, including Monster Energy Lo-Carb (*Est. $2 for 16 ounces) which reviews say provides a decent energy kick -- it just may take a little longer for you to feel it.

No Fear is a brand of clothing that partnered with Pepsi to create an energy drink originally known as SoBe No Fear. In 2008, the SoBe name was dropped. No Fear Regular (*est. $2.30 for 16 ounces), gets mixed reviews for taste and energy. Jason Hargett at ScreamingEnergy.com feels the taste is too fruit flavored, while the Energy Drink Ratings blog thinks it tastes very good and has a nice kick with no jitter effects. No Fear contains 66 grams of sugars, 174 mg of caffeine and 2,000 mg of taurine per 16-ounce can. According to BevReview.com, now that Pepsi is distributing its own brand of energy drinks (Amp Energy) and has just taken over the Rockstar brand from Coca-Cola, No Fear seems to be a little hard to find.

5-Hour Energy (*Est. $2.50 for 2 ounces) scores well with reviewers for energy kick. The Energy Drink Ratings blog and RateItAll.com rank 5-Hour Energy highly, and it has more than 400 user ratings at Screaming Energy. 5-Hour Energy is packaged in 2-ounce shots, packing in an estimated 100 mg of caffeine per shot, or the equivalent of a cup of coffee, plus 2,000 percent of the daily value for vitamin B6 and 8,333 percent of the daily value of vitamin B12. 5-Hour Energy is sweetened with sucralose and contains zero net carbohydrates. 5-Hour Energy is not made with additional herbal stimulants, but it does contain amino acids and includes taurine. One reviewer calls 5-Hour Energy "little more than a shot of vitamins B6 and B12, amino acids, with a caffeine chaser." But unlike most energy drinks, 5-Hour Energy is a low-calorie drink (four calories). It comes in three flavors: berry, lemon-lime and orange. The company now produces 5-Hour Energy Decaf (*Est. $2.50 per 2-ounce container), which contains a gentler blend of B vitamins and only 6 mg of caffeine -- about as much as half a cup of decaffeinated coffee. The company makes much of the fact that 5-Hour Energy doesn't need to be refrigerated in order to taste good, unlike most conventional brands of energy drinks.

Among the top-selling brands, Rockstar (*est. $2.20 for 16 ounces) performs best on the blogs, slightly outperforming best-selling Red Bull (*Est. $2.20 for 8.3 ounces) and No Fear (*est. $2.30 for 16 ounces). One 16-ounce can contains 160 mg of caffeine and 1,000 mg of taurine, as well as 62 grams of sugars, with guarana, ginseng and other herbal extracts as stimulants. William Grimes at The New York Times samples the original Rockstar flavor. He writes, "It's a middling sort of drink, with a bubble gum aroma and a pleasant enough, bland citrus flavor." The company has expanded from the original formula to offer other energy drinks including Rockstar Sugar Free (*Est. $2.30 for 16 ounces), Rockstar Zero Carb (*Est. $2 for 16 ounces), three coffee flavors called Rockstar Roasted (*Est. $2.40 for 15 ounces), several flavors of Rockstar Juiced (*Est. $2 for 16 ounces), and Rockstar Punched (*Est. $2 for 16 ounces). Rockstar Punched is particularly well regarded by reviewers. DrinkAddict.com rates it in its top five, and the "Energy Drink Guru" says "this stuff rocks." Rockstar Punched contains 240 mg of caffeine and 2,000 mg of taurine, along with 62 grams of sugars and herbal extracts. Many of the different flavors of Rockstar are also available in 8-ounce and 24-ounce cans.

Reviewers are impressed with the smooth, fruity taste, as well as the low price, of Rip It A'tomic Pom Energy Fuel (*est. $1 for 16 ounces). Chan of Canned Reviews says the taste is amazing, "almost too good for me." Both he and the EnergyGuru at Taurine Rules blog mention the pleasing grenadine aftertaste and carbonation that isn't too heavy, although the Taurine Rules blogger adds that he doubts there's any pomegranate in this drink. Nolan at Energy Heaven blog calls A'tomic Pom the best of the Rip It flavors. On his energy drink blog, Dan Mayer admits that his low rating for Rip It A'tomic Pom is unfair since he never likes any drink made with pomegranate. Putting taste aside, he does like the boost Rip It A'tomic Pom provides. At 260 calories per 16-ounce can, it contains 66 grams of sugar, approximately 204 mg of caffeine, and 2,000 mg of taurine.