Monster Smash, then Monster Crash ...or... How to Multiply by 2
Written: Jun 11 '08 (Updated Jun 11 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Works great, OK taste (acquired), helps concentration much better than coffee or other caffeine-only drinks.
Cons: Nearly clockwork crash once the un-controlled substances wear off. Lots of sugar (empty calories).
The Bottom Line: A good energy drink with ingredients for concentration and memory. Works great, but has a 'crash' afterwards, and the calorie/carb count is high. Note servings per container: 2.
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| customeright's Full Review: Monster Energy-Energy Drink Formula, 24/16oz Cans |
'You should drink less coffee' my wife says. So the search for coffee alternatives has been going on for a little while now. I suppose I could cut out caffeine in general, but where's the fun in that? I'd have to go to bed early (how absurd!) and risk an imminent headache. So, I've been running through a number of alternative caffeinated beverages. Latest among the candidates: Monster Energy drink. It's got double everything compared to a regular soda. Double the size, double the caffeine, and double the sugar, which also means double the calories. But it's also got some other bonus ingredients that really help it to accomplish it's goal: to wake your butt up!
Tastes Rate, More Filling
This drink comes in a big black can with big green 'M' emblazoned on it. My initial thought with my first sip of this drink over a month ago was 'it tastes like cough medicine'. But after drinking it pretty steadily since then, I decided that it really doesn't taste like cough medicine. It does taste... different. I can only liken it to a cross between a very sweet ginger-ale and ... uhm.... maybe some kind of mild cough medicine. Ok, so there it is - I can't think of any other way to describe the taste. Other characteristics of the beverage are that it's carbonated, and is of a tan color.
Function
While initially I didn't love the drink for it's tastiness, it has certainly grown on me, and I now prefer it to almost any other energy drink I've tried, and especially compared Red Bull, which tastes awful. But the most important aspect of this product is that if you're not up before the drink, you'll definitely be up after it. In fact, if you stand close enough to a power plant, you may be able to help them generate electricity somehow. And the concoction isn't just loaded with caffeine, it's also loaded with probably every other stimulating natural ingredient known to man and legal to sell without a prescription (or risk of jail sentence).
Stimulating Stuff
According to the can, Monster has a 2500mg 'energy blend' (which may actually be 5000mg as you'll see below). Among the substances beyond a normal soda drink (sugar caffiene etc) that are included , the following additional ingredients are listed:
Taurine, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, L-Carnitine, Niacinamioride, Glucuronolactone, Inositol, Guarana seed extract, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride,and Cyanocobalamin.
These are all basically herbal-type natural ingredients, some with true or rumored medicinal benefits (according to Wikipedia) all related to concentration and energy. Some are herbal, some are variants of the b-vitamin family. Most notably: taurine, which is rumored to increase energy but is as-yet unproven (although the other health benefits seem useful), ginseng, which personally for me in the past has had a positive effect on my memory recall. Also this drink has a fair amount of niacin, which can cause a facial reddening in some people, but for me just seems to make me feel a little warmer.
The Crash
While this drink does work great, unfortunately it's not the best solution to our world energy needs. The power surge from this can lasts almost exactly 4 hours after the last sip. In fact, you can almost set your clock to it. When the fun is over, it's over, and you're ready for a nap. At least in my case that's true. Oddly enough, even plain coffee doesn't seem to have that affect on me, so it must be one of the other ingredients present that does this. Either way, your results may vary, but mine are pretty consistent.
Did I Mention the Calories
So in general this is a good drink, until you look at the nutritional data. While at first glance the label doesn't appear too awful... 100 calories, 27g carbs, 27g sugar. That is until you read the serving size: "Servings Per Container: 2". Wow. That's 54g of carbs and sugar, 200 calories, and a whole, whole, bunch of caffeine and that other stuff. Now, I guess the argument could be made that it will cause you to burn more calories, but if you've ever been to the gym and used a calorie counter, that's a LOT of miles on the stationary bike.
Conclusion
In general I like this drink. Less generally, I love it. And the more I drink it the more I like it (file under: Starbucks caffeinated business strategy). Once the taste is acquired, you may actually like it too, and if you drink enough, you may like it even more than one reasonably should like something. And I mean you'll LIKE it! (I like it, I like it, I like it, I crave it, I need it!.) Of course that's the caffeine talking, because the taste isn't amazing, but the benefits are. It does really work as long as it lasts. But you need to make sure that you put that energy to good use, and I mean physically, because while it packs "...twice the buzz of regular energy drinks", it also packs twice the carbs, and twice the empty calories.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
customeright
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Member: Alan
Location: Orlando, FL, USA
Reviews written: 71
Trusted by: 15 members
About Me:
Consultant by day, reviewer by night, but one thing I know: the customer's right!
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