# How can anyone stand Red Bull energy drink it's just vile! It's like liquid Smarties! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 18, 2006, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863 "2006-10-18T00:47:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/21 "2006-10-18T15:32:32Z")
[QUOTE=astro] I finally tried one of these to see what all the hoopla was about, and \*Good God \* I think I’d rather drink my own pee! This stuff is horrific! It’s like someone dissolved a bunch of Smarties candies in some sort of generic 7-UP. [/QUOTE] Completely agree–though I’ve been saying for a long time that it tastes like \*SweeTarts \* dissolved in 7Up. One of my friends describes it as tasting like “ass,” so I now call it “SweeTarts and Ass.” The spouse likes it. I’ve got another friend who practically lives on it. Either it’s an acquired taste or the caffeine rush makes up for the ass-ness. I’m not sure. Even smelling the stuff makes me gag a little. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/22 "2006-10-18T15:53:52Z")
I actually really love the taste of red bull, but wish they’d make a decaf version because I have no interested in all of the wacky energy. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/23 "2006-10-18T15:58:39Z")
I sometimes drink sugar free red bull or diet rockstar (10 calories per 8 oz) for lunch when I don’t feel like eating. Redbull is really good if you drop a shot of Jaegermeister into it like a boilermaker. Most bars I’ve had that in called it a Jaeger blast. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/24 "2006-10-18T16:01:41Z")
How much caffeine does Red Bull have per 8 oz.? A new drink, called, get this, “Cocaine” has just come on the market in New York City, which contains 280 milligrams per 8.4 oz. From the story: > [@](#): > > The beverage is marketed to give a person a “high” coupled with a tingly euphoric feeling within five minutes of drinking it. That initial boost is followed 15 minutes later by an energy buzz that will last five to six hours, according to the company. > [@](#): > > Kirby confesses that a “throat-numbing” ingredient is added to the drink to emulate its namesake, but he won’t divulge the identity of that add-in, saying it’s confidential. Even though I’ve seen a few news storyies about the drink, I can’t get over the feeling that it is an elaborate hoax. Anybody seen this stuff on the market? ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/25 "2006-10-18T16:03:37Z")
Forgot the [link](http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2459718&page=1) to the story. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/26 "2006-10-18T16:24:08Z")
[QUOTE=VCO3] I actually really love the taste of red bull, but wish they’d make a decaf version because I have no interested in all of the wacky energy. [/QUOTE] Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose? Another successful marketing campaign for a product nobody would otherwise want. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/27 "2006-10-18T16:25:27Z")
MTA: and the commercials are hopelessly hackneyed and not funny at all (the cartoons). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/28 "2006-10-18T16:50:31Z")
I kind of like Red Bull and Rock Star, but only in their diet versions. All the sugar in the originals just make me sleepy. If you want something really vile you should try the [Tab](http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/tab_energy/) energy drink. It tastes like vanilla frosting mixed with vinyl. With a faint vomity aftertaste. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/29 "2006-10-18T17:24:48Z")
You might appreciate this review of some concoction called “Steven Seagal’s Lightning Bolt”. A sample: [QUOTE=Albert Walker, The Agony Booth] Like a moron, I actually began to check out the ingredients list, and didn’t get much farther than something called “Yerba Mate”. Yerba Mate? What the fuck? Isn’t that the birthplace of Richard Nixon? I figured I’d be better off not going down the road of actually knowing what I was about to put into my body. So I decided it was time to, as Steven himself might say, get charged! Sensei Seagal, I am ready to receive the kind of TRUE ENERGY only a reincarnated Tibetan lama could possess! Then I took my first sip. Nothing in this world could have prepared me for that. The initial thought that came rushing into my mind was from a deep, dark place: Oh, that’s bad. I didn’t know quite what I had just tasted, but my mind immediately painted a picture of someone going into a supermarket, opening every can in the canned fruit aisle, pouring all the various syrups into one 16-oz container, and hoping for the best. It was like an evil punch made from fruits that had no business ever knowing each other. The second sip was even worse. This was when I first noticed the awful aftertaste. Initially, it reminded me of rancid peaches, but it quickly went downhill from there. It took a third sip for me to really identify what was so awful about this drink: It has the distinct flavor of cigarettes. Seriously, this stuff tastes like Steven Seagal himself put out his cigarette in this very can. I kept peeking inside the mouth hole to see if I could spot one floating around down there. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/30 "2006-10-18T23:52:26Z")
