Friday, December 10, 2010

Monster

 Name: Monster
Size: 16 oz.
Energy blend: Caffeine, L-Carnitine, Guarana, Inositol, Glucoronolactone, Maltodextrin, B Vitamins

Monster is an extremely popular energy drink and it's safe to say that a lot of people have already tried this. They're well known for sponsoring action sport events, and being loved by kids and teenagers that drink them because everyone else does. They've been around for a long time, but didn't seem to become really popular until 2007 or so. Popular athletes like Rob Dyrdek are sponsored by Monster, and their logo is one that seems to really get stuck in your head.


Can/Design:

Monster's can is a great example of how something minimalistic and basic can really brand a product well. The design doesn't go overboard with information or anything, and it's black and green color scheme is probably instantly recognizable to just about anyone. There's not much to complain about, and if there were, it would be pretty useless considering people will continue to buy this drink anyway. It features a green pull-tab on top of the can, and contains the liquid inside quite nicely.


Taste:

Monster's taste is pretty well-known, and has been copied several times over by several generic energy drinks out there. It's a hard-to-describe taste, and if it's your first time drinking one, expect a sour, vanilla, explosion that you can't quite describe. For people that drink a lot of energy drinks like me, it's common knowledge that an ice cold Monster and a warm Monster are like two completely different drinks. When Monster is warm, it's thick and syrupy like expired soda but when it's cold it goes down pretty smooth. If you've ever had NOS energy, Monster is somewhat similar in how strong its flavor is. People tend to either love Monster's taste, or not be able to stand it at all.

Energy:

Monster's energy blend contains 2500 mg overall. It has L-Carnitine, Caffeine, Guarana, Inositol, Glucoronolactone and Maltodextrin. Anybody that drinks a lot of energy drinks is probably familiar with those ingredients, but unfortunately the can doesn't list how much of each is in the drink. Still, 2500 mg isn't a bad number, and from personal experience I can say that Monster provides a nice energy buzz that will definitely be felt by the casual consumer. The energy typically lasts for 3+ hours, and isn't anything extremely ridiculous. But, it definitely works and I doubt that someone could drink a Monster for the first time and say that they didn't feel a lift in energy.

The original Monster comes in sizes ranging from 8 oz. to 32 oz., with the most common size and subject of this review being its 16 oz. size. If you haven't had Monster, I definitely recommend trying it just for the sake of saying that you have. Despite the huge amount of products that Monster has released since this drink, I would say that this drink is popular for good reason.