Student gets a monster rush from energy drinks
Dustin Smith knows a thing or two about monsters, red bulls and rock stars.
Everyone needs an energy boost at some point in their college career. And Smith, a Grand Blanc graduate student, might be able to offer advice on which energy drink works the best to get an energy fix.
He has tried more than 365 different energy drinks and shows no sign of stopping.
Smith began experimenting with various energy drinks at the end of his sophomore year in 2006. Soon after, he started work on his undergraduate and masters degrees and founding an RSO.
“I was putting on an extreme juggling act and energy drinks helped me do everything,” Smith said.
The next thing he knew, it became hobby and obsession to taste and collect various different energy drinks.
Energetic
Smith said he keeps trying different energy drinks because it is part of his persistent personality.
“Everything that I am interested in during my life, I pursue until the end,” he said. “I love energy drinks and the only way for me to pursue them all the way is to keep trying and collecting different kinds.”
Smith began writing a blog in January to review drinks for energyfiend.com, a popular energy drink Web site. As the energy drink reviewer, he is sent two to three packages of about 20 cans of different energy drinks each week.
“At first, I thought it was a little weird but, now, I think it’s cool because he gets a lot of free stuff through his blog and he really enjoys his creative writing with them,” said Smith’s girlfriend and Marine City junior Cheryl Vandenbossche.
The best?
Smith said throughout his energy drink taste-testing career, he thinks the best all-around energy drink is Rockstar Punched Citrus and the worst are the Vitamin Water energy drinks. He also is surprised how many students are walking around with Red Bull which, he said, does not even taste good.
Though for some the constant sugar rush of an energy drink might be a little overwhelming, Smith said he does not think he will stop and Vandenbossche said she could not see it happening.
“I don’t think he will ever stop, because there will always be more energy drinks to try and more to add to his collection,” Vandenbossche said.
