Power Trip The Extreme shares roughly the same rather unappealing can design of Power Trip Blue and Power Trip 0. This can has some lightning, which after Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt Asian Experience Energy Drink should be prohibited from ever appearing on the can of a consumable product. The top reads, "TASTE THE POWER". At the bottom is enormous red block letters, "THE EXTREME". Then in tiny white (outlined in black) letters below, "Lightly Carbonated". "16 FL OZ (1PT) 473mL". The back of the can contains the usual warning about ankle biters, caffeine pansies, and gravid women.
I've been a fan of the Power Trip franchise since I reviewed Power Trip 0 about a year ago. I regret to say that, while I like THE EXTREME, when compared to other beverages on the market, that the name created enough fanfare in my mind that I wound up being disappointed, like the post-holiday depression after not getting a Wii. THE EXTREME contains only 5mg more caffeine (the one place I'd think you'd go rabid squirrel chaotic when formulating something called THE EXTREME), meanwhile they shoved in 4 more grams of sugar than the already mindlessly sweet Power Trip Blue. 4 more grams of sugar, and you'd have to call this THE EMTREME energy gel/syrup. Besides being overtly sweet, this is a good energy drink, and the taste is far better than any Anheuser-Busch product ever made (which is intended to be more of a compliment than it should read to anyone who's ever consumed an Anheuser-Busch product).
Power Trip is not breaking new ground with THE EXTREME. There are no fireworks like when Bobby Brady kisses the next door neighbor and gets Mono. Power Trip is following the leader, and this drink, in my opinion does not attempt to mascaraed as anything more than a Monster/Red Bull knock off, which is fine, when it can be acquired in our energy drink store for less than $1 a can.
As the Stig stated, this is one of the best values on the market right now. As this industry, which was wild and untamed 5-6 years ago begins to settle into normalcy, some of the cornerstones have remained unchanged. Monster and Red Bull still command premium prices (unless you know to buy in bulk at BJ's warehouse, Sams club, or Costco). Other drinks, like Joker Mad Energy (essentially the 'other' Monster) are available at dollar stores for under $1. I've heard reports that discontinued drinks like Full Throttle Mother have been available as low as 25 cents per can (which Full Throttle Mother isn't a value at any price). For the value-conscious energy drinker, Power Trip THE EXTREME is an extraordinary value. 48 drinks delivered to your door for under $50! Stockpile and save the daily trip to the store, or stock your fridge for a party. The name and the packaging might be gay, but the drink is all man, like your sweaty uncle that likes Miller High Life and motorcycle girl calendars.
So the last energy drink I (not Dub, the other Stig) was called on to review was Cougar Energy Drink for Women, which I feel I overrated on taste the more of them I consume. Fortunately, there's Power Trip THE EXTREME to sugar blast gritty fruit smoothiness of Cougar directly out of my face hole. While 30g of carbohydrates per serving (20% of your USRDA carb intake) is scant in comparison to some of American market's Asian cousins (Panther and Carabao, which have 45g and 42g per serving respectively), it's nice to see a good old fashioned energy drink stuffed full of high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, taurine, sodium citrate, caffeine, yellow 5, and yellow 6. To me, these are the starting ingredients for making any energy drink. Much like flour, sugar, eggs, butter, peanut butter, and caffeine should be the core ingredients in making a batch of cookies.
This drink is every bit as good as a 12 oz. Red Bull, and if you like sugar as much as I do, this is even a shade sweeter than Red Bull. I'd say the taste is most similar to Red Bull, and the formula seems comparable to Green Monster. I'll admit, this drink, like Carabao and Panther, actually make me thirsty. This isn't a thirst quenching beverage by any means, even when served completely chilled. If you require your energy drinks to be thirst quenching, enjoy this one over ice.
So, THE EXTREME is relatively good energy drink by 2001 standards, that probably doesn't seem that impressive. What is impressive, at the time of this review, THE EXTREME is available through our energy drink store for $22.35 for a 24 pack of 16oz. drinks. Still not impressed? Buy 2 cases, and you get free shipping (Super Saver shipping on orders over $25). That's 48 16oz. drinks for $44.70, or 93 cents each. Quite simply, besides Joker Mad Energy, when you can find it, for 60 cents at Big Lots and Dollar Tree, you're not going to get a better energy drink deal.