Inked Chikara Energy Drink
Cost: $1.99 for 12 oz.
Active ingredients: Caffeine and taurine
Rating: 8 out of 10
Calories: 180

We went to our local 7-Eleven to check out what was new in the beverage vault and came across a new energy drink, Inked. The more we investigated, we found this to be 7-Eleven's latest private label energy drink. Based on what we observed and tasted, we think they have a winner.

Inked is packaged in the 12 oz. sleek can which has gained in popularity among beverage marketers. The graphics are attractive and eye-catching using tattoo-influenced images and mellow orange/yellow/black colors to create the appearance of a setting or rising sun. One component that had us scratching our heads was the fact that the entire label is bi-lingual, featuring English and Spanish, yet contained the word "Chikara", which is the Japanese word for power, capability, influence.

The flavor reminded us of Squirt (anyone remember Squirt...a soft drink that tasted like a sweetened carbonated grapefruit) which we like very much.

The energy kick was average. You will not be bouncing off the walls with jittery energy after consuming Inked, however you will feel an energy bump.

Inked stands up solidly on its own and would do well as a mixer with alcohol.

Web site: Inked

Posted by at December 7, 2007 1:38 PM