V Black

History
V energy drink was created in New Zealand in August 1997. Initially V was only sold in New Zealand, but due to it's success branched out into Australia. V has now become the leading seller of energy drinks in both Australia and New Zealand. V Black was released after the original as a more hyped up version of the drink.

Taste (3/10)
Everyone I know that's tried this drink, has thought it was disgusting, me included. The citrus and berry taste of the original V is there, but its masked behind some other disgusting flavours that are quite hard to describe. It's a vanilla flavour gone wrong. The drink tastes smoother than V, but also a lot worse.

Ingredients/Boost (7/10)
Ingredients (per 100ml)
Caffeine: 31 mg
Taurine: 400 mg
Sugar: 11.2 g

V Black has all the same energy ingredients as the original V, except it has twice the amount of taurine. This is also met with a slight rise in price, and a bad flavour. However you will get a slightly larger energy boost from drinking a can of V Black over V original, due to the added taurine. If you're willing to sacrifice taste for 200 mg (per 100ml) more taurine, then get V Black.

Overall (5/10)

Monster

History
Monster was founded by the Monster Beverage Company inc in California. Eventually Monster found it's way to Australia and is now produced in SA, were it is exported to some of our neighboring countries. Even though the surface graphics on the Australian can are different to the American version, it still has the same flavour. Why they would change the design from the American version to in my opinion, a design that doesn't look anywhere near as good, is beyond me. Monster was the first energy drink to hit Australia in a massive 440 ml can

Taste (7/10)
I liked the taste of Monster. It does have similarities to the taste of Red Bull, but is distinctly different. Monster incorporates cherry flavoured candy, classic bubble gum and the medicinal flavour of Red Bull to create a fairly unique taste. Monster is very sweet and has a very concentrated flavour. If you like Red Bull and the intense sweetness of Red Eye, your going to love Monster.

Ingredients/Boost (9/10)
Ingredients (per 100ml)
Caffeine: 32 mg
Taurine: 450 mg
Sugar: 11.2 g

Monster gives you one hell of a kick. Between the massive amounts of taurine and the huge amounts of caffeine and sugar due to the size of the can, it's like downing over 2 cans of Red Bull one after the other. Monster really wasn't designed for giving out a small kick, after drinking the whole can I was definitely at a heightened state of alertness. After a while I did experience small amounts of shaking in my hands.

Overall (8.5/10)

Red Eye Classic

History
Red Eye Classic was first made by an Australian company in 1995. Since then, Red Eye has established itself as a value for money energy drink. Along side Red Eye Classic are an additional 5 more varieties of Red Eye, each with their own individual taste. Red Eye has also penetrated the New Zealand market, proving itself to be quite popular.

Taste (6/10)
The taste of Red Eye is a very sweet one indeed. Red Eye tastes like really sweet candy, mixed with a hint of apple which can become sickly after a while. In my opinion, Red Eye Classic is overly carbonated. I found the drink more enjoyable when it was served with ice or left open for a few minutes to let some of the gas escape. Like most cheaper energy drinks, Red Eye leaves a gritty sensation rather than the smooth after taste of other more prominent energy drinks. However, if you don't like the sometimes sour or medicinal taste of other energy drinks and are after something insanely sweet, this is the drink for you.

Ingredients/Boost (7/10)
ingredients (per 100 ml)
Caffeine: 32 mg
Taurine: 30 mg
Sugar: 14.7 g

If you're after a massive sugar rush, look no further. Red Eye Classic has a huge amount of sugar when compared with other energy drinks, especially since it comes in a 330 ml bottle. However, for some reason Red Eye have decided to skimp out on the amount of taurine. Red Eye Classic only has a tiny 30 mg of taurine per 100 ml, which im guessing is how they keep the cost of Red Eye lower than its competition. Comparatively this is very small considering that most other energy drinks offer at least 200 mg of taurine per 100 ml. The lacking taurine was definitely picked up on by the sugar, since i did receive a reasonable kick from drinking it. The crash received from the effects wearing off was definitely more noticeable than other drinks with much less sugar.

