Review for Muscle Monster--Chocolate

CAFFEINE CONTENT

157 mg

EASE IN ACQUISITION—9

Looks like this one is finally making its appearance in the mountain west—all you folks in civilized territory can probably look forward to finding it without difficulty now.

APPEARANCE/PRESENTATION—8.5

Call this one another successful packaging endeavor on Monster’s part, though maybe not quite so much as their coffee-flavored offering.  Like the latter beverage, the light-colored M and bold, metallic “MUSCLE” work wonders to instill the consumer with optimism regarding its marketed function as an energy/protein hybrid, and the light brown swirl in the background might be the most delicious-looking yet—the shade reminds me of a Healthy Choice Fudge Bars, which stand as one of my all-time favorite chocolate products to date.  Something I do notice is that the lighter the background gets, the more pixel-y it looks—seems that the quality of the print deteriorates the lighter you get.  It’s merely noticeable here—wait until we get to the vanilla flavor.  Then we’ll really have something to talk about.

TASTE—9

Like chocolate protein shakes?  You’re going to love this one.  I’d go so far as to call this the best I’ve had to date—it’s thick, rich and flavorful, plenty smooth, not too sweet, and not at all chalky considering the generous quantity of protein.  Honestly, good enough that I would be perfectly happy going for it if I found myself in the mood for a chocolate shake—or if I found myself in the mood for chocolate in general (prior, of course, to a trip to the gym—see below).  It’s that good.

KICK (INTENSITY)—8

In terms of energy, this isn’t going to let you down, and it would probably work in a plethora of situations—but I should say that the drink itself is heavy enough that I wouldn’t even think about drinking it for anything but powering you up before your strength-training regimen.  Just not the sort of thing you can drink for whatever whenever.

KICK (DURATION)—8

Delivers a ballpark of three and a half hours of energy, with a slight crash after the fact.  Not a problem if your trip to the gym and your classes (for all you students out there) take place early in the morning; you should be through with them by the time the effects dissipate.

THE DRINK OVERALL—8.33

It’s absolutely a niche drink, but I can’t think of another beverage that fills it so well.  Tastes very good, packs a punch, and as far as substance has more than enough protein to meet your needs.

WEBSITE: monsterenergy.com

KEYWORDS: Muscle Monster Chocolate energy shake review