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2022 is upon us, and among other things, the new year brings new COVID variants, new energy drinks, and a another reason to create a "Best of" list.
The editorial staff of Caffeine Shark is back like we never left, with our second ever Top 5 Energy Drinks post - which we're renaming to "Best Energy Drinks" (don't worry, it'll still be top 5). Read our inaugural post here to see which drinks moved up, which drinks dropped, and which drinks didn't make the cut at all.
If you're not already familiar with our site, then welcome! Read more about what we do and how the composite Shark Score is calculated.
If you don't like the rankings you see here, feel free to call me out on Twitter. Or, hear me out, click on the drink name in this article and submit a review - it counts towards the overall Shark Score! For any ties in Shark Score, the tiebreaker will be the average taste rating by the Sharks.
With all of that said, let's get into the best energy drinks for 2022, kicking things off with #1.
Shark Score: 94
Jared's Thoughts: C4 has the best first sips, I swear. I legitimately took a 10 minute break from drinking it after the first couple sips to see if the allure would wear off - but nope! Still great.
I'm a sucker for the true, black cherry flavor and C4 nailed it with this one. Midnight cherry was more of the traditional cherry flavor. It most reminds me of Cherries Jubilee or Black Cherry ice cream.
200 mg of caffeine and the patented energy+focus energy blend from C4. It got me wired pretty much immediately.
Shark Score: 93
Jared's Thoughts: Wow, just wow. At this point in my energy drink “career” I’m rarely blown away by taste, but consider me blown (away). I was expecting the bitterness that’s present in pretty much every Red Bull, but Arctic Berry is strictly sweet and incredibly smooth. It’s light and refreshing. Maybe I’m just a sucker for the advertising but I could absolutely see myself drinking this as a treat in between snowboarding runs on the mountain. But seriously, guys, the taste here is amazing; it’s raspberry flavored with just the right amount of sweetness. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but I don’t know what would make it better.
Shark Score: 93
Matt's Thoughts: Acai Berry is the best Adrenaline Shoc drink I've had thus far... and it's not close. Forget Adrenaline Shoc, this is one of the best energy drinks period. The berry flavored sweetness combines with the usual tartness from the bland to create a smooth flavor. I'd love to see Adrenaline Shoc tone down their tartness a tad so that it matches up well with their other flavors. Acai Berry should be the perfect template for the refinement of their other flavors. I am quite impressed with this product, congratulations are in order for the Adrenaline Shoc team.
Shark Score: 93
Cameron's Thoughts: This is a great chaser and party drink. It also lacks the bitter aftertaste many other 300mg beverages possess, which is yet another upside to Bucked Up Blood Raz. If you are trying to wake up, once again, the kick is extremely high and will do the job.
Bucked Up Energy Blood Raz is a great energy drink that could easily be a 10 out of 10 with a few small improvements. With a great caffeine content, flavor, and the right amount of sweetener, Bucked Up Energy Blood Raz is one of the most underrated drinks in the business.
Shark Score: 92
Matt's Thoughts: Uptime Original Citrus Sugar Free tastes like soda from the fountain that just got reloaded with syrup. It's that good. Honestly, it tastes similar to Sprite, which is a good thing in my opinion. The one condition is that Uptime must be consumed when cold. Similarly to beer, it hits differently when cold. The colder the better.
Additionally, I have noticed a distinct spike in energy and a certain indescribable feeling with this drink, which is uncommon for me. Uptime is unlike anything else I've had thus far.