CAFFEINE CONTENT
160 mg
EASE IN ACQUISITION—8
This particular can isn’t so easy to find, but it is (spoiler alert) just a repackaging of an already existing Monster Energy beverage—which I am reviewing simply because there are people out there who will seek a review on it, and I think they deserve one.
APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—9
Purple, gold, and a design that’s sort of a cross between the original Dub Edition and Import cans—it’s an impressive effect. My issues here are the same with my issues with the Baller’s Blend can—the cursive and boxing glove just don’t seem to work, and I find the term “Punch + Energy” to be misleading—this isn’t punchy at all.
TASTE—6
To elaborate on my earlier statement that this is a repackaging of an already existing Monster beverage—this drink is the same as what we knew as “Monster Energy—Dub Edition.” Apparently Monster’s decided to make the whole ‘Dub Edition’ thing a line as opposed to a flavor—kind of in the same way Nitrous and Rehab are lines as opposed to flavors—and rereleased the original as ‘Mad Dog’ (which I don’t really get). I was not at all fond of Dub Edition the first time I tried it; I found it to be so sweet as to be sickening. This time, however, I had it over ice, and that seemed to make it a bit more bearable—though I’m still not terribly impressed with the “original Monster with a hint of grape” flavor.
KICK (INTENSITY)—8
Another difference I found with this beverage is that it worked—which I don’t think discredits the original Dub Edition. I’ve found, as I’ve reviewed beverage after beverage after beverage, that sometimes flukes happen. A drink will work better or worse than the rest of the line even though there is really no difference in the energy blend, or will crap out long before others of the line have—that sort of thing. They’ve become far less common as time has gone on, but in the rare instance when they do happen, I make it a point to drink them twice before I post a review.
That being said—I think my review of the original Dub Edition was a fluke. It’s got all the caffeine of all the other Monster beverages and all of the other energy constituents, and there’s no reason it should have kicked less than the other beverages. If you drink this new Mad Dog beverage, expect a decent amount of energy and some jitters. Also expect the sugariness to give you a few troubles.
KICK (DURATION)—8
Three and a half hours, with no sugar crash—though that last part might have been the fact that I was on an exercise bike for an hour after the fact just to make sure I burned off all that dang sugar.
THE DRINK OVERALL—7.33
Lovers of the original Dub Edition, rejoice! Your drink has not been discontinued, just repackaged and renamed. You can still enjoy your grapey Monster every bit as much as you did before. To those that never had Dub Edition—Monster beverages are good for a decent boost, but I vastly prefer some of their other flavors; Cuba Lima and Rehab—Lemonade, Orangeade, and Rojo Tea are some of my all-time favorites. I’d go with one of those before this, but that’s just me.
WEBSITE: monsterenergy.com
KEYWORDS: Monster Energy Dub Edition Mad Dog review, Red Bull clone, traditional energy drink flavor