Last week, I found a bright purple trapezoidal box on my doorstep. Opening said box caused a pop-up flamingo to raise its head up right next to a sample can of the newest Monster Energy flavor. Let’s crack open Monster Ultra Vice Guava and see how this cool Miami Vice-inspired drink holds up in the brisk Ohio “sunlight.”
- Monster Ultra Vice Guava Energy
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Pros: I’ve never taken a bite out of a raw guava, so I can’t speak to the exact authenticity of this guava flavor. That said, this definitely tastes like every other guava-flavored drink I’ve ever had. When I first covered this new Monster flavor for Sporked back in July, I opened with a total non-sequitur about how gas stations sell more white Monster than gasoline. And, oddly enough, this tastes very similar to the classic white Monster Zero Ultra! Much like it white Monster, this new Monster flavor masks the fake sweetener flavor very well; one of my taste testers even said “I’d drink this if it was zero sugar,” under the assumption it was full of sugar! This isn’t my favorite Monster Ultra flavor, but I’d easily choose this over half the Ultra lineup.
Cons: It’s too similar to white Monster. I understand wanting to replicate the success of your best work, but this doesn’t feel like a big enough swing. To be clear, it’s a good drink—I just don’t understand carving out shelf space for something so similar to another drink on that same shelf. If you really like guava, you’ll probably like this new Monster flavor more than Monster Zero Ultra (aka white Monster). But if you don’t have a strong opinion on guava, you’ll probably like this the same as the white Monster—if you even notice a difference. What a strictly whelming experience.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
Where can I find this drink for myself?
Monster Ultra Vice Guava Energy is rolling out to gas stations, grocery stores, and anywhere else that sells Monster Energy drinks right now. I saw a poster for this flavor in the window of a Circle K a few weeks ago, and folks across the country are already finding it in stores (and DMing me, their favorite parasocial beverage influencer, about it).