[QUOTE=astro] It’s like someone dissolved a bunch of Smarties candies in some sort of generic 7-UP. [/QUOTE] I just can’t grasp anyone using this description as a _negative_ trait! ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/31 "2006-10-19T00:07:14Z")
_gag_ Red Bull is undrinkable. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/32 "2006-10-19T00:57:43Z")
[QUOTE=John DiFool] Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose? Another successful marketing campaign for a product nobody would otherwise want. [/QUOTE] I personally don’t like the taste and only drink it on the rare occasion where I’ve not had any sleep in the past day and have to stay awake for a good percentage of the next but I see no difference in him liking it for its flavor than someone else enjoying decaf or a virgin cocktail. Taste alone can be and usually is the purpose of a drink. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/33 "2006-10-19T03:54:21Z")
How much of this shit are people buying for “them” to pony the kind of sponsorship money in the myriad of sports they stick thier name on? And I’m talkin’ high-dollar shit like Formula One (they have a whole team! :eek: ) and Air Racing! Who can stand this stuff _in these quantities_?!? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Dan\_Norder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@Dan\_Norder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Norder)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/34 "2006-10-19T04:10:12Z")
[QUOTE=astro] It’s like someone dissolved a bunch of Smarties candies in some sort of generic 7-UP. [/QUOTE] You say that like it’s a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/35 "2006-10-19T04:12:22Z")
I have never actually tried red bull. However, I am distantly associated with a fellow who distributes knock-off energy drinks. As near as I can tell they are all the same with different labling. A couple of them are ethnic themed: “Caballio Negro” (Black Horse in spanish) “Pimp Juice” (Yes really, they think someone will put something called PJ in thier mouth) And a rather generic “Tornado”. He offered me some dented cans, and I tried them (except for the PJ, just couldn’t do it) and they tasted pretty much exactly as discribed in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Fang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Dr.Fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Fang)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/36 "2006-10-19T04:32:50Z")
Monster in the first place is disgusting. It is like soda water with Flintstones vitamins ground into it. Monster Juiced is even worse. It tastes like old apple juice with just as many ground up vitamins. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/37 "2006-10-19T05:12:54Z")
[QUOTE=Fiddle Peghead] How much caffeine does Red Bull have per 8 oz.? A new drink, called, get this, “Cocaine” has just come on the market in New York City, which contains 280 milligrams per 8.4 oz. [/QUOTE] [Howstuffworks](http://home.howstuffworks.com/energy-drink.htm) has an article on this. A normal energy drink they say has up to about 80mg of caffeine. They also claim that most of the energy from energy drinks comes form the sugar and caffeine. This is what they say about taurine, which is contrary to Wikipedia, so take sides: > [@](#): > > Taurine - A natural amino acid produced by the body that helps regulate heart beat and muscle contractions. Many health experts aren’t sure what effect it has as a drink additive (and the rumor that taurine comes from bull testicles is false). ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/38 "2006-10-19T05:37:48Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] How much of this shit are people buying for “them” to pony the kind of sponsorship money in the myriad of sports they stick thier name on? And I’m talkin’ high-dollar shit like Formula One (they have a whole team! :eek: ) and Air Racing! Who can stand this stuff _in these quantities_?!? 😕 [/QUOTE] Been to a bar recently? It outsells all but a couple brands of beer easily and costs 3 times as much per unit. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/39 "2006-10-19T06:53:42Z")
Personally, I think that no matter how cold the stuff is, it still tastes like what I imagine warm piss to taste like. I’ve managed to choke down a can or two when I needed to wake up and there wasn’t any coffee available, but there’s no way I could make a habit of the stuff. What I don’t understand is why 99% of energy drinks taste like the shit. You’d think that someone would come up with a decent flavor. BTW, Jolt comes in a number of flavors and all of them taste better than Red Bull and it’s even evilier clones. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2006, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863/40 "2006-10-19T06:55:58Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] BTW, Jolt comes in a number of flavors and all of them taste better than Red Bull and it’s even evilier clones. [/QUOTE] Jolt Red may in fact be the best soda on the planet. I’m old enough to remember when Jolt was just a soda, so I can’t quite make the jump to Jolt being an enrgy drink. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-anyone-stand-red-bull-energy-drink-its-just-vile-its-like-liquid-smarties/376863.md?page=3)