Griffin Parker
Today, I’ve got my hands on four brand-new energy drinks hitting shelves now… sort of. If these look familiar, there’s a simple explanation: Storm Energy started as a spinoff of REIGN Total Body Fuel in early 2023. After it became clear the Storm concept would be better suited standing alone rather than as a little sibling, Storm was promoted to the Monster Beverage Corporation umbrella of brands earlier this year alongside Monster, NOS, Full Throttle, FLRT, and more.
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We’ve covered the initial lineup of Reign Storm flavors before, but the brand sent samples of the new lineup over for an updated review! Since the formulas have been updated, we gave these a fresh look across four very busy days to really put this clean caffeine to the test.
- Guava Strawberry Storm Energy Review
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Pros: If you find many modern energy drinks overly sweet, this will be perfect for you. The leading flavor notes here are tart and semisweet at the sweetest.
Cons: This is one of the very few situations where I’ll say Storm Energy’s commitment to authenticity is hurting more than it helps. Guava isn’t the most flavorful, and drinks aiming for “real” strawberry flavor often end up tasting unripe. I enjoyed this drink mainly in contrast to the sweetness of the top two entries.
Credit: Griffin Parker / Storm Energy
- Tropical Storm Energy Review
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As you’ll soon see, this has the same score as the Guava Strawberry entry; I’ve ranked this higher out of pure preference for pineapple. If you’re choosing between these two flavors specifically, follow your heart based on the can-featured fruits.
Pros: Aiming for more than one fruit dilutes the line-wide strength in accuracy, but it’s definitely a solid tropical offering. The pineapple in particular delivers in a major way, making for a borderline-sour drink you’d struggle to chug. (That’s a good thing, just so we’re clear. Don’t chug energy drinks.)
Cons: Pineapple, blood orange, and tangerine make for a unique trio to base a tropical energy drink on… I just wish I could taste the latter two fruits beyond a distant “bitter citrus?” easily confused with the extra-strength tart pineapple.
Credit: Griffin Parker / Storm Energy
- Harvest Grape Storm Energy Review
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Pros: True to the name, this has a very fresh grape flavor. While there’s no shortage of grape candy (or jelly) energy drinks on the market, this is easily the most authentic to proper grape juice. Storm’s Harvest Grape flavor could fool any artificial sugar hater; this is a miracle of sweetener science.
Cons: I know it sounds trendy for the sake of trendy, but with all the focus on Storm being a “clean” line of energy drinks, I’m really surprised there’s no L-theanine to be seen in the nutritional facts.
Credit: Griffin Parker / Storm Energy
- Valencia Orange Storm Energy Review
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Pros: I’m going to start sounding like a broken record, but this also tastes authentic and fresh with no sweetener aftertaste whatsoever. I passed a second can of this to a friend who relies on another brand’s 12oz white-canned sparkling orange energy drink; she said Storm’s Valencia Orange clears the other guys in the flavor department and delivers less jitters to boot.
Cons: Rather than Valencia Orange, I would love to see a Mandarin Orange Storm Energy drink with this level of detailed accuracy…. Actually, that might be too powerful; let’s hold off.
Credit: Griffin Parker / Storm Energy
New Storm Energy!
New Storm Energy!
New Storm Energy!
New Storm Energy!
Matt Crowley
Will Morgan
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