Monster Energy

Product Type:Functional: Energy Drink: Diet; Container: 15.5 oz Can
BevNET Review: Here’s a drink that seems to pretty much touch on every trend that’s out there in the market today. The non-carbonated formula includes coconut water, superfruit extracts, energy drink ingredients, electrolytes, tea, sucralose, and is branded as a recovery drink. Fortunately, what’s inside the can is super enjoyable, with the classic half and half (that’s half lemonade and half iced tea) flavor good enough to compete with the low-cal segment of the tea category. Functionally, this product packs some energy kick, but also quenches your thirst – two characteristics that have often been hard to combine in a drinkable formula. And at 20 calories per can, this product can hold its own against the best of them in the diet energy category. Packaging is a 16 oz. can, which is what we’ve come to expect from Monster. The top of the can is glossy black, which gives it a nice point of differentiation from the lower end brands. The Monster claw and associated branding are easily identifiable, but it’s not overly clear that this is a tea-flavored product (you actually have to read). So, the design isn’t something that will win any awards, but it’s a well-executed extension to the brand. Overall, we found this product to be quite enjoyable, with unique flavor and functionality, and it's one of the better tasting diet formulations that we’ve seen. Reviewed on: 3/17/2011

Product Type:Functional: Recovery and Hangover; Container: 16 oz Can
BevNET Review: Rather than calling it “Rooibos” or “Red” tea (those wouldn’t fit with the way Monster does things), they’ve called this blend of red and black tea “Rojo.” And inside this can, there’s a fairly pleasant tasting blend of red and black tea, which has been enhanced with cranberry juice (for flavor), coconut water, and a host of energy ingredients. Our only issue with the formulation is the slight aftertaste, which appears to be from the added quercetin or other functional ingredients. Functionally, the product has electrolytes and energy as its primary benefits and it seems to deliver on both of these. Packaging is has the black base color that is typical of all Monster’s products and a reddish accent color has been used as well. This is definitely a good match for the product’s name and formulation. All in all, this is a well executed line extension to the Monster Rehab brand. Reviewed on: 12/28/2011

Product Type:Functional: Recovery and Hangover; Container: 16 oz Can
BevNET Review: The Protean + Energy variety of Monster Rehab is a very interesting product that has virtually every functional ingredient imaginable. The name, Protean, is a play on protein, both of which are in this drink (15g of protein and white and black teas). Some of the other ingredient highlights include coconut water, quercetin, acai extract, yerba mate, vitamins, amino acids, and caffeine. From a flavor perspective, it’s actually quite good, with a pleasant tasting tea flavor that has been sweetened and flavored with some sort of citrus flavoring. It’s sweetened with sugar and ace-k, which helps keep the calories to only 100 per can. The protein has no effect on the flavor, which is something that has been an issue for many protein drinks in the past. Packaging is easily recognizable as part of the Monster Energy lineup, but given how many products make up the Monster line, consumers will have to examine the can closely to figure out which variety this is. Overall, a very enjoyable addition to the lineup and it excels as both an energy and protein drink. Reviewed on: 12/28/2011

Product Type:Functional: Energy Drink: Diet; Container: 16 oz can
BevNET Review: Monster Energy’s “Absolutely Zero” is an energy drink that’s formulated with zero sugar and has zero calories. While this isn’t exactly a new concept, their approach to the formulation is slightly different, with a sweetener blend of erythritol, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium. The result is a product that has a sweetness level that is closer to sugar than other blends of artificial sweeteners – although only slightly closer. You can still taste the sweeteners and it’s easily identifiable as an artificially sweetened product. Otherwise, this product is very similar to the flagship Monster Energy product. It’s loaded with caffeine, taurine, ginseng, L-carnitine, glucuronolactone, inositol, guarana, and B vitamins. The flavor is sweet, but crisp, with a fair hit of energy and sweetener bite to the finish. On the outside, the can is easily identifiable as a Monster Energy product, with their trademark claw logo and type treatment. It doesn’t pop quite the same way as the classic black and green theme of the original, but it’s message is still clear: this is a zero calorie product. Overall, it’s a nice tasting product as far as mainstream diet energy drinks go, but it doesn’t seem to offer anything overly exciting that’s going to help lure in new consumers to the Monster brand. Reviewed on: 9/22/2010

