I don't know what the hype about the taste is, but I actually like it! It tastes like bananas (not sure if they've changed the flavor since)
Having said that, I definitely think this is better than NOXPLODE. With NOXPLODE i felt jittery, nauseated, and sometimes had a headache while on it. Shotgun gave me none of that. I had great pumps and energy without all the bad side effects. Just started taking this with Scifit Ecdysterone as well and having good pumps/results so far.. I am extremely sore after my workout since using NO SHOTGUN, something i hardly felt before.