Archer Farms Sugar-Free Grapefruit Energy Drink

For being virtually calorie-free, this beverage tastes really darn good. I've always liked the taste of grapefruit juice—and citrus sodas in general. This drink tastes like a combination of Wink, Squirt, or Fresca soda with a little bit of actual grapefruit juice thrown into the mix.

It's the same size as a traditional can of Red Bull energy drink (12oz). It has vitamins, caffeine, and ginseng—everything you'd want your energy drink to have, except maybe sugar. It was slightly cheaper than a traditional energy drink at our Target...I think something like $1.70.

I'm sure it's mostly psychological, but I always do feel more energized after consuming an energy drink. It's probably mostly from the vitamins, and I could probably get a similar feeling just from taking a multi-vitamin pill—but the combo of caffeine and vitamins really seems to get me going. Plus, I hate taking pills. I grew up taking dozens of pills at the insistence of my parents—mostly for reasons unknown to me. Some were prescription drugs, some were vitamins, and I didn't even know what some of the pills were. As an adult, however, I take as few as possible—which is to say, none, at least on a regular basis. And it's so freeing.

But now I'm enslaved to caffeine. I get headaches if I don't have some every day. I'm not a big coffee person, but I'll have it in a pinch. Otherwise, it's energy drinks or caffeinated soda—both of which are much worse for my body than coffee. However, the lack of high fructose corn syrup and sugar make this a better choice than most.

I would totally buy this as an alternative to other energy drinks on a regular basis if the price would come down just a little bit more. I usually choose Rockstar or Monster brand energy drinks because they cost the same as a Red Bull, but you get twice as much. I particularly like the energy drink/fruit juice hybrid drinks like Monster Khaos because they're often up to 50% actual fruit juice. They have fewer calories and they taste just as good.

The effect is nice, the taste is good, but $1.70 is still too much to pay for 12oz of a drink.

I give this product 7 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Lobster & Cheese Bites

I have that terrible song about McDonald's Fish McBites stuck in my head. "Fish fish McBites, McBites, fish fish McBites, McBites. They're fish-ay fish-ay!" In general, I always understood it to be a bad thing for something to taste "fishy," even if it is a seafood product. So to declare that "they're fish-ay fish-ay" is to declare that they're a little on the funky side. That's one of the main reasons I haven't tried them and probably won't.

These Lobster Bites, on the other hand, are very low on the fishiness scale—but still, perhaps just a tad fishier than the previously reviewed Crab Rangoon, a product which is still tied for the highest score on this blog ever. Now, I'm also a fan of these Lobster Bites, but they do come with a hefty price tag: in the ballpark of $7 for 10 bite-sized spheres. However, a wise man once told me, "Beware of discount seafood." You don't want to go cheap when you're dealing with lobster. I was horrified when I saw that Au Bon Pain offered a Lobster Roll for $13. But apparently, many people think you should actually spend more than $13 for a Lobster Salad Sandwich and get a "real" one from a mom and pop's local store instead. Since I avoid $15 sandwiches just on principle alone, I'll have to stick to store-brand, lobster-based appetizers for now.

And I have to say, they're good. The breading, size, and overall texture of these bites reminds me a bit of Trader Joe's Arancini Bites, but the insides taste like lobster and cream cheese rather than fontina cheese and rice. Each ball had leaked a significant portion of its contents onto the baking sheet by the time they came out of the oven, but the oozed-out portion was thick enough to be scooped up easily with a fork.

As was the case with the Crab Rangoon, I think these appetizers could pass for restaurant-quality. In light of that statement, the $7 you pay for them doesn't seem so unreasonable, considering you'd pay nearly twice that at a fine dining establishment. So if you want to impress some guests or throw some pseudo-chichi party at your house, keep these Lobster Bites in mind. But all things considered, I'd still say the Crab Rangoon is a slightly better buy.

I give these Lobster Bites 8 out of 10 stars.