REVIEW: Red Bull Summer Edition Sudachi Lime Energy Drink

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Whether you consider Memorial Day the start of summer, or you’re a stickler who waits until late June to be more official… you’re wrong and you should feel bad.

It is well established that Red Bull decides the seasons. When Red Bull says it’s summer, it’s summer. The Summer Edition is out now. It’s summer.

So you can keep your holiday benchmarks, your solstices, and your equinoxes, because the only time to acknowledge a quarter of the year passing by is when Red Bull stamps it on a can.

With that, Red Bull bids farewell to Sakura Spring and welcomes in Sudachi Summer.

“What the heck is Sudachi Summer?”

Good question.

Iono. It must be an obscure fruit if spellcheck doesn’t even recognize it.

It’s either a type of lime or a fruit similar to a lime. If you’re a fan of lime, then maybe you’ll like Red Bull’s new Summer Edition, Sudachi Lime. I do, and I did not. More on that later.

After researching “Sudachi,” I’m still not sure whether this flavor is “Sudachi AND Lime” or just a “Sudachi Lime.” Either way, a sudachi is a small, green Japanese citrus fruit known for its sharp, refreshing, and intense aroma.

Do you know what sudachi is?

It’s pronounced “Soo-daa-chee” and not “Sue Dockey,” who was a neighborhood acquaintance of my mom’s growing up. Nasty lady. Didn’t like my “hoodlum skateboard.”

Anyway, I think lime alone is underrated. It lives in lemon’s shadow and has seemingly lost its stronghold on the color green to fruits like apples and watermelon, but for me, it’s “S” tier. I always find it refreshing despite the acidity.

Looks like lemonade.

I love sharp lime flavor, and was really excited for this release, but I’m afraid this might as well be Red Bull’s Bummer Edition. *ohhhhhhh* I’d rather drink Summer’s Eve. *oh… no*

Sudachi Lime is one of the least Red Bull-tasting Red Bulls I’ve ever had.

This is not an “S,” but it tastes like a bad attempt at one of those “S” citrus sodas. Ya know, like Sprite, Seven-up, Splunk, Sun Drop, Surge, Slice, Slurp Sawse, Super Slurp Sawse, Starry, Slurm, Splink, Squirt… it isn’t better than any of ‘em.

You get lime, but it doesn’t “bite” like I wanted it to. It never tasted as “spritzy” as a usual Red Bull, either. It’s a little too sweet, and I didn’t find it all that refreshing.

For a fruit described as having a “unique spicy, peppery flavor,” I didn’t really sense the sudachi much either. Lime inherently has a little of those profiles, but I wouldn’t say it’s very noticeable here.

There's also a full sugar version if you're not a fan of sugar free stuff.

I really wanted this to have more of a natural lime pop instead of just a vague citrus sweetness, but it was too much, even in this Sugar Free edition. I was thirstier afterward.

There’s probably enough lime for it to be passable to some, but I just don’t think I’m into the “sudachi” of it all. Clearly, this isn’t my favorite. It’s not quite as nasty as Sue Dockey, but it’s not good either.

Happy Red Bull Summer!

I don’t encourage imbibing, but I could see this working as a really good mixer. Just please drink responsibly, and have a great Red Bull Summer.

Purchased Price: $2.79
Size: 8.4 fl oz can
Purchased at: Wawa
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 15 calories, 0 grams of fat, 140 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Liquid Death Pop-Tarts Carnage Iced Tea

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Liquid Death Pop-Tarts Carnage Iced Tea cans

Liquid Death Pop-Tarts Carnage Iced Tea made me giggle.

No, it wasn’t from the silly name that got me imagining what would happen if a naughty doggo got into a Costco-size box of Pop-Tarts. Nor did it happen because I sometimes imagine Christopher Walken dressed up as a Pop-Tart yelling, “Crazy good!”