Overall (6.5/10)

Columbian Cola

History
To be honest, I cant tell you much about Columbian Cola except for he fact it's a product of Australia. I've only seen the drink sold in two places, a small privately owned fruit and vegetable market and a computer gaming LAN in the city. So it's probably one of the more rare energy drinks sold in Australia. But I've got to say, I love the name.

Taste (6/10)
The taste of Columbian Cola is as the name suggests, a cola. While not being up to the standards of Coca-Cola or Pepsi, the drink still inst as bad as some of the cheaper alternatives. Overall, the taste wasn't bad but definitely inst anything new. The only real reason I'd buy this again would be for the awesome name, old school looking bottle and cheap price(under $2). If the taste was improved, i could see this drink having more potential.

Ingredients/Boost (6/10)
Ingredients (per 100 ml)
caffeine: 32 mg
Taurine: 160 mg
Sugar: 10.1 g

At the bottom of the bottle the label reads "This cola is not for wimps", while being funny it isn't exactly correct. The drink is probably one of the weaker energy drinks per 100 ml on the Australian market, but makes up for this through the size per cost ratio. the drink is only sold in 330 ml bottles and is cheaper than most 250 ml canned energy drinks. So in that respect, the drink is actually quite good value for money. The actual boost from drinking the bottle was pretty similar to the boost you can expect from a can of V. Columbian Cola is good for when you want a small kick, but don't want to be bouncing off the walls.

Overall (6/10)

Red Bull

History
Red Bull is considered to be the very first commercial energy drink. Originating in Thailand, Red Bull is now popular throughout the world. In recent years Red Bull has become popular amongst party goers and young people as a mixer with various other alcoholic beverages. Available in 250 ml cans, 355 ml cans and 330 ml bottles, Red Bull provides a variety of serving sizes.

Taste (9/10)
The medicinal taste of Red Bull can be considered to be the classic taste of the energy drink. With hundreds of closely tasting Red Bull clones in the world wide energy drink market, only Red Bull has really mastered it. The distinct flavour of Red Bull is a combination of cherry and cough medicine, while being very sweet at the same time. At first you might cringe at the thought of such a flavour combination, but rest assured Red Bull tastes great. Unlike many of Red Bulls cheaper clones, Red Bull has just the right amount of carbonation and doesn't leave a bitter and gritty after taste.

Ingredients/Boost (8/10)
Ingredients (per 100ml)
caffeine: 32 mg
Taurine: 400 mg
Sugar: 10.7 g

Overall, Red Bull has an average level of caffeine, a large amount of taurine and a relatively low level of sugar in comparison with other energy drinks. The energy kick gained from drinking the 250 ml can was quite good, however the 330 ml bottle and the 355 ml can obviously provided a bigger boost. Red Bull definitely did increase my alertness and mental concentration, but also made me feel slightly fatigued after the drink started to wear off.

Overall (8.5/10)

V energy drink

History
V energy drink was created in New Zealand in August 1997. Initially V was only sold in New Zealand, but due to it's success branched out into Australia. V has now become the leading seller of energy drinks in both Australia and New Zealand.

Taste (7/10)
V has a very interesting and unconventional taste for an energy drink. V does not have the medicinal taste most other drinks such as Red Bull have. Instead, V has a very strong and sweet Citrus and berry flavour. Overall the taste is quite good as well as being not overly carbonated.

Ingredients/Boost (6/10)
Ingredients (per 100ml)
Caffeine: 31 mg
Taurine: 200 mg
Sugar: 11.2 g

Overall V energy drink has a comparatively average to low quantity of caffeine, a small amount of Taurine and an average level of sugar. By drinking the can alone, the energy boost was quite small. The bottle on the other hand has an extra 100ml over the 250ml can, which gave better results.

Overall (6.5/10)