Monster Energy Drink Review

Today's beverage of choice is the Monster Energy drink. The first thing I noticed is that the can is extremely large. A quick check on the back shows that this is really two servings, so you can get double the taurine in one package. The whole can is 16 oz, almost double the standard Red Bull or Amp can. Although Monster has quite the edgy look, the drink is produced by wholesome, all natural beverage maker, Hansens.

Monster goes with black and green hard core graphics. The M though supposed to be scary is kind of appealing. One cool feature on the can is on the pop tab at the top, where it has a little M punched out of the tab.

When I open the cap, the familiar bubble gum smell wafts up very strongly. It's not a pleasant way to begin thinking about downing this whole can. I'm surprised when I check out the color, I'm expecting an unnatural green but instead it looks basically the same as a light lager without the head. In comparison to the Amp the monster is much, much sweeter. It's also cleaner with no bitter aftertaste and much less of a sour bite. However, the bubble gum flavor is very strong. It literally tastes like bubble gum ice cream with the barest hint of citrus. There's almost a slight pear taste combined with some minerality. Monster seems to my palate to be more carbonated than Amp. It's definitely not the tastiest drink I've ever had but I could see making my way through the whole can. It's really tastes much better than Amp and that's coming from someone who likes Mountain Dew.

Monster doesn't screw around, taurine is ingredient number 6. I also like the fact that they don't use that cheap corn syrup crap and instead use real sugar - glucose and sucrose. Like Amp they use ginseng, caffeine, B vitamins, maltodextrin and guarana. They also add L-Carnitine, an amino acid that metabolizes fat. I don't think this is going to help you lose weight anytime soon, but maybe it'll burn a little fat and give you more energy. The increased sweetness comes from having sucralose (splenda) in it. Some don't like sucralose because it's basically sugar with a chlorine atom attached and chlorine is poison. If drinking a substance with your pool cleaner in it bothers you then watch out for Monster and a host of diet soft drinks.

The kick from this is pretty intense. It may have something to do with drinking the full two servings. I definitely suggest drinking this near a bathroom since my bladder feels like its going to burst. But I have some serious shakes going on and my alertness is heightened. I anticipate I'm going to have problems falling asleep tonight.