Energy drinks are one of the top-selling beverages in the United States — they continue to grow in popularity. 

Monster Energy is one of the leading brands in the industry — offering a wide range of products and flavors to choose from. The caffeine content of each product can vary by 2 or even 3 times depending on what products you’re purchasing. 

This article explores the caffeine content of various Monster Energy drinks and examines how they stack up to other popular brands, coffee, tea, and more. 

Caffeine Content in Monster Energy Drinks

Monster offers a wide variety of drinks — each with its own unique dosage of caffeine.

Here’s a snapshot of what you get when you drink some of the most popular Monster Energy drinks:

Other Active Ingredients in Monster Energy

There’s more than just caffeine in Monster Energy drinks, including the following active ingredients:

1. Taurine — An amino acid found naturally in the human body and has many functions, including helping maintain electrolyte balances in cells and increasing endurance.
2. Inositol — Found in many natural foods and is also produced in the body. It helps with metabolism, insulin, and processing nutrients into energy.
3. L-Carnitine — A compound found naturally in the body that helps turn fat into energy.
4. B Vitamins — Found in a variety of foods, they help cells function properly, and aid in metabolism.

They may sound healthy, but dieticians have raised concerns that the vitamins, amino acids, and herbals are more concentrated than what you get naturally in food or plants. When combined with caffeine, they could be even more potent. 

For instance, when other active ingredients in energy drinks interact with caffeine, they may impact the function of your arteries by inhibiting them from dilating properly [1]. 

Monster drinks are not recommended for pregnant women or women who are nursing, children, and people sensitive to caffeine.

Caffeine Comparison: Monster vs. Coffee

Your average cup of coffee (8 oz) has about 100 milligrams of caffeine in it — although this can vary depending on the variety, method, and how much coffee you use. 

A shot of espresso typically contains 75 mg of caffeine, and a 4-ounce cup of Vietnamese coffee contains up to 130 mg. 

The caffeine content in coffee is based on several factors, including:

• A high coffee-to-water ratio
• The use of dark roast robusta beans
• The brewing method used

Even a cup of strong Vietnamese coffee doesn’t have as much caffeine as one Monster Energy drink Original.

Here’s how the caffeine content in Monster compares to various types of coffee:

Coffees That Are Stronger Than Monster Energy Drinks (Strongest Coffees)

If you’re hesitant to drink Monster Energy drinks, there are alternatives to get some caffeine in a potentially safer drink like coffee.

Here are some reasons to drink coffee instead of energy drinks:

• Natural, plant-derived food
• Contains vitamins, antioxidants, and other nutrients [2]
• Doesn’t have added sugar, glucose, sucralose, or other synthetic or man-made compounds (unless you add them!)

1. Cafely BanMe Coffee

Cafely’s strongest coffee is BanMe, optimized for strength with 9000 mg of caffeine per bag. It’s blended exclusively from 100% shade-grown peaberry robusta beans — a rare find that yields the strongest coffee in the world. 

2. Cafely SaiGon OG Coffee

Another option is SaiGon OG, ideal for those wanting a full-bodied coffee experience. You’ll get approximately 120-150 milligrams of caffeine per cup in this blend of robusta, arabica, and peaberry beans. 

Robusta is stronger than arabica in both flavor and caffeine content, and peaberry contains nearly 30% more caffeine than typical robusta.

The SaiGon OG is also optimized for traditional and modern brewing methods, so you can use a phin, a French press, a pour-over, or a common coffee brewer.

3. Cafely Instant Coffee Packs

Cafely also sells highly caffeinated instant coffee packs — delivering 150 mg in a ready-in-seconds formula. 

These packs contain roughly the same caffeine levels as two shots of espresso and are very close to the 160 mg you get in the original Monster Energy drink. Our new instant packs will give you double what you get in a Monster drink, with 300 mg of caffeine per packet.

Monster Energy vs. Other Energy Drinks

Monster energy drinks sit roughly in the middle compared to other popular caffeinated beverages and energy drinks.

Bang contains the highest amount of caffeine, at 300 mg per can, while Red Bull falls near the bottom at just 80 mg.

Comparison of Popular Caffeinated Drinks:

About the Monster Energy Corporation

Monster Energy is a subsidiary of California-based Monster Beverage Corporation, a holding company with a number of consolidated subsidiaries. Each of the subsidiaries develops and markets energy drinks, including Monster Energy, Monster Energy Ultra, and Monster MAXX. 

Monster Beverage Corporation was originally founded as Hansen's in 1935 in Southern California and sold juice products. The company renamed itself as Monster Beverage in 2012. 

Annual reports are filed on the company website back to 2004. In the first quarter of 2024, Monster Beverage Corporation saw an increase in net sales of 11.8% to $1.90 billion — up from $1.70 billion in the same timeframe of 2023. Net sales for the company’s Monster Energy Drinks segment increased 10.7% to $1.73 billion for the 2024 first quarter, up from $1.56 billion in 2023.

Based on U.S. dollar sales, the Monster Energy brand had a market share of 29.7 percent in 2023, behind only Red Bull.

Health Implications of Caffeine

How much caffeine is too much? Healthy adults can consume up to 400 mg of caffeine per day — about four or five cups of coffee. 

