Standard, Regular, Diabetes
The regular flavor is very sweet, on account of its whopping 54 grams of sugar per 16oz can. Yes that isn't as much as most sodas, but that doesn't change the fact it is a lot. It's aftertaste is lingering, miniscule remnants still remain even after 20ish minutes of tossing the empty can into the recycling bin. The aftertaste specifically is not like any other flavor, unless you are already familiar with energy drinks as many of the maintream brands share it (could be either the taurine or caffeine). I'm not sure how to describe it, perhaps its closest analgoue would be a generic cola? Even then I would say it's a bit of a reach.
Aside from the flavor, its energy cocktail consists of caffeine (10mg per ounce, standard), taurine, four B-vitamins, L-carnatine, glucoronalactone, guarna extract (where the caffeine comes from), and maltodexterin. The caffeine is obvious, everyone knows what caffeine does; keeps you awake, rasies your heartrate, and maybe relieves exhaustion, results vary. Taurine is an amino acid and I fail to see how it actually boosts energy in any meaningful way, but it won't hurt you, if you don't have low blood pressure. The B-vitamins aim to give a more "natural" energy boost, and so far it makes the drink as effective as a 200mg caffeine pill, but with 40mg less per 16oz can. L-carnatine is a chemical that your brain, liver, and kidneys produce to stimulate fat burning, sadly it's not gonna help with weightloss as the excessive sugar content would overpower its slight benefits. Gulcoronalactone appears to be essentially sugar, different but works the same way and even has the same diabetes and fat risks.
In summary, I do not recommend Monster purely because of its sugar content. Maybe it would be okay as a "sometimes food", but in my opinion I'd rather have my sugar fix from a candy bar, pastry, or ice cream, not a beverage, as it would feel much more tangible and satisfying, and I say this as someone who has a sweet tooth. 240 calories wasted, I'd say.
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Regular
The one that started it all, Red Bull is the original energy drink, and it's also the most expensive since it's imported from Austria. When I first had Red Bull, I didn't like it that much, it felt like drinking pure sugar. But drinking it a year or so later, now I actually quite like it. It's sweet but not sickly so, but it has little flavor other than its sweetness unfortunately. It's surprisingly less carbonated than I expected, which makes it a much smoother drink than other energy drinks. And of course the sugar, it has 38 grams of sugar for a 12oz can, which while not as much as most sodas, is still a lot for such a small beverage.
The energy cocktail it provides is slightly substandard: 114mg caffeine, excessive B-vitamins, and taurine. Slightly substandard because of the slightly lower caffeine content; 114mg in a 12oz can rather than 10mg/1oz like in most American energy drinks. Maybe European energy drinks require less caffeine? Either way, it works just as well. Kept me from feeling like a zombie at work lmao.
Overall it is a fine drink, if expensive. It tastes good, but the excessive sugar is a dealbreaker for me. It works, but at what cost?
Sugar Free
I prefer diet/sugar free versions of most drinks because I do not like the idea of drinking calories and I am American and cannot afford insulin, plus I just prefer the taste. I don't think this applies here because Red Bull Sugar Free taste like drinking pure artificial sweetener, which I do not like at all.
The energy cocktail it provides is standard for most energy drinks: taurine, caffeine (151mg/16oz), excess B-vitamins, etc. Regardless, it feels just as effective as any in keeping me awake.
Overall, I only recommend Red Bull sugar free if you're really into drinking pure sweetener and love the jaw-punch of artificial sweeteness (because they use aspertame). However, it's quite pricey, I believe I spent about $4.50 on this, when most energy drinks are around $3 a can for the same volume. It does at least do its job.
Coconut Berry
This drink surprised me quite a bit, I generally do not like coconut anything, artificial or legit (even coconut milk grosses me out). However this has to be an exception for me, since I enjoy it a lot. The coconut flavor is very subtle, it's there but it's more of a suggestion, while the berry is very prominent. They honestly could have just called it "berry", and I would not have really noticed a coconut flavor... of course they have to make sure you know there's coconut since people can be allergic to it. As for the specific berry, I'd say it's more of an artificial blueberry flavor. The sugar content is high, but the same as standard Red Bull, so it's still plenty sweet.
The energy cocktail is the exact same as other redbull flavors; caffeine, taurine, B-vitamins... I suppose the sugar can be counted, since it does give a slight sugar rush to get you started until the caffeine kicks in.
Overall, it's a good drink, I do recommend it. Hell I recommend it even more than regular Red Bull, since this has a little more nuance than the simple sweetness of regular Red Bull
Power (Regular)
The ubiquitous cheap energy drink, literally $1.25 + tax at Dollar Tree. If youi need energy and are on a budget but you cannot have coffee or caffeine pills, this is it. It tastes much better than I expected to be honest, this is the base flavor so I assumed it would taste like skunky Monster, but no it has a sweet melon flavor. I actually like it quite a lot, but unfortunately it's sugar content is very high at 51 grams per can.
The energy cocktail is the same as other energy drinks; caffeine, taurine, sugar, excessive B vitamins. It works and that's what matters.
Overall I enjoyed this much more than I ever expected, it has a good light flavor and is a great value. Only downside is the excessive sugar content.
Melon Hi
Another installment in the cheap energy drink line, Rip It, is better than the original, and not just because of the lower sugar content at 16g. It's flavor, instead of being "sweet with melon", is just straight watermelon. The flavor isn't light but not heavy, and the aftertaste is quite pleasant. It isn't as sweet as the standard can, but it is still quite good, especially for $1.25.
The energy cocktail is standard for energy drinks, 160mg caffeine in a 16oz can, with taurine and B-vitamins.
Overall, if you ever find yourself in a Dollar Tree, or other dollar store that actually sells stuff for a dollarish, I recommend this. It's a little bit of sweetness combined with an enjoyable, if arificial, watermelon flavor. Plus it doesn't have as much sugar as most energy drinks.
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