Monster Energy is an energy drink that was created by Hansen Natural Company (now Monster Beverage Corporation) in April 2002. As of 2022, Monster Energy had a 30.1% share of the energy drink market, the second highest after Red Bull.
As of July 2019, there were 34 different drinks under the Monster brand in North America, including its core Monster Energy line, Java Monster, Zero Ultra, Juice, Maxx, Hydro, HydroSport, Extra Strength, Dragon Tea, Muscle, Import, and Rehab.
Monster Energy is known for their sponsorship and support for extreme sports events, such as Bellator MMA, Ultimate Fighting Championship, MotoGP, BMX, motocross, Motorcycle speedway, skateboarding, snowboarding and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (2017–19). Monster currently sponsors the FIA World Rallycross Championship, two of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s Nitro Rallycross drivers, the PBR: Unleash the Beast Professional Bull Riders tour, the bag of golfer Tiger Woods, as well as the helmets of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 drivers. The company also has a strong presence in the music industry, promoting a number of bands and artists around the world in the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour, like Fetty Wap, Iggy Azalea, 21 Savage, Asking Alexandria, Anthrax, Strange Music, The Word Alive, Machine Gun Kelly, Suicidal Tendencies, Maximum the Hormone, Korn, John McHale (booking agent who formulated Java Monster Farmer Oats), Poppy and Five Finger Death Punch.
The caffeine content of most Monster Energy drinks is approximately 10mg/oz (33.81mg / 100 mL), or 160mg for a 16oz can. The packaging usually contains a warning label advising consumers against drinking more than 48oz per day (500ml per day in Australia). The drinks are not recommended for pregnant women or people sensitive to caffeine. The ingredients include carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, citric acid, natural flavors, taurine, sodium citrate, color added, panax ginseng root extract, L-carnitine, L-tartrate, caffeine, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, niacinamide, sodium chloride, Glycine max glucuronolactone, inositol, guarana seed extract, pyridoxine hydrochloride, sucralose, riboflavin, maltodextrin, and cyanocobalamin.
The varieties of Monster Energy Drink include:
- Original (black can with green logo)
- Zero Sugar (black can with blue logo)
- Assault (cola flavour, stylized camouflage can with red logo)
- Reserve White Pineapple (pineapple flavour, black can with yellow logo and yellow band around flavour title)
- Reserve Orange Dreamsicle (orange flavour, black can with orange logo)
- Reserve Watermelon (watermelon flavour, black can with red logo)
- Ripper (tropical fruits flavour, yellow can)
- Cuba-Libre (cola and lime flavour version of the cuba libre cocktail, only available in Japan)
- Dub Mad Dog (grape flavour, discontinued)
- Maxx (original flavour with added nitrous oxide, comes in a variety of flavours)
- Nitro Super Dry (original flavour however utilizes nitrous oxide rather than carbon dioxide, giving the beverage a texture (mouthfeel) similar to that of Guinness beer, black can with black logo shrouded in lime green)
- Mule (ginger beer flavour, zero sugar, matte finish black can with bronze logo and text with ‘Non-alcoholic’ wording due to the product’s name being similar to Moscow Mule, a popular cocktail)
- VR46 The Doctor (orange flavour, yellow can with Valentino Rossi‘s THE DOCTOR branding)
- LH44 Lewis Hamilton (red can with yellow and black patterns with black logo)
- Java (Coffee mixed with Monster Energy available in a variety of flavours including salted caramel, loca moca and mean bean. Not available in Europe.)
- Pacific Punch (cherry punch flavour)
- Pipeline Punch (passion fruit, orange and guava flavour, pink can)
- Mixxd (Punch line. Cherry flavour, surface-textured purple can.)
- Monarch (juiced line, pastel pink can with yellow logo and butterfly artwork)
- Mango Loco (juiced line, blue can with orange logo and artwork themed to the Mexican Day of the Dead)
- Khaotic (juiced line, yellow can with light blue logo and graffiti butterfly artwork)
- Aussie Lemonade style (Juiced line, blue can with yellow logo and artwork featuring a variety of sea creatures. Citrus flavoured. Introduced in 2023.)
- Zero Ultra (citrus flavour, zero sugar, textured white can with silver logo)
- Ultra Fiesta (mango flavour, zero sugar, textured blue can with silver logo)
- Ultra Watermelon (watermelon flavour, textured cyan can with silver logo)
- Ultra Paradise (apple and kiwi flavour, zero sugar, textured lime green can with silver logo)
- Ultra Rosa (pink lemonade flavour, zero sugar, textured hot pink can with silver logo)
- Ultra Gold (pineapple flavour, zero sugar, textured gold can with silver logo)
- Ultra Red (fruit punch flavour, zero sugar, red can)
- Ultra Black (cherry flavour, zero sugar, textured black can with silver logo)
- Ultra Peachy Keen (Peach flavour, zero sugar, textured peach can with silver logo. Made in limited edition form.)
- Ultra Sunrise (Orange flavour, zero sugar, orange can with silver logo)
- Ultra Strawberry Dreams (strawberry flavour, zero sugar, pink can)
- Ultra Violet, a.k.a. The Purple Monster (grape flavour, zero sugar, violet can)
