Venom Energy Black Mamba

I really enjoy reading Screaming Energy, a blog/review site for energy drinks. They are brutally honest and can slam or praise with some side-splitting metaphors. When I was ready to pop this can of Venom Black Mamba, I checked out SE for their take. And I couldn't find one.

This probably has more to do with Dr. Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. not sending review samples instead of a lack of merit on the part of the drinks. I know this because the folks at SE have reviewed some pretty awful stuff. (And I know that Dr Pepper-Snapple Group is the name of the firm.)

Presentation/Appearance - 9/10 I can't argue with this aluminum bottle and its menacing snake eye graphic. Whoever did this design, knew how to appeal to the young man demographic. This bottle drips testosterone (not in the ingredient list, though). These energy drinks are meant to be consumed from the container (even though it is two servings per container, a little over 160mg of caffeine if you drain the whole thing) I decided to pour a bit into a cordial glass so that we could get a good look at the liquid. Black Mamba looks like a sparkling wine, or maybe the folks at Dr. Pepper/Seven Up, Inc, have done their research and this is what snake venom looks like. I wouldn't put it past them.

Nose/Aroma - 5/10 I doubt it smells like venom. This is chalky, Sweet-Tart in a glass. Everything about this says artificial beverage. If I were rating this on how energy drinks typically smell it might have scored a 10/10. Is this really what we expect? Can we have a reasonable expectation of something remotely natural?

Taste/Flavor - 6/10 Tart candy dominates the flavor. The bubbles just add to that effect. There is a sizable sugar presence here, but the chalky candy flavors overpower this one. I prefer the sour of lemon or maybe a tart berry, heck even rhubarb to this. However, it doesn't make you gag and it holds up as well as any other typical energy drink available.

Finish/Satisfaction - 7/10 If you have trouble sweating, I highly recommend this drink. This is a quick hit of caffeine without the hassle of dealing with hot bitter coffee. The tartness is ultimately lost as your taste buds succumb to the repeated punishment.

Overall - 6.3/10 This drink works as intended, and it does it with style. I am looking forward to trying other flavors. The Black Mamba is apparently the base drink. Other Venom drinks build on top of this with flavors like fruit punch and mango.

What do you use energy drinks for mostly? Pre-exercise? Morning coffee replacement? Cocktail mixer?