Product Type:Functional: Energy Drink: Regular; Container: 16 fl oz (473ml) can
BevNET Review: Monster's latest addition is "Mixxd", a flavor claiming to be the result of mixing a bunch of their "back-up" flavors together. Really though, it's a 30% juice mixture that's heavy on grape flavor -- almost like they mixed grape juice (one of the ingredients) with an energy drink. The resulting flavor is actually quite pleasant and is definitely a nice break from all of the citrus and berry flavored energy drinks that are out there. The marketing of the drink isn't overly intuitive, especially since "Mixxd" doesn't really give you a sense of what's inside the can. Then again, it might appeal to seasoned energy drink consumer's curiosity a bit more than some of the other Monster drinks might at this point. Overall, a very nice addition to the Monster line.Reviewed on: 2/19/2008

Product Type:Functional: Energy Drink: Regular; Container: 16 fl oz (473 ml) can
BevNET Review: Monster's latest effort is M-80, an energy drink infused with 80% juice. It drinks a lot like Moster's Khaos, but with a slightly more pronounced juice flavor (Khaos has 70% juice). In addition, it has more of a tropical, almost pineapple like flavor to it. Finally, we like the color scheme and the M-80 name over that of Khaos -- but that's just our personal preference. Overall, a nice tasting addition to the lineup.Reviewed on: 8/17/2007

Product Type:Functional: Energy Drink: Regular; Container: 16 fl oz (473 ml) can
BevNET Review: Monster absolutely takes the lead in its search for an energy drink that doesn’t taste like a lab experiment. Khaos features a blend of several juices – the effect is sort of like a melted popsicle – that are thick enough to pass for a nectar drink; they do more than just effectively mask the flavor of the energy drink ingredients, they provide a pleasant peach-citrus flavor. By using Splenda and ace-K – only barely perceptible in the flavor mix – Monster also keeps the calories down to 90 per serving (there are two servings in the 16-oz. can). The orange and black “Halloween” colors on the can look a little better than your average energy drink; practically the only drawback is that the thickness of the drink might turn off teenage “energy drink athletes” – but on the flip side, we imagine the juice base has all kinds of on-premise (ahem) possibilities.Reviewed on: 9/12/2005

Product Type:Functional: Energy Drink: Regular; Container: 16 fl oz can
BevNET Review: Monster has been reformulated with an improved taste. Well, we did a side-by-side comparison of the new flavor and the old and we were quite impressed with the new taste. The new flavor is sweeter and the bitter/medicinal finish that we cited in the original formula is gone. This being said, we would definitely put Monster in the upper ranks of great tasting energy drinks. We are extremely happy that Monster made this change and think that it will improve their performance in the market. In addition, it's going to put increased pressure on other companies that still produce harsh tasting formulas.Reviewed on: 6/14/2005

Product Type:Functional: Energy Drink: Regular; Container: 16 fl oz can
BevNET Review: Assault is the latest addition to the Monster Energy Drink lineup. Encouraging consumers to "declare war on the ordinary", Assault comes in a distinct camoflauged package that is a first for the category. This dark-colored product has a noticeably more tart flavor than the other Monster varieties, but the base is similar to the original. Consumers that enjoy Monster will definitely enjoy this product. Assault's design is simply not as clean as the other Monster cans, and hopefully does not blend into the background of the cooler shelf. Ultimately, we prefer the original and sugar-free formulations over this one. Reviewed on: 1/4/2005

Product Type:Functional: Energy Drink: Regular; Container: 16 fl oz can
BevNET Review: Lo-Carb Monster definitely has some good things going for it. First of all, we think it's extremely wise of them to use the "Lo-Carb" tag line instead of "Diet" -- it sounds much more appealing. In addition, the can design is a good use of the original design -- but only time will tell if consumers will be confused as they are extremely similar. As for the flavor, the low-carb formulation is quite palatable and tastes better than a true sugar free. Obviously, this means that the product cannot be sold to those who cannot consume sugars -- but we still think it will be a hit with the calorie conscious consumer who would like a better tasting product. Reviewed on: 10/30/2003