Full Throttle Original

Name: Full Throttle Original
Brand: Full Throttle

Enjoyable · A solid grab.

Ranked #150 of 261 drinks · #2 of 2 Full Throttle

2 Shark reviews · 0 reader reviews

160 mgCaffeine

16 ozCan size

10mg per oz · Strong

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The Sharks’ verdict

Average of 2 Shark reviews. Each category is scored 0–10; Overall is its own call, not an average.

Look8.4/10

Taste7.5/10

Kick5.8/10

Overall7/10

CamReviewed Nov 30, 2020

7/10

“Great taste for a citrus beverage, but pure citrus is an overused flavor. Average amount of caffeine and smooth mouth feel make it a solid energy drink, but there are superior beverages out there.”

Look8.1

Taste7.1

Kick4

Overall7

Read Cam’s full review

Introduction

Full Throttle is a drink I used to have very frequently in high school. It brings back those nostalgic feelings of the first energy drinks I ever had excessively. Then in college, they were cheap and widely available, so I would have them every Friday and Saturday night before going out as a young freshman. Now that I am older with a more refined palette for energy drink quality, I can see how Full Throttle is just an above average drink. I gave it a 7/10 because it is one of the better pure citrus flavors out there. That being said, citrus by itself is not an optimal flavor because it is not special or unique in any way. Full Throttle is a solid energy drink, but it is not as special as I once thought.

Upside

The main upside is that if you like citrus, you will love the original Full Throttle. It has 55g of sugar, so there is no need for artificial sweetener. This leaves it with a sweet citrus aftertaste that is superior to most of the artificial citrus beverages. I also really enjoy the mouth feel. It has the perfect amount of carbonation that makes it feel like an energy drink, but still quite smooth. Also, the Full Throttle logo is bold and one of my favorites across a pure black background. There are no colors to make it overly flashy, but it still always stands out from the other brands to me.

Downside

55g of sugar means there are 230 Calories in Full Throttle (220 of them from the sugar itself). Most Full throttle flavors (14 of them) have actually been discontinued, so you will probably never see new Full Throttle flavors unless they miraculously start being produced again by Monster. This is not a downside to the original Full Throttle beverage itself, but the original review seemed like the right place to mention this. Besides the sugar, the only downside is that the caffeine is at 160mg per can (10/floz), which makes the kick sub-par compared to many other energy drinks. Its ubiquitous citrus flavor along with a below average kick limit the original Full Throttle from being anything more than a 7/10.

Upshot

For a citrus beverage, the taste is fantastic. That being said, pure citrus is too common of an energy drink flavor to be exciting to me. There is an average amount of caffeine and a smooth mouth feel, so all these variables combine to create a 7/10 energy drink. I used to think the original Full Throttle was fantastic until I started reviewing far superior energy drinks. It is still a solid beverage, but there are better energy drinks out there.

MattReviewed Nov 23, 2020

7.1/10

“if the health aspects of your energy drink don't concern you, this is a tasty and well designed product”

Look8.7

Taste7.9

Kick7.6

Overall7.1

Read Matt’s full review

Appearance

The color scheme, huge graphic, and mantra that dominate the label make Full Throttle look like it is paraphernalia obtained from a biker gang. That's probably not too far off from what the company is going for. It evokes a blue-collar type of energy, with grit and determination, the opposite of the wacky flavors that Bang creates. Imagery aside, the can perfectly balances drama with simplicity. There is detail when necessary, but the graphics also don't try to fill every inch of the can. It's a clean, appealing can that also communicates its message well.

Taste

The Original is a citrus flavor, and has many flavor qualities that align with what you'd expect. I'd peg it most similarly to Mountain Dew, although admittedly, I have not had one in recent years. It has a stronger citrus flavor than Sprite, which is more refreshing and carbonated, as opposed to syrupy. Full Throttle has the classic sticky, sweet qualities akin to the soda fountain syrup. That is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if taste and sweetness are high on your list.

Kick

Full Throttle has 160mg of caffeine, approximately two cups of coffee. It's a respectable amount, as 160mg is a sweet spot for many consumers. Being the Original, 160mg is a fairly high amount, as I believe the growing crop of 300mg drinks is a more recent trend.

Overall

Full Throttle marries a clean design and well communicated brand image, with a sweet drink. Where it falls short for me is nutrition. 55 grams of sugar in a 16 fluid ounce drink is excessive, and by associating, brings 57g of carbohydrates with it. Those numbers, combined with high fructose corn syrup, are worth noting even for the least health conscious of energy drink consumers. I find that all of those qualities are too much for me to actively seek out the product. That said, if the health aspects of your energy drink don't concern you, this is a tasty and well designed product.

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