Review of King Cobra Malt Liquor
Posted By Ken Sunday, 08 February 2009 17:11
This came about from yet another trip by Zach and I to a liquor store together. The majority of malt liquors at this liquor store were already tried and reviewed, and we were both a little confused as to how we never tried this one for review. So we picked up a 40oz of it. Read on to see how it stacks up with the other malt liquors we have tried.
This story also has Zach's review. Click to check it out.
Ken's Review
Taste: B+ We well know from our experience with malts that the majority of them are pretty bad. King Cobra, however, was a bit of a surprise. It actually went down fairly smooth and left little aftertaste. What it did leave was not nearly as harsh as other malt liquors, but instead was more like a beer than a malt. Pretty shocking, but enjoyable, nonetheless.
Packaging: B+ Zach and I had a somewhat too lengthy of debate before trying King Cobra about the packaging. He pointed out how it was "Premium Malt Liquor". I kept telling him that we had had ones in the past that claimed this and they were complete shit. Hence the surprise when we tasted it. The packaging is a mainly black label with King Cobra in big letters, and a picture of the head of a King Cobra snake. Nothing too surprising, other than it's claim to being premium panning out.
Value: A- I think Zach paid somewhere in vicinity of $2.00 for this 40oz, which isn't terrible, but not necessarily a great deal either. The liquor store we bought it from is one that tends to be a little higher priced on stuff it shouldn't be. Other places you could probably find this under $2.00, and if you want a decent malt then it's well worth going for this one.
Drunkeness: B- King Cobra is a surprisingly low 6% alcohol content. I'm sure that this is a contributing factor to why it tastes so much more decent than other malts. After several swigs on this I could start to feel my head getting lighter. I don't know that I would necessarily use this as a tool to get trashed on, as it takes quite a few to get the same effect as higher alcohol malts, but I'm sure with the same "paying the price" effect the next morning.
Overall: B+ King Cobra had some surprises, especially in the taste department. I would rank this up there on the malt chain with my personal favorite of Magnum. It probably wouldn't take over the #1 ranking I currently have Magnum holding in my list of experienced malts, but it is pretty close. If you don't have much cash and want a decent way to get a good buzz going, I would recommend giving this a shot.
Zach's Review
Taste: B King Cobra actually has a decent taste and goes down fairly smooth. I was a bit surprised that the labeling was accurate for once. I suppose some of the reason for the taste is that it is an A-B product and maybe the figure the Cobra can go mainstream with their backing. Who knows, but it was a decent beverage.
Packaging: B The King Cobra packaging was slightly above average with an attractive black background and KING and COBRA really large below it. It does have a kick ass silhouette of a cobra ready to strike. I suppose this would be a little better if the Cobra struck you with some nasty ass taste or some obscene amount of alcohol. Of course, like with all malts, Cobra throws some really ballsy and completely unverifiable claims on the bottle. I think my personal favorite is "Naturally brewed from select ingredients for your drinking pleasure and complete satisfaction". Like anyone is going to return a 40 of this if they aren't satisfied. 40 drinkers generally aren't the types to do that kind of shit. On the plus side, it is right for once that it is Smooth Tasting.
Value: B I think Ken is right that I paid $2 for this 40. It isn't terribly high, especially since it has a decent taste, but you can easily get a 40 of something with an alcohol content well north of 6% for less. I guess it depends on if you want to have a little taste while you are sipping on your 40.
Drunkeness: C King Cobra really lets you down in this arena as it only delivers 6% which is pretty weak in the malt world. With a name like King Cobra, you expect at least 7 or 8%. Either way, it will get your drunk, but you might have to fork over another 2 bucks in the process and these days who wants to spend the extra coin.
Overall: B I think the King Cobra is a bit above average in the malt world given it's taste, but who really drinks malt for the flavor? At the end of the day, it is about getting plowed quickly and King Cobra can't really help you there unless you are a true champion of swilling. Although, if you are in the mood to just pass a 40 with some friends who need a gateway into the wonderful world of malt and maybe only want a bit of a buzz, King Cobra will do the trick.