I actually saved the citrus Bomba for last out of the five flavors that were available at my local Big Lots, because it was the one I had the most hope for. Citrus is one of my favorite flavors, and also broad enough in scope that it can cover a wide range of fruits and tastes, from lemon, to lime, to oranges, and a ton more in between. Given the relative deliciousness of Bomba’s other flavors (the only one I really didn’t like was the coconut), my mind raced with the possibilities of where it would land in the “citrus” spectrum.
Instead, it settles for a flavor that is almost exact to the “classic” flavor, which is itself just a standard flavor for all “regular” energy drinks. Seriously, there’s very little to differentiate between the two once it hits your tastebuds…my wife probably explained it best by saying that it tastes like a “sugar free” energy drink, one that is slightly different and maybe slightly smoother, but otherwise so similar to the classic, that there’s no reason for both of them to exist. Only it’s not sugar free, instead loaded with the same amount of sugar (28g) as all of the other varieties.
At the end of the day, this was by far the most disappointing of all of them. Coconut is technically worse to me, at least flavorwise, but I don’t like coconut, so I wasn’t expecting to get much out of that flavor. By saving this one for last, I was hyping it up to be the best of the bunch. It would be one thing for it to be bad, but for it to be so completely un-citrus and so similar to another flavor just makes it that much worse. No thanks.
Overall: 3/10. The flavor in this one isn’t bad on its own, but it’s nowhere near a citrus, and it tastes almost exactly like the “classic” version. In other words, there is absolutely no reason for this to exist. If this is the only kind you stumble on, and you really want to give Bomba a shot, then that’s about the only scenario where I can recommend picking this one up—otherwise, just grab the “classic” and call it a day.
One thing I never liked about energy drinks was the bad after taste they leave. Granted I'm fairly certain this is caused by the "fake sugars" they contain, it's almost guaranteed with most of these "cheap-o" brands. That said, I have yet to try the big brands like Red Bull & Monster and I probably never will. I also believe the extra kick of caffeine comes from more of a psychological standpoint then anything else, maybe that comes from having a very unhealthy soda addiction in my teens, which I've managed to cut out of my life by substituting in water or black coffee.
Many of them do, but I didn't find that to be the case with Bomba. This is probably because they contain real sugar instead of corn syrup or any number of the fake sugars you mentioned.
And since I don't drink coffee, energy drinks are my main source of energy, especially since I have to be at work anywhere between 5:30 and 6 a.m., depending on the day!
No contest but I've got you beat on that, My work day starts at 4 a.m., and it's not uncommon for me to work til 5 p.m. or later. Hence the reason for my recent interest in energy drinks, coffee will likely be my go-to however.
Ouch, that IS brutal! The hours are the main reason I stick with the job I have: go in early and I'm out and home by 3 p.m. just about every day, with no weekends. Those hours are especially nice now that we have the little man…gives me plenty of time to see him and opens the door for my wife to work evenings (and weekends).
I haven't posted them yet, but one thing you might want to look into are the Red Thunder Extra Strength Energy Shots from Aldi. I reviewed one of the regular strength ones a while back, but the extra strength ones are newer, work very well (230 mg of caffeine per shot), and are the same price as regular ($.69). I would honestly consider that to be the best deal in energy.