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Issue #9: Monster Energy

October 2, 2025

Imagine being a high school student, drowning in late homework and very close to failing math. You decide to get your shit together one afternoon, and you start by drinking what will make you NOT fall asleep after reading every other paragraph: a Monster Energy drink.
Well, at least that’s my experience. I’m pretty sure that my dependence on energy drinks wasn’t what saved me from failing last school year, though haha :)

☛ What is it?

If you’ve been living under a rock and don’t know what Monster Energy is, I don’t blame you, actually. I don’t know much stuff either, so you’re good. You’re here to learn, after all. (Or to fact-check this. Fair enough.)
Monster Energy, as mentioned before, is a brand of energy drinks, invented by a company called Hansen Natural Company (now Monster Beverage Corporation) back in April 2002, released in its original flavor, and as of April 2025, there are over 150 different flavors you can choose from.
But how do energy drinks work? The main ingredient of any energy drink is caffeine, which stimulates your nervous central system. Usually, taurine and B2 vitamins are an ingredient too, but unlike popular belief, taurine (which me and my friend thought was bull pee in middle school for some reason) actually stimulates nothing in your body (as it’s found naturally in the human body) and keeps your cells hydrated. The B2 vitamin, on the other hand, plays a fundamental role in the synthesis of all energy processes, helping your body get energy from the things you eat, and thus, making you less tired.
With time, more flavors were released, and people weren’t stuck to the original tangy citrus flavor, including sugar free options.

☛ Different flavors = different can designs

Different flavors get different can designs, and that means that people LOVE collecting these cans. I personally don’t do that myself so I can’t speak from experience, but I do think that the designs are pretty, and if you like them, go for it.
There are multiple series of Monster Energy: there’s the classic Monster Energy, with no sugar, low-carb and Reserve (the “premium”); Monster Energy Ultra (zero sugar and zero calories, lighter-tasting), Java Monster (which contains real brewed coffee), Juice Monster (infused with juice), and Rehab Monster (non carbonated, infused with tea or juice and added electrolytes for hydration). Check their website for the full flavor list!
The most wanted designs in the collection scene are surely the limited edition ones though, going as high as ~50$ per can.

My personal favorite is the Ultra Fiesta Mango! I got into drinking Monster Energy back in middle school (when I probably should NOT have drank it whoops) when my friend (yes, the “taurine is bull pee” friend) told me to try it. I was skeptical at first (don’t ask me why, I was probably intimidated by the can design I don’t know :’]). I think that the first flavor I tried was either Pacific Punch or Ultra Watermelon, but it has been a lot of time since that day, and I don’t remember precisely which one it was, haha.

☛ The association with Alternative subcultures

Since its release, Monster Energy has been advertising their drinks to alternative subcultures (emo, goth punk…). And you might be asking yourself, “Why? Aren’t most of these subcultures supposed to be anti-consumistic?” You’re right, and the answer to your question is the Warped Tour, a music festival that focused on punk, emo, and metalhead music, that ran from 1995 to 2019, then came back in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. It was sponsored by Monster Energy during its run, as it was given away for free to people, and band members “drank” it on stage (the cans were filled with water), and overall advertised as “the emos drink it!” and “the goths drink it!” and yada yada. Just shady marketing, after all. Remember that if you’re anti-consumism your problem is hoarding cans, I think.

☛ Controversies

The energy drink has been the subject to some controversies, too. People have said that “it causes heart attacks”, but that’s not true. Sure, more than 600mg (which is equivalent to four cans) of caffeine a day starts messing you up, but I still have yet to find someone who is down to drinking two cans a day, imagine five or more. Consuming it with alcohol messes you up even more, but drinking Monster and alcohol is a choice YOU make, so that’s on you if you feel sick after that.
There have been other claims, like dead rats found in someone’s can and whatnot (which the company said was “frivolous” and “unfounded”), and the funniest one (probably) is christian groups claiming that Monster Energy is the “drink of the devil”.Their argument?

  • The claw marks on the logo resemble three of the same Hebrew letter in a row (ו) that would spell “666”, aka “the devil’s number”
  • The motto “Unleash the beast!” “clearly” referring to Satan
  • The cross in the letter “O” in their logo being an upside down christian cross when you drink it (hence, the Antichrist)
  • The drink being popular among rebellious teens, meaning that “Satan already won”.

And of course, let’s not forget the corporate side of things. Monster Beverage has been partly owned by Coca-Cola since 2015, which is already enough for a lot of people to put it on their “evil corporation” list. Coca-Cola has been accused of all sorts of shady stuff: from union busting, to environmental damage, to (most recently) supporting Israel during the current conflict. So if you wanted another reason to quit Monster, “corporate ethics” might just be it. Unfortunately I discovered this when I was researching for this entry, and knowing what’s happening right now, it’s not the best situation to be in. Well, at least I know now.

Even if something falls to corporate evil though, I think it’s still interesting to dive in what something has been before The Fall.
Hope you enjoyed reading this entry, and see you in the next one!

-Dam