What made me giggle after my first sip was how Liquid Death managed to capture the essence of toaster pastry crust and add it to an iced tea. That’s some liquid magic there, and whatever the highest award for flavor-making is, which I assume is called The Tastees, the person who developed that crust flavor deserves one, not only for creating it, but for tasting all the rejects that came before it.

Liquid Death Pop-Tarts Carnage Iced Tea in a glass with its red color

The beverage smells like a strawberry soda, and the initial taste is strawberry, but after a few moments, the crust comes through and lingers a bit. This doesn’t taste exactly like a Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tart. Its berry flavor is a candy-fied version of the red toaster pastry filling, and the pastry dough taste is a bit more distinctive than the bland crust of an actual Pop-Tart. There’s no sweetness or butteriness to enhance things; it’s just bland Pop-Tarts crust, but I guess an enhanced blandness is the best way to describe it. But that crust flavor is what convinces me that this is a toaster pastry-flavored iced tea, and this wouldn’t have been nearly as exciting without it.

But do I actually consider it to be, as the Pop-Tarts-dressed Christopher Walken in my head would say, “crazy good”? It’s crazy creative, but it’s just good to my taste buds. I’ll have no problem drinking all 12 cans I had to buy. However, I can taste how that crust flavor is going to be divisive and an instant nope for some folks. I liked it best when it was super chilled, straight out of the fridge. But as it crept toward room temperature, the crust’s taste made things less enjoyable.

The crazy scary skull thingies on the can. Sorry if it gives you nightmares

I’ve gone through four cans already, and every time I take a chilled sip, I can’t help but smile at what I’m tasting. So if you’re okay with the mild flavor profile of Liquid Death products and think an iced tea inspired by toaster pastries sounds like a novel idea, Pop-Tarts Carnage Iced Tea might make you giggle, too.

Purchased Price: $16.99
Size: 12 fl oz cans/12 pack
Purchased at: Amazon
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 20 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of sodium, 4 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein, and 43 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Sparkling Ice Life Savers Flavors

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It been a very long time since I’ve noticed Life Savers hard candy on shelves. Are they still around? Do Life Savers need life saving? I mean, I’m not have an existential crisis about it.

However, I may have one about the possible loss of Sparkling Ice’s Starburst Strawberry flavor. There’s a new strawberry-flavored Sparkling Ice in town as part of the Sparkling Ice Life Savers line, which also includes Wild Cherry, Pineapple, and Green Apple, and I don’t know if there’s enough room on shelves for two strawberry-flavored Sparkling Ice varieties.

Starburst Strawberry is my go-to Sparkling Ice flavor whenever I’m in the mood for something non-caffeinated, bubbly, sweet, strawberry-flavored, pink, and in a skinny tall bottle. I’ve bought enough of them that if I redeemed all the bottles for five cents each, I could buy two unopened ones. There’s something about it that makes me feel refreshed and satisfied. So don’t leave me, Sparkling Ice Starburst Strawberry. Please. I love you.

I still see the Starburst flavors on shelves, on the Sparkling Ice website alongside the Life Savers ones, and available on Amazon, so it seems safe for now. But who knows what the future holds? Will Sparkling Ice run a promotion where it pits the two lines against each other, has us vote to keep one and discontinue the other, and calls it “Which Will Be On Sparkling Thin Ice?”

Or maybe that doesn’t matter at all, because after trying all four Life Savers flavors, I think, as Bob Marley sang, every little thing gonna be all right.

I enjoyed all four, including the strawberry one. While I can taste some similarities between the two strawberry varieties, Starburst Strawberry hits me in the feels a little more. Maybe it’s because I prefer Strawberry Starburst over Strawberry Life Savers. The Life Savers version has a nice but standard strawberry flavor I’ve tasted in other strawberry beverages. It’s quite good, and if Starburst Strawberry ever goes away, I could keep an empty bottle around, fill it with the Life Savers version, and pretend nothing happened.

