Fancy a cola that will have you high as a kite? (Jolt CX2 Cola)

Member Name: edinburgher

Product:	Jolt CX2 Cola
Date:	11/04/09 (154 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tasty, large can, cool packaging, highly caffeinated

Disadvantages: A little dear, not very healthy

*Gives you a jolt*

Jolt Cola is famed for being highly caffeinated, delicious and just a bit different from the usual cola drinks that litter the shelves like so many samey marvels.

Unfortunately for us, they no longer produce any of their drinks in the UK, but they can be easily tracked down from a range of websites that sell North American 'soda' and ephemera - albeit at a price. As a confirmed fan of most things American, I was very pleased to discover that my lovely girlfriend had purchased me a crate of twelve cans of this wonder-cola (a selection of flavours) for my Christmas. It was like the boy nerd equivalent of a Lush selection for girls, so I was understandably pleased.

*Availability and cost*

Can occasionally be had from Cyber Candy (www.cybercandy.co.uk) or American Soda (www.americansoda.co.uk) - a website where I've grown to like the quick service and reliable no nonsense approach.

It's not particularly cheap - sorry! You'll pay about £14 for six hefty 16 oz cans (about half a litre), plus postage and packaging of £4.95. That said, it's possible to get a range of deals on it when they order too much etc. and if you bulk buy a selection of sweet treats the cost goes down.

*Packaging and shrinkage*

The drink comes in a very cool resealable can shaped like a battery.. It looks somewhat funky sitting on your shelf, in the fridge and gets the message across that this is a drink that will have you wide awake for hours. Sadly for you, they recently shrunk the can size - it used to be a ridiculously large drink of ~700 ml!

*Taste, effect and nutrition*

Like cause and effect, but more delicious.

Jolt CX2 Cola is an enjoyable beverage, with a very pleasing caramel taste, quite a lot of fizz and a smooth after taste. In my opinion it doesn't taste any sweeter than the leading brand, although it is slightly higher in calories. Not unlike some 'herbal' colas on the market, it has an interesting selection of tastes that linger on the tongue - a hint of aniseed being the most pronounced.

It contains double the caffeine of 'regular' cola and this, combined with the sources of sugar in the drink, will have you buzzing for a couple of hours. You won't feel so great if you chug the whole thing and then crash afterwards, so I recommend splitting it into two sittings (can reseals and is wholly airtight). If you're knackered it's a good option to set you up for the day. Please note, I don't advocate constant caffeine abuse, but most of us do it du temps en temps.

Can't really recommend this on its nutritional merits, as it contains high fructose corn syrup and other dietary nasties that aren't even used in food in the UK. That said, nobody ever bought a can of cola because they were on a health kick.

It gets four stars from me, as it's delicious, large, imaginatively packaged and highly caffeinated. I'm taking off a star because it's not cheap and it's pretty bad for you.

Summary: This interesting American cola is a good option if you're planning on staying up all night!