Rip It Tribute C.Y.P.-X

Introduction

Matt got me this can from the bodega by our townhouse, and his track record is pretty spotty so I’m honestly a little scared. I’ve definitely tried rip it, but it was so long ago that it seems like a previous life.

Appearance

Low effort can IMO, but I guess credit to them for ripping off the Arizona Tea schtick with .99c up top. Pours out orange with low to medium carbonation.

Taste

Taste is bad - probably the worst I’ve had since Bang Birthday Cake Bash. I’ll give it 3 points for being able to finish it, but that’s where the flavor for this drink stops. It tastes vaguely like orange, but in the worst possible way. It’s bitter, but not like in a cool black coffee or IPA type of way. It just tastes like butt - but again, not in the good kind of way.

Kick

It has 160mg of caffeine per can, so not bad. Good luck getting past the taste to get to the kick though.

Conclusion

Don’t let the .99c marketing fool you - this is not a delicious beverage like Arizona. If you seriously enjoy this flavor, you might be a serial killer.

Introduction

How Rip It is still in business is beyond me. How they can release trash after trash energy drink and still continue to come out with new energy drinks makes no sense. Their website currently says “Re-Energizzed” across the home page with no further context, and I honestly don’t know how to feel about that. It would explain why their drinks taste so weird, but I digress. Rip It Tribute C.Y.P.-X not only has a stupid name, but it actually has an unrecognizable taste as well. It’s as if they squeezed half of a rotting orange into a vat of corn syrup and said, “Yeah, that’s the stuff.” I bought this once reluctantly, and highly regret that purchase already.

Upside

I guess the upside is that there is some semblance of an orange flavor. It isn’t all a vague artificial taste. Seriously though, if you are reading this and enjoy this beverage, please reach out to us and explain why.

Downside

The can appearance is fine at best, and that is the most redeeming part of this beverage. It is the most artificial drink I may have ever had, aside from other Rip Its of course, and has a poor orange flavor that is mostly masked by their obscenely strong-tasting energy drink formula.

Upshot

Do yourself a favor. Go to our drink reviews page, sort by Shark Score, and get yourself something nice. Just writing this review left a bad taste in my mouth. Rip it Tribute C.Y.P.-X has no redeeming qualities, and I do not understand why the company continues to exist or ever even took off in the first place.

Appearance

The digital camo pattern make sense, as the the brand supports the US Military. That's cool and all, but does not mean it looks good. The shades of orange somewhat align with flavor, although the orange and burgundy mix in the camo is kind of off-putting. The font for the flavor name sticks to the theme, appearing like it's fresh out of the military surplus store. The most intriguing aspect of the can design is that 99 cents is printed several times around the top part of the label. I suppose gas stations and convenience stores that carry this drink will have no choice but to charge that much. It's an interesting ploy, but doesn't really inspire value on top of a can that already looks chintzy.

Taste

Tribute C.Y.P.-X, which is a nonsensical flavor name, tastes like cream soda. Not just any cream soda, but the generic brand that a grocery store makes ripping off of a name brand. I enjoy a good cream soda but this drink just isn't that. It does taste approximately like a cream soda with hints of orange, albeit combined in a syrupy liquid. I don't know exactly what high fructose corn syrup tastes like but if I had to guess, I'd pick this drink as my best entry. The combination of bad taste and weird texture left me struggling to finish the drink. Spoiler alert, I ended up pouring out the remainder.

Kick

Despite the tough military aesthetic, this drink only has 80mg of caffeine. 80mg of caffeine is slightly less than a typical cup of coffee. That doesn't bother me in the slightest but may turn away some more addicted consumers.

Overall

The can has 99 cents printed on it and I feel that the price is indicative of what you get. The brand tries to capitalize on its support for the US military, but with this drink it almost does a disservice. The excessively syrupy flavor doesn't taste good and lacks any redeeming healthy qualities. The packaging isn't especially sharp looking either. The flavor name is Tribute C.Y.P.-X, which is explained on the website as "you don't need to know what is stands for." The icing on the cake was the bizarre translucent orange color of the liquid when I poured it out.