Next, pineapple.

To be honest, I don’t know if I’ve ever had a Pineapple Life Saver. Actually, I can’t remember the last time I popped any hard Life Savers candy into my mouth. Decades ago? Anyway, the pineapple drink has a lovely aroma and a quite tasty flavor for a zero-sugar sparkling water. It’s sweet, a little tart, and reminds me of the pineapple candy I used to eat as a kid, which I’m sure was not Pineapple Life Savers.

As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, it’s been a while since I’ve had Life Savers, but smelling and tasting the Wild Cherry brought back a flood of memories of what Cherry Life Savers tasted like. The beverage started with a sweet cherry flavor followed by a slight tartness. There were also times when I got a little fruit punch vibe. While not as wonderful as the previous two flavors, it’s still quite good, and re-purchasable.

Green Apple is a limited edition flavor, but I’d be fine with it joining the permanent lineup because it’s damn tasty. It nails the green apple candy flavor and the tartness associated with it. I don’t know if it’s because I don’t drink green apple beverages often enough for my taste buds to get bored with them, but they were genuinely excited about this sweet-and-tart flavor. They liked it as much as the Pineapple and Strawberry, and would recommend it if you’re into green apples.

So maybe it won’t be a big deal if the Sparkling Ice Starburst line goes away, because these Life Savers flavors made me feel just as refreshed and satisfied. But I don’t want to imagine what will happen if both lines get discontinued. So don’t do that to me, Sparkling Ice. Please. I love you.

Purchased Price: $1.49 each
Size: 17 fl oz bottles
Purchased at: Times Supermarket
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Strawberry), 8 out of 10 (Pineapple), 7 out of 10 (Wild Cherry), 8 out of 10 (Green Apple)
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 10 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

Other Things I Consumed — March 20, 2026

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Joyburst Gummy Bear Sparkles Protein Soda picked up at Target

Joyburst Gummy Bear Sparkles Protein Soda

For these posts, I just grab whatever looks mildly interesting off the shelf and put it into my shopping basket. I don’t notice details until I actually consume them. That’s the case with this protein soda. I was surprised it had only four grams of protein. I expected an explosion of protein that’ll help make my muscles explode, but nope, just an amount I can count on one hand. Maybe I’ve been spoiled with all the double-digit protein sodas and shakes I’ve been drinking recently.

It’s sweet and tart, but its nondescript fruitiness doesn’t bring gummy bears to mind. Doesn’t remind me of soft Albanese gummy bears or Haribo Goldbears that give my jaw a workout. It’s a decent-tasting, zero-sugar drink that has some grittiness from the added whey protein isolate. Oh, there’s also bovine collagen peptides that help with skin and joints. It’s not bad, but again, the amount of protein is underwhelming. But I guess four grams is better than zero. 6 out of 10

Red Bull Spring Edition Cherry Sakura Energy Drink

Red Bull Spring Edition Cherry Sakura Energy Drink picked up at Target

I wasn’t planning on picking this up because I’m pretty sure I had the Japanese version many years ago. But our reviewer Vin wrote in his review of the sugar-free version that it tasted like strawberry banana to him. The banana got my banana-senses tingling, so I purchased a can, but the regular version. And, yes, I also tasted strawberry banana. However, I also asked @lookatbradsjunk on Instagram what he thought of it, and he said it tasted like a slightly sour ICEE to him.

I didn’t taste any cherry. Or maybe my taste buds didn’t want to taste cherry and instead wanted to enjoy the strawberry banana. I love this flavor. 9 out of 10

PBICK Caramel Rusk

PBICK Caramel Rusk from CU

I know. I thought it said “PRICK” too. Anytoo, these are from a Korean convenience store called CU that has locations here in Hawaii. Now, salad eaters might be thinking, “Um, are those croutons?” Well, they look like croutons, but have a slightly denser crunch and, of course, they’re sweet. No, they’re not coated in gooey caramel. Instead, they have on one side a thin caramel layer that gives the crouton-looking snack a strong caramel sweetness.

