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.

Gatorade Lower Sugar Sports Drink Review

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Gatorade Lower Sugar Sports Drink Fruit Punch bottle

Is smashing a keyboard with my fingers a high-impact workout?

It sounds high-impact because when I hit my keys, it’s like I’m a Foley artist creating the footsteps of a centipede. Or I’m like Mozart doing Rondo alla Turca from Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331 — but on a keyboard, typing silly wordplay, the word “delicious” way too much, and classical music references that might be incorrect.

Does a keyboard jockey like me need electrolytes to replace those lost from heavy typing? It’s questionable whether I lost any. But if I did, I can now get them from Gatorade in a lower sugar form — 75% less sugar than regular Gatorade, to be exact.

Gatorade Lower Sugar Sports Drink Fruit Punch has a lighter color than other Gatorade Fruit Punch varieties

Gatorade Lower Sugar currently comes in four flavors — Fruit Punch, Lemonade, Rain Berry, and Glacier Cherry, because of course, there’s always a Glacier flavor. I ended up with Fruit Punch. They have no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or colors. And don’t get them confused with Gatorade Zero, Gatorade G2, Gatorade Fit, or whatever other lower or zero sugar varieties the Gatorade scientists have dreamed up over the years. Gatorade Lower Sugar is a new product that uses the sweetener combination du jour — sugar and stevia — which you’ve also seen recently in the Pepsi Prebiotic Colas.

Also, what’s the deal with the super self-explanatory name? No Gatorade LS. No Gatorade 3. It’s like no one had a good idea, so they just went literal and called it a day.

For this review, I felt compelled to compare it with the original Gatorade and the zero-sugar version — partly for science, and partly because my fingers probably need hydration from writing this. So I did a blind taste test, and it turns out I preferred Gatorade Lower Sugar over Gatorade Zero and regular Gatorade.

Gatorade Lower Sugar Sports Drink Fruit Punch next to regular Gatorade Fruit Punch and Gatorade Zero Fruit Punch

The original Gatorade Fruit Punch has a slightly thicker texture than the others, but its fruit punch flavor didn’t punch as hard and was surprisingly less sweet than I expected. Gatorade Zero had a thinner texture, but its fruit punch flavor hit harder, with a nice sweetness from the sucralose and acesulfame potassium. There’s a hint of artificial sweetener aftertaste, but it’s one I don’t mind.

Gatorade Lower Sugar stood out as my favorite of the three. Across multiple blind taste tests, it consistently tasted the best, and it’s genuinely difficult to tell it was sweetened with sugar and stevia. Without the regular Gatorade on hand for comparison, I could easily be convinced this was the original. The only characteristic that fell short of the other two was its color, but that’s simply the absence of artificial dyes.

Speaking of sugar and stevia — that combination was the sweetener du jour several years ago, too. Remember Pepsi True and Coca-Cola Life? Decent tasting colas that didn’t last, possibly because the stevia was noticeable enough to give them a slight bitterness. It seems PepsiCo has since figured out how to balance the two sweeteners, because whatever they’re doing here works.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to work up a sweat typing out these nutrition facts.

Purchased Price: $2.39
Size: 28 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (28 fl oz) 50 calories, 0 grams of fat, 380 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of carbohydrates, 11 grams of sugar (including 11 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.

Monster Voodoo Grape Energy Juice Review

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Monster Voodoo Grape Energy Juice can

Monster Voodoo Grape Energy Juice contains the following: white grape juice concentrate, apple juice concentrate, red grape juice concentrate, Concord grape juice concentrate, and plum juice concentrate. Despite that concentration of juice concentrates, the can says it consists of only six percent juice. However, I don’t need to concentrate much to notice its great grape flavor.

I’m not sure what the deal is with the whole “voodoo” theme, and I’m not going to concentrate at all on the relationship between grape and voodoo. I’ll let AI do that.

Okay, AI has told me that while voodoo and grape don’t have a direct relationship, the color purple and voodoo, um, doo. Purple is one of the three Mardi Gras colors — along with gold and green — and Mardi Gras has a deep relationship with New Orleans’ voodoo culture. Kevin Costner was in the movie JFK, which was set in New Orleans, and Kevin Bacon played a minor role in JFK. BOOM!

Oh, wait. We’re not playing Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. My bad.

Monster Voodoo Grape Energy Juice purple color

Voodoo Grape’s enticing aroma and delicious flavor are pretty straightforward. If you’ve had a grape soda in your life, or voided a Sodastream’s warranty by using it to pump carbon dioxide into grape juice, you have a pretty good idea of what this smells, tastes, and feels like. It has a bold grape flavor that makes my mouth feel like it just got punched in the face by the Fruit of the Looms red grapes. Its carbonation isn’t as strong as a Grape Crush, but there are plenty of bubbles to tickle your tongue.

While it’s a great tasting grape beverage and it gets my heart pumping with 160 milligrams of caffeine, I can’t say I’d choose it over Monster Energy’s other grape-flavored energy drink, Ultra Violet, if I’m standing in front of store coolers concentrating on what beverage I’m going to pick up to wake my tired body. Ultra Violet also has a great grape flavor and the same caffeine amount, but with no sugar and only ten calories, which is a pretty easy tiebreaker when choosing between two great options.

Also, Milla Jovovich was in a movie called Ultraviolet. She was also in Dazed and Confused. In that movie, Matthew McConaughey played David Wooderson and debuted his real-life catchphrase, “alright, alright, alright.” McConaughey was also in the film A Time to Kill with — that’s right — KEVIN BACON! BOOM!

Purchased Price: $3.75
Size: 16 fl oz can
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 150 calories, 0 grams of fat, 190 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 36 grams of sugar (includes 36 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 160 milligrams of caffeine.

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