The best Monster flavor is fruity, refreshing, and packs a major punch of caffeine. We cracked open 35 cans and bottles in two separate taste tests to find the best Monster flavors, from the best Java Monster to the best Juice Monster and every Monster in between.
Confession time: Prior to this ranking, I’d never had a Monster energy drink. I’d always just assumed it was for long-haul truckers and young gamer dudes who’ve graduated from Mountain Dew to the hard shit. As a person with self-diagnosed chronic anxiety, the last thing I need is to consume a beverage that might elevate my heart rate and force me to have intrusive thoughts about climate change and what sorts of cancer I probably have. I truly thought this might be the taste test that killed me.
But look! I’m alive and kicking. And typing. Not only did setting out to find the best Monster flavor not kill me, it genuinely put me in a good mood. If people who regularly drink Monster refer to themselves as Monster Monsters (can someone confirm?), then that’s what I am now. But even as a proud Monster Monster, I’m compelled to point out that some varieties are much better than others. After my initial tasting, I narrowed it down to the best nine and then added a brand spankin’ new Monster flavor to the list the second time around.
- Java Monster Mean Bean
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I really, really thought I was going to hate Java Monster. Coffee already is an energy drink! What are you doing here?! In the end, I decided that Java Monster Mean Bean is the best Java Monster and also one of the best Monster flavors of them all (Java Monster Loca Moca was a close second in the Java category). Sue me, coffee snobs! Don’t expect big coffee flavor from any of these, but if you’re accustomed to and kind of like the taste of one of those bottled Starbucks fraps, these are good, sweet, and satisfying, like cold coffee with too much cream and sugar.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Monster Reserve Strawberry Kiwi
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I know Monster didn’t hit the market until 2002, but it has major ‘90s energy. Monster is such a ‘90s drink and Kiwi Strawberry is such a ‘90s flavor—this just works. Funny enough, this is Monster’s newest flavor (it rolled out in March 2023), but as a person who pines for the ‘90s, this sends me back to a time when Snapple ruled everything around me and Tupac was still alive. One warning: This flavor is maaaajorly sweet, but I think it works because we’re used to strawberry-kiwi bevs being super sweet and tangy, right? If you’re similarly nostalgic for that iconic flavor profile, I think this new Monster flavor will hit the spot.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Zero Sugar Monster Ultra Watermelon
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This Monster flavor may not have sugar, but it tastes like straight-up watermelon candy. If you’ve ever dreamed of guzzling liquified, caffeinated watermelon Jolly Ranchers, this is the best Monster flavor for you. We tried another watermelon Monster, the Monster Reserve Watermelon, but thought it had a medicinal, Red Bull sort of flavor that we didn’t detect here. Definitely grab this one if you’re a watermelon fan.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Juice Monster Aussie Style Lemonade
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This isn’t the best Juice Monster flavor, but let me tell ya, Juice Monster is goooood. This one ranked a little lower than others because it really, really smells like cologne to me. Not good cologne, either. But if you can get past Axe body spray stink, you’ll be rewarded with a really tasty sparkling lemonade. The juice really comes through in this one. It’s citrus-forward and super summery. Another can of something to bring to the beach as an accompaniment to your extreme water sport of choice.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Zero Sugar Monster Energy Ultra Paradise
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I’m fairly certain that Monster isn’t intended for kids, but if it were, this would be the best Monster flavor for kids. It tastes like carbonated apple juice or a nice sparkling cider with some pear thrown in the mix for fun. It’s a really compelling flavor that’s like a grown-up take on flavors from childhood. Ultra Paradise also pulls off being sugar free without the saccharine aftertaste that can accompany artificially sweetened soft drinks. It’s tart, refreshing, and really good.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Monster Super Dry Nitro
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Okay, I can’t say I totally remember what popular 1990s soda Surge tasted like, but I remember it being like a more citrusy Mountain Dew. This Monster gave me big Surge vibes. Maybe a little Squirt too. As soon as you open the can, you get smacked in the face with grapefruit aroma and the taste delivers on that promise. My assumption is that “Super Dry” nods to its crisp, refreshing, and less cloying taste—basically Monster’s version of a dry wine. This was Rhett & Link’s pick for best Monster flavor, and it’s definitely worth a try. In my professional-Monster-drinker opinion, it’s much better than classic Monster.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Monster Hydro Super Sport Killer Kiwi
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A combination energy drink-hydration beverage is equal parts brilliant and insane, but that’s Monster’s whole thing. We tasted five of the brand’s Hydro flavors—the others were Blue Ice, Red Dawg, Tropical Thunder, and Blue Streak—and this one was the best Monster Hydro flavor. The kiwi flavor is, indeed, killer and its name doesn’t make it sound like a dangerous redneck bar or a designer drug. I gave a big “ooooooh” as soon as I cracked the lid on this one and took a whiff. And the flavor lived up to the smell: It’s fruity, a little tangy, and not salty like other hydration drinks. The color is a bit Listerine-y, but if you’re looking for an energy drink without carbonation, pick up a bottle of this.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Juice Monster Pacific Punch
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If you like a classic fruit punch, this is the best Monster flavor for you. And it comes in a can that’s covered in tattoo flash. It’s like if Hawaiian Punch went to a bunch of Orange County punk shows in the ’90s. Or, as Sporked staff writer Jordan Myrick put it, “This is what the Kool-Aid man’s cooler older brother who drives a motorcycle would drink.” Again, this has a nice, mild fizz that won’t burn your throat, and a big fruity “red drink” flavor that has notes of pineapple and other good, tropical things. Crank up some Vandals and hit the beach.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Juice Monster Mango Loco
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I love mango flavored things more than I love actual mango (unless it’s perfectly ripe), and this Monster has a big and tantalizing mango taste. This drink is ripe and juicy and has just the right amount of carbonation. If it wasn’t in a gigantic can with that horror movie-looking M emblazoned on it, I wouldn’t even know it was an energy drink at all. Also, maybe mango-flavored soda should be more prevalent? Something to think about, aspiring soda makers.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Juice Monster Pipeline Punch
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As you can tell from the top three on this list, I was partial to the brand’s Juice Monster offerings. These contain around 15 percent real juice and have a pleasant fizz that makes them fruity, refreshing, and genuinely delicious. With its strong, tropical guava flavor and aroma, Pipeline Punch was the best of them all. Big POG vibes here. This is what you slam before you jump belly-first onto your board and punch a shark right in the nose. Not today, you toothy a-hole! (Just kidding; I love and respect sharks.) This is the best Juice Monster flavor and the best Monster flavor of them all.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
Best for Coffee Lovers
Best New Flavor
Best Candy Flavor
Best for Summer
Best Zero Sugar
Best Citrusy
Best Hydro Flavor
Best Classic Punch
Best Fruit Flavor
Best of the Best
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