I really liked the crunch and flavor of these. My wife thought they were too dry and bland. So I ended up eating the two bags she bought for us. I kind of regret not being adventurous by putting them on a salad. 8 out of 10

Barebells Berry Milk Drink

Barebells Berry Milk Drink, available at Target

I’ve had my share of Nesquik Strawberry Milk and a variety of strawberry milks from Japan, and this is definitely not as tasty as those. Of course, this has only two grams of sugar, so I shouldn’t expect something that smacks my taste buds with sweetness and berry flavor. There’s something kind of medicinal about the drink’s aftertaste, but that might be because of the artificial sweeteners—sucralose and acesulfame potassium.

I can somewhat look over its aftertaste because the ultra-filtered milk provides 24 grams of protein and 50 percent of my daily calcium intake in one can. Holy bone strengthening, Batman! ONE CAN! If only a particular gummy bear-flavored soda could provide that much protein. 5 out of 10

Nurri Chocolate Milk Shake and Mocha Milk Shake

Nutri Chocolate Milk Shake purchased at Target

Okay, 24 grams of protein, 50 percent of my daily calcium, and two grams of sugar is impressive, but these Nurri Milk Shakes have 30 grams of protein, 60 percent of my daily calcium, and one gram of sugar. Holy one upping, Batman!

Nutri Mocha Milk Shake at Target

But not only do they have higher protein and calcium levels and 1 gram less sugar, but they also taste much better than the previously mentioned milk drink. Like the Barebells product, these Nurri drinks use ultra-filtered milk to deliver more protein than regular milk. They also use the same artificial sweeteners, but they have a great chocolate flavor. But it still blows my mind how much protein and calcium they have. Also, the mocha one has the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. 8 out of 10

Monster Lando Norris Energy Drink Review

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Monster Lando Norris Energy Drink can

Do I know who Lando is?

Of course I know who Lando is.

He runs Cloud City on the planet Bespin, right? Hence, the clouds plastered all over the can. Besties with Han Solo and Chewbacca. Owned the Millennium Falcon. I know who Lando Norrissian is. I’m not sure why this Monster Energy can doesn’t have his full name. Maybe it’s like ScarJo in that using his full name would wrap around the can too much.

Is there a new Star Wars thing coming out? Oh, wait, what am I saying? There’s ALWAYS a new Star Wars thing coming out.

Hmmm. Maybe there’s an explanation for the shortened name on the side of the can.

“Multiple Formula 1 race winner Lando Norris…”

Oh.

It turns out it really is just Lando Norris, and he doesn’t run Cloud City. Instead, he runs laps in an F1 car at 230 miles per hour.

Much like my confusion with the only two Landos I know of, I’m genuinely confused about whether this is a pickle-flavored energy drink. I don’t smell it, and it’s not a mountain of pickle flavor; it’s more like a moledill of it. It starts with a distinct pickle flavor, then morphs into something more citrusy, with the pickle peeking in the background. It’s surprisingly good and not off-putting in the slightest.

Like Monster Ultra Energy Drinks, this Lando Norris flavor has zero sugar, but unlike the popular zero-calorie Ultra line, this has five calories. It also has slightly less caffeine at 145 milligrams, compared to Ultra’s 160. That’s not a complete dealbreaker, but I do loves me some caffeine, so I’m more inclined to reach for an Ultra.

Maybe I’m really only writing this review to find out if my taste buds are hallucinating — halluci-tasting, if you will. If you tried this and didn’t taste pickle, please let me know. And if you did, I hope all our taste buds aren’t halluci-tasting together.

Purchased Price: $3.75
Size: 16 fl oz can
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 5 calories, 0 grams of fat, 260 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, 2 grams of erythritol, 0 grams of protein, and 145 milligrams of caffeine.

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