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Welcome to Caffeine Shark's inaugural Top 5 Energy Drinks post, which we will be putting out every year moving forward. 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 top energy drinks for 2021 with #5.
Shark Score: 91/100
Matt's thoughts: "Rockstar Juiced Island-Mango is an excellent drink. It manages to be unique, both in design and taste. Its tropical aesthetic feels more genuine with a juice flavor profile that tastes more like the actual fruit than artificial flavors. The flavor is complex with a mixture of sweet and tart. The complex flavor is contained in a striking can design that pleases the eye. Rockstar has a winning combination that everyone should try, especially on or near a beach."
Shark Score: 92/100
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.
Shark Score: 93/100
Cameron's Thoughts: Bucked Up Energy Blood Raz is a great energy drink that could easily be a 10 out of 10 with a few small improvements. If they make a better can and increase the carbonation slightly, I would always be #BuckedUp. 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: 93/100
Jared's Thoughts: Taste is honestly excellent *chefs kiss*. For the record I’m a sucker for acai, but this is the perfect amount of sweet and bitter, with neither being overpowering. I’m usually a simple flavor guy (e.g. Monster Zero Ultra, Uptime Original Citrus) since I feel like strong flavors reduce re-drinkability. THIS IS DIFFERENT THOUGH. I highly recommend if you’re into berry flavor that’s not too sweet.
Shark Score: 93/100
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.