Deep within the treasure trove of undersold packaging ideas from Hansens comes Unbound energy – now packing the shelves of Big Lots. Shame too – as this drink has some real promise – and it is never a good sign when your drink is sold for 69 cents. This is especially true for a knock off Hansens brand, like Ace, Lost or Joker. When the makers of the second most popular energy drink find a way to fail so bad as to get their product into the super – discount stores, you know that brand is bound for the cooler rack in the sky.

I guess this product was a private label brand for Am/Pm stores across the nation – but not sure how far they went . I looked all over my local BP am/pm stores and no one had ever seen nor heard of this one.

Packaging:8
Like the can – I am always a fan of the gunmetal look – that must be why I prefer the awesome rustiness of Battlestar Galactica over the shiny white plastic of star wars. The ultimate paintjob for any metal product is rusty Gunmetal, from energy drink cans to my Mazda minivan (now if only I can convince the wife). so Art is awesome, slogan is decent and readability is fine. Te double faced logo design works nicely, although the lid is placed on haphazardly. My only real issue is they did what Monster does and hides the caffeine in a “proprietary energy blend”.

Buzz/Nutrition:8
Don’t exactly know why the heck this thing wired me so much. It sure does not look so powerful from the ingredients list – with only the normal energy drink chemicals… I was flying high for a good 4 hours with this one – powering me all the way til my lunchtime slump. not bad for a monster knockoff. Lots of preservatives, lots of calories and lots of vitamin B. Either way, this is a bargain at bargain stores – a real treat for under a buck!

Taste:10
I wish I could tell you the taste – but I have opened two of these, and they seemed to have completely disappeared from the can without me even noticing I drank them. These are really really good – and really hard to not suck down when they are chilled. I have no idea what flavor they are supposed to be – but it goes down smooth and crisp and unique. This is not a Red Bull wannabe – no an anything wannabe. Just refreshing and tasty and soda-pop delicious. Just thinking about them makes me want to go to the store for more…