XS Energy Drink Cranberry-Grape Blast Caffeine-Free Review

Today I am trying the caffeine-free version of the Cranberry-Grape Blast energy drink made by XS. The difference between the caffeine-free and the regular version is, you guessed it, the lack of caffeine. This is done by simply removing all the ingredients which contain caffeine. Also, don't think for a second, that other active ingredients, such as taurine, have been removed as well. If they were taken out of the can, this energy drink would be nothing more than an overpriced sugar-free soda drink.

Taste

The taste is similar to the regular cranberry-grape energy drink, but not quite identical. This one has a stronger cranberry taste, though it only appears for brief moments of time before it's overpowered by something that tastes like a combination of coffee and chocolate. This strange twist was also seen in Slimquick's energy shot from about a year ago. I would have to conclude that the removal of the active ingredients has had some impact on the taste, especially the finish, which resembles mocha lattes more than anything else.

Energy

As expected, the buzz from this caffeine-free drink is not as good as that from the regular energy drink, but it still gives you a surprising kick...though very minor. Being a sugar-free drink on top of everything, the kick comes in slow and resembles something of a jolt because it lasts a very short time. If you don't normally drink energy drinks or coffee, but are looking for a boost, this might be a good one for you, but if you are one of those people that has to have a coffee or an energy drink to wake up, I suggest you look somewhere else for a boost worthy of your time.

Scores:

Cost -works out to about $3.66, delivered

Taste - 6.5/10

Energy - 3/10

Overall - 9.5/20...almost a pass, but without a serious caffeine-free boost, it would be hard to pass

Related Site

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Energy drinks have become increasingly popular in recent years. There are many brands on the market such as the 5-Hour Energy Drink, Rockstar Energy Drink, Burn Energy Drink, Full Throttle Energy Drink, Amp Energy Drink, Monster Energy Drink and others. Each contain caffeine and some have added stimulants such as guarana, an herbal form of more caffeine, as well as ginseng. Most of these drinks, in moderation, are probably relatively harmless for healthy people. However, when consumed to excess or by those with certain medical conditions, they can be very dangerous. Younger people, as young as 6 or 8 years old, are also consuming these drinks. In this age group the effects of caffeine are dramatically increased. Energy drinks, such as the 5-Hour Energy Drink, Rockstar Energy Drink, Burn Energy Drink, Full Throttle Energy Drink, Amp Energy Drink, Monster Energy Drink and others, are consumed primarily for the buzz or energy high that the caffeine and other stimulants can provide. Unfortunately, most of these drinks also produce a let down or crash, leaving the user to consume another drink to boost energy again. Repeated use or abuse of these highly charged caffeine drinks could lead to increased side effects. The harmful effects of caffeine, guarana, ginseng and other herbal extracts accelerate at potentially alarming rates when multiple doses of these drinks are consumed. People have been using caffeine in various forms, including Energy Drinks for a long time. What users dont often understand is that the boost of energy obtained from these drinks is temporary and that the crash can last a lot longer than the high. The side effects of energy drinks such as the 5-Hour Energy Drink, Rockstar Energy Drink, Burn Energy Drink, Full Throttle Energy Drink, Amp Energy Drink, Monster Energy Drink and others, can increase in those persons with certain other health challenges such as diabetes, hypoglycemia, heart conditions and other chronic disorders.
Caffeine can lower blood sugar in some individuals causing moderate to severe hypoglycemic episodes, which can be very disturbing and dangerous. If the drinks combine herbal stimulants with the caffeine, this can increase the potential blood sugar problems. Another factor to also consider is the often very high amounts of sugar in most of these energy drinks a factor that further complicates diabetes and hypoglycemia.
Individuals suffering from a variety of cardiovascular problems should use caution when consuming these energy drinks. Over stimulation of the central nervous system by caffeine, guarana, and ginseng can lead to a variety of arrhythmias, and other heart beat issues. Those with pacemakers also should be concerned. Another common practice among younger people is the combining of alcohol with their favorite energy drink. Alcohol is a downer and as such provides clear signs of when the consumer has had enough. By using the stimulating effects of energy drinks together with alcohol, the user can often drink far more and not be aware of their degree of intoxication. This can be dangerous for many reasons. If one wishes to use Energy Drinks, they should not combine these with alcoholic beverages of any kind.

Since both alcohol and caffeine are dehydrating agents, their combination can severely lower fluid levels in the body. If this is combined with dancing in a hot nightclub for example the dehydration can reach critical and deadly levels. There are many countries in Europe where high potency energy drinks such as the 5-Hour Energy Drink, Rockstar Energy Drink, Burn Energy Drink, Full Throttle Energy Drink, Amp Energy Drink, Monster Energy Drink and others have been banned completely. This was due to the fact that several athletes have died while exercising or training and using these energy drinks for sustained performance enhancement. Likely many of these fatalities were caused by severe dehydration.