Ah Monster – how well we all know and love you… Next to Red Bull, you are the forefather of the energy drink line, and have brought us such innovation that you defines what an energy drink could be. On one side of the hemisphere, there is Red Bull – a sour strong drink that is supposed to be good for you, and is filled with promises of vitality, alertness and strength. On the other side is Monster, a sweet sticky candy of an energy drink, more related to pop than some new weird drink from Austria. Energy drinks did not have to be serious, but could be whimsical and well. And sometimes we don’t want to worry about our health and our nutrition, we just want something to look cool and taste good when it gets mixed with bad vodka or rum.

This sweet citrus drink has gotten much better since it’s original debut in 2002. It used to taste like a straight rip off from the only other competition back then. Since then it has grown, and become its own sweet tart of a gem. If you have never picked up an energy drink before, this would be a great beginner drink. Lots of the soda your taste buds are probably used to, but a ton more caffeine than you can get from a Pepsi.

Taste:7
This stuff the first ones to come out tasting like candy, rather than a health beverage. They were fun, easy to chug and filled you with caffeine quickly. IT has gotten less syrupy over the years, losing the high fructose corn syrup taste and it getting replaced by a more fruity and lemony flavor. Energy this reviewers summed it up stating “When it’s extra-cold, it goes down pretty smoothly, when it’s not, it’s like chugging maple syrup”

Buzz/nutrition:7
There is a good amount of caffeine in here, about 140mg per 16oz can. While not tremendous, it is certainly enough to get you moving , especially if you down the can quickly, as people are apt to d0.. I appreciate the use of Fructose Glucose syrup, as opposed to High Fructose Corn syrup, but there is much more room for improvement, and with 200 calories a can, this has more empty calories than mostly every other brand name soda. If you are going to drink this, at least switch to the lo-carb kind and leave out all that sugar. There is the very usual L carnatine, B vitamins and 2000mg taurine packed in here – but nobody is fooled – monster is not about being healthy – it is completely about the design of the can and the sweetness within.

Packaging:8
Monster has become an unmistakable brand, standing out from all the others with their big ripped M slashing through the front. That big green “M” could not be any cooler. Now as for the rest of the can, this was also one of the first ones to cement that advertising the caffeine in your drink is not cool – better to hide it and have it be part of a “proprietary blend” instead.