COMPANY: Monster Beverage Company
CAN DESIGN: Unmistakable. Stands out in the crowd of Energy Drinks. That big green "M" is a perfect logo and the word "Monster Energy" is easily readable below it. The can also boasts it's website which is what Sobe is often missing.
CAN DETAILS: 16 FL OZ, Calories 100
PRICE: 2.19 at Safeway
WEBSITE: MonsterArmy.com (but this site may not be functioning, read on). Their pitch on the can is "Join the Army" with a bio of one of their ranking members (on my can it was a motocross rider). This is what I'm talking about when it comes to using a website on the can. Unfortunately when I typed it in I got a DNS error. But I went over to Google and perused their cached version of the site. It has an army design but then has you go sign up as a member at some other site--huh? All the links on this home page take you to Sponsorhouse.com. What the hell is this? Obviously some commercial arrangement which I say is friggin' lame. Especially because of the design of Sponsorhouse.com compared to Monster Energy. It's like going from hardcore extreme sports enthusiast to Sears. This site has nothing to do with the Monster Energy Image. A real letdown. I understand it may have to do with sports promotion but I don't know, I would have kept the sign up on the Monster site somehow. It doesn't feel like the two sites belong as partners.
I went back to Google and typed in Monster Energy to see if they had another site and yes they did: MonsterEnergy.com of course, which wasn't on the can. What does this site have to offer? Nothing outrageous but they do have info on their sponsorships of Motocross riders, downloads such as wallpapers, a gallery of fan photos, featured bands, upcoming events such as Ozzfest 2006 and even Monster Energy paraphernalia such as T-shirts and hats. I'm not sure I would pay for a Monster Tee but if someone gave me one for free I'd wear it--it is a cool logo. Their site also features comments from fans of the drink which is important. If I had never tried the drink before I think I would buy a can based on that section alone.
TASTE: Monster Energy by far has the best taste out of all of the Energy Drinks I've tried. This was also the first energy drink I tried in the 16 Oz can (Red Bull being my first official energy drink in their small can) and started my interest in this new drink trend littering the soda aisle. How would I describe the taste? Very, very sweet with a carbonated fruit taste that I don't know how to pin down. Is it the taurine that makes it taste that way? Or is it just carbonated sugar? First time tasters will probably pucker up.
AFTERTASTE: Nothing noticeable except that lingering sweetness on the tongue.
SUSTAINED EFFECTS: I'm still not sure if it is only Monster Energy that does this to me but it wreaks havoc on my stomach. I mean it causes gas of some sort that spins around my intestines and doesn't necessarily want to come out anytime soon. I've been trying several other energy drinks for these Soda Wars reviews and I can't really say that I've noticed the same effect that Monster Energy has on me. I can't drink a full can without feeling like my stomach is being tied in knots. This is terrible from the perspective that Monster Energy is very addictive tastewise and I love to gulp it while working. That might be the problem because my work involves a lot of sitting at the drawing table. I should give it a try before jogging, though I hate to drink too much before exercising (might get a sideache--yeah, I heard you call me a pussy, you there with the smug grin).
OVERALL: Well something happened with their site promo unless their server went down as I was writing this review. MonsterEnergy.com works but MonsterArmy.com is a bust. The homesite is a bit disappointing considering what could be inspired by the name "Monster" but then it isn't bad for a low budget. And to be fair they are involved in a ton of activities from sports to bands. Maybe I'm expecting too much.
WOULD I BUY IT AGAIN? Yes, but I shouldn't. I love the taste, I love the hype, but my stomach doesn't handle this drink very well. I'm a huge soda drinker so it is surprising that Monster Energy has this effect on me.
GENERAL COMMENTS: These guys need to improve their site to some extent. It's not bad but I would like to see some more "Monster" put into their hype. Sponsorship of extreme sports is great and that seems to be what every energy drink biz is doing but maybe try some things that the other sites aren't doing. I just feel like I should be able to go through their site content and come away from it with raw sensation of blood and guts spilling everywhere. The name of the drink indicates an experience that is bigger than life. Maybe they need a mascot. It's missing something, not sure what.