NOS Sonic Sour

Introduction

As much as I like NOS, my love for Monster Zero Ultra has drawn me away recently. Time to get back to my roots - albeit with a brand new flavor. Super excited to try NOS Sonic Sour.

Appearance

Cool logo, above average can.

Taste

Taste is sour green apple, which I feel like is a thin line to walk. There’s a high risk, in my opinion, of making it either too sweet or too sour. NOS Sonic Sour walks this line. It’s close to being too sweet, but I think they nailed the balance. Imagine squeezing the juice out of a green jolly rancher and you get this drink.

Kick

As a true Caffeine Shark, I rarely get a “kick” or caffeine rush that I used to get from standard, 160mg energy drinks. Which makes it even more impressive that NOS Sonic Sour gave me a noticeable rush. I felt wired for about 3 hours of gaming with no negative effects.

Conclusion

If you like anything green apple, I think you’ll like this drink. It’s not too sweet, not too sour, and goes down smooth with a nice kick. My only hesitation is that I wouldn’t drink this multiple days in a row, for example, because it’s such a strong, specific flavor. But as a change of pace drink I highly recommend it.

Introduction

Everyone who knows me knows that NOS is my drink of choice when needing to focus on something, but NOS Sonic Sour highly detracts from my ability to do so. One of the main strengths of NOS is its “redrinkability,” or the desire to drink repeatedly occasion after occasion with equal enjoyment. I have consumed dozens (honestly closer to the 150-200 range) of NOS Originals in my life because it always does the job without growing old. The difference with NOS Sonic Sour is that it distracts you upon every sip. Its sour taste reminds me too much of Smirnoff Apple, and temporarily distracts me from what I am trying to accomplish. I would not use it in a party setting because it is too sour to enjoy drinking quickly, and it does not have the energy content of some others that I would use when trying to get an extra kick or keep me awake and alert at night.

Upside

If you like caffeine and sour drinks that taste like Smirnoff Apple, you will love NOS Sonic Sour. It lives up to its name by being sour and has 160mg/can (10mg/floz) of caffeine, which is in line with most other standard energy drinks such as Monster and Red Bull.

Downside

If you do not like sour beverages, you will not like NOS Sonic Sour. Taste is the focal point of this entire review since I love NOS, but I am not as big a fan of this particular flavor. I will point out that it is probably the best vodka mixer (if you are over 21) of all the NOS beverages, but caffeine and alcohol mixed is not something I can recommend for anyone to try. There is really not much else to say about the taste. Just buy a different flavor if you know you do not like it. I personally like this taste every once in a while, but it lacks redrinkability to me that other NOS flavors possess.

Upshot

The upshot is if you like sour apple flavors, you will probably love NOS Sonic Sour. If you do not like this flavor, just choose a different one. I review every NOS flavor (and energy drink for that matter), so if you want a different recommendation, you can read my thoughts on every one of them. I rated it an overall of 5.6/10 because while I enjoy it on occasion, I would not target this flavor for any specific occurrence. It also has a low redrinkability factor, so I would never buy it in bulk. While I love NOS, NOS Sonic Sour would not be my flavor of choice.

Appearance

The bright green can with huge text written everywhere seems like more of an advertisement than a beverage container, but then again this is NOS we're talking about. The drink itself is green as well, both fitting for the in-your-face attitude this product brings.

Taste

Have you ever had a green Jolly Rancher? NOS Sonic Sour tastes like 40 green Jolly Ranchers in liquid concentrate form. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't tasty; however it is aggressively sweet.

Kick

There was not a strong kick. Perhaps it was the sweetness, but I did not feel an immediate kick to the drink. The bold font on the can proclaims "enhanced mental focus" but I cannot say I felt any such effect.

Overall

If you want your energy drink to look and taste like candy, this drink is for you. That is where this drink both succeeds and falls short. The billboard appearance and sugary flavor isn't for everyone, but certainly could appease some crowds.