Watch for negative side effects like jitters, insomnia, anxiety, changes in heart rate, headache, or an upset stomach or nausea. These are all signs you may have to reduce how much caffeine you're drinking. Some people have to eliminate caffeine completely and find other ways to stay awake without caffeine.

Caffeine can be part of a healthy diet for most people, but too much caffeine may pose a danger to your health. “Too much” varies from person to person.

Here are the factors that can impact how much caffeine is too much:

• Body weight
• Medications 
• Individual sensitivity
• How fast you metabolize it

Women who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breastfeeding should talk to their doctor about safe caffeine limits.

Is Caffeine Safe for Children?

The FDA has not set a level for children, but the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages children and adolescents from consuming caffeine and other stimulants. The National Federation of State High School Associations also recommends youth not consume energy drinks. 

Parents are cautioned about children under 12 drinking energy drinks since they can contain large and varied amounts of caffeine. Some studies even say dietary intake of caffeine should be discouraged for all children [3]. 

There are potential risks with excessive caffeine consumption. For instance, toxic effects — like seizures — can occur with rapid consumption of around 1,200 mg of caffeine or 0.15 tablespoons of pure caffeine. 

We’re not talking about coffee or energy drinks in this example, however. Pure and highly concentrated caffeine products are often labeled as dietary supplements. These are toxic amounts that can have serious health consequences, including death.

FAQs: Caffeine in Monster Energy

1. How much caffeine is in a standard can of Monster Energy?

The original Monster Energy drink has 166 milligrams of caffeine in a 16-ounce can. Other Monster drinks vary, but most fall between 150-170 mg per can.

2. Is it safe to drink Monster Energy every day?

It’s best to consume energy drinks in moderation rather than as a regular habit. For instance, the FDA recommends that adults consume up to 400 mg of caffeine a day — which is about four or five cups of coffee. 

Just two Monster Energy drinks would be close to the maximum, and some of the product lines contain up to 300 mg of caffeine in one can. There are also other active ingredients to consider. 

3. How does the caffeine in Monster compare to a cup of coffee?

The original Monster Energy drink has 166 milligrams of caffeine in a 16-ounce can. Some Monster products contain up to 300 milligrams of caffeine in one can. The typical cup of coffee has about 100 milligrams of caffeine in it, but there are many factors that affect that. 

4. Can you experience caffeine withdrawal from Monster?

Yes, caffeine withdrawal can happen when you go from having caffeine regularly to having none at all. Symptoms of caffeine withdrawal from Monster Energy drinks can vary from physical symptoms, such as headaches and fatigue, to mental and emotional ones, like irritability and low mood. 

5. What are healthier caffeine alternatives to Monster?

Coffee is generally healthier than energy drinks because it’s a natural, plant-derived food. If you don’t want coffee, try black or green tea. Tea has less caffeine than coffee but is good for you and still contains a decent amount. 

6. Does Monster Energy contain natural or synthetic caffeine?

There’s a possibility that Monster Energy contains synthetic caffeine since it isn’t made the same as coffee. When you drink coffee, you’re getting a natural plant-derived food. Energy drinks can also contain a lot of sugar, or sucralose, artificial flavors, and other additives.

7. What are the effects of Monster Energy on long-term health?

Monster Energy drinks could be harmful in the long term based on high caffeine counts per can, as well as added sugar, glucose, sucralose, artificial flavors, and other additives. 

There’s also limited research on many of the other ingredients in energy drinks, especially when combined with caffeine over a long period of time. 

8. How long does the caffeine effect from a Monster last?

The caffeine boost from a Monster Energy drink typically lasts the same or a little longer than than any other caffeinated drink. The other active ingredients may help prolong the effects, but overall, the caffeine stays in your system for 6-9 hours. 

9. Are there any Monster Energy drinks without caffeine?

There don’t seem to be any zero-caffeine options in the Monster Energy product line. 

The Zero Sugar Ultra states that it still contains a "full load of our Monster energy blend" despite having no sugar and only ten calories. 

10. What is the maximum amount of Monster one should drink in a day?

An Original Monster Energy drink contains 166 milligrams of caffeine, and the FDA's recommended daily intake is 400 mg. That means you could drink a little over two cans a day — but remember you're drinking other ingredients, too.

The warning on a Monster Energy Zero Ultra can states: “Max one can every 4 hours with a limit of 3 cans per day, not recommended for children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant women or women who are nursing.”

References

1. Higgins, J. P., Yang, B., Herrin, N. E., Yarlagadda, S., Le, G. T., Ortiz, B. L., ... & Infanger, S. C. (2017). Consumption of energy beverages is associated with attenuation of arterial endothelial flow-mediated dilatation. World journal of cardiology, 9(2), 162. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5329743/
2. Liang, N., & Kitts, D. D. (2014). Antioxidant property of coffee components: assessment of methods that define mechanisms of action. Molecules, 19(11), 19180-19208. https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/19/11/19180
3. Liang, Ningjian and Kitts, David D. (2014). Antioxidant Property of Coffee Components: Assessment of Methods that Define Mechanisms of Action. Vancouver, Canada. University of British Columbia Molecules.10.3390/molecules191119180