Turkey hill is a growing dairy – one known in Amish country for their cheeses, milk and eggs. So what are they doing all the way in Colorado with energy drinks? I felt pretty lucky to find their T Fusion tea all the way out here some months back at a little hidden away convenience store. So I was pretty excited to come across this new energy drink by them – even though the can is a bit of a turn off. If you can’t find these near you yet, just wait. With this growth from small dairy in the east to the middle of the mountains you know it will only be a matter of time before their distribution carries them all over this continent.

Taste:8
Scientists suspect that taste and memory are inextricably bound. That taste, like smell, bypasses the part of the mind that is logical and educable and travels directly to the primitive brain, seat of instinct and memory. The contrast between eras, people, generations and social classes can be telegraphed in the memory of a good drink.
There is a certain way flavors bring you back to certain parts of your life. How a simple taste of an ice cream or a grilled hot dog brings back the times playing near the ocean or at a circus. We cling to these little taste recalls as something near and dear to our inner self. I had one of those epiphanies while drinking this – as it is exactly like a not-completely melted Otter Pop. Fake sour – fake berry and in all parts delicious. One big drink and I was back on my front porch on a hot summer afternoon, trying to squirt the last dribble out of its plastic confines. This little gem is going to become a favorite of mine as the weather gets warmer. While not stunning, I loved the surprise of the flavor mix, and enjoyed the color of the drink too.

Packaging:3
Eblast has a number of problems to overcome. Firstly, the can is lightly printed on bare aluminum. This is the energy drink version of driving around with your car in primer. While it does not have to necessarily be a faux pas, it almost always is. Secondly is the aluminum is pretty thin, which means it crinkles up very easily. They also use the name Eblast, which is already taken by a horrible drink put out by Bally Fitness. Maybe there is no Ballys up north… E has taken on connotations in the energy drink world like the I has in internet applications. They have slogans on the can explaining how E stands for energy. oooo. They also don’t print the caffeine content on the side – like they have something to hide ( which it turns out they do).

There are some positives to it though… They do use easy to read fonts, and there is a big kosher symbol, so hasids don’t have to stress out about pork hiding in their drinks. Other than Clamato based energy drink Energia, I cant think of a worse idea than a trafe beverage ( a great example of this can be found here).

Buzz/Nutrition:3
Now we get to the drink’s real problem. Sure, this can says it has energy ingredients like taurine, ginseng and guarana. Problem is those amounts are not listed anywhere. By my taste and sensitivity, I felt a little pick me up, but nothing insane. After an hour it died and I was left looking for more. So I called them up and not surprisingly, there is a grand total of 100mg in the entire 16oz can, or about a sixth less than a red bull, or half what you would get if this were filled with coffee instead. And the other ingredients were not enough to give the boost either. Without using better or more natural ingredients, or at least upping the dosage of the stuff we drink these for, it might have a hard time – even tasting as good as it does.