It’s like Red Bull – but it tastes worse and is one of a million knock offs! Doesn’t that make you want to buy it? This drink’s big selling point is it is supposed to be cheaper than red bull, so you can stock up gallons of the syrup in bars and you can pour it to order in those cool drink guns. My problem with this drink is it does not taste nearly as good, it cost me a full energy drink price (1.99 for a poorly designed 8oz can) and the can design is utter crap. If I walked into a bar and ordered a red Bull and Jager and for 6 bucks you poured me this swill, I would jump over the counter and shove that stupid gun where the sun doesn’t shine and leave the nozzle on full pour! Let’s see how you like it when I substitute my anger for a full on Red Bull Clone enema!
Ok – calming down. Guess I need to lay off the spike shooters…..
Seriously though, bars have gotten in deep trouble for passing Roaring Lion as Red Bull. And I could really taste the difference. Red Bull is expensive – so the cost should be passed off to the consumer if they wanted it. There is no reason not to offer Red Bull for a premium, but stock a house energy drink for a mixer too. If the customer wants a Red Bull, that is exactly what they should get. Not to rant on, but that would of course mean that Red Bull would also have to stop their shady practices of not allowing other energy drinks to be sold in store – and bullying tactics to force owners to carry their drink. Red Bull is a great energy drink, and should not be passed off by a crappy imitator as this. If I walked into a bar and ordered a Butte Porter Ale and I was served a tap Michelob Dark, I would know, and you would be sure many others would know too.

So how does Roaring Lion stand up by itself?

Taste:3
Problem is this does not even taste like Red Bull. This tasted more like a non-sweet artificial carbonated lemon juice. It makes you hold your mouth and pucker whenever you drink, and is overall too bitter and unpleasant to use without an alcohol to mask the taste. This may be because of the extra taurine they might have in their drinks. Red Bull holds it’s formula close, but this is really sour and bitter, like they had the formula close enough and gave up – or burned their taste buds in the development. My drink was not the way most people find roaring lion, in an extra cold can from the convenience store. Most people find this buried in cheap vodka, or dropped in some alcohol which will mask the difference. As it stands by itself, there are hundreds, no – thousands, of other knock-offs to choose from.

Buzz/Nutrition:5
1 can does almost nothing to me anymore, as an 80mg of caffeine gives me a light boost and keeps me awake for about an hour. This drink tried really hard to have the same nutritional value as Red Bull. So you have taurine, inositol, all the B vitamins – the original Energy Drink Mix.

Packaging:3
This is seriously bad. I don’t know if I would dislike this drink as much if it did not do such a bad job with this package. Everything from the ridiculous logo looking like it was drawn with a years old vector program to the poor font choices – this drink looks like a private label gone bad. Just like Red Bull, this does not list caffeine content on the can. Also has the inane slogan “Fly twice as HiiiGH” what does that even mean? Is is a take off of “Red Bull gives you wings?” If so – it misses the mark by a mile. I would understand if this drink were a cheap Asian brand, but this is made in the US, where they should understand things like hiring designers, getting someone competent to do art for logos and such. Maybe it does not matter so much in the 16.9oz pet bottles, and of course in the bar – but in this little can it is a complete fail.