Monster Hitman Energy Shooter Review

I have been avoiding the Monster energy shots like the plague for a very long time. Yesterday when I was filling up at an Esso, I decided to take the plunge and get one of them. Today I am going to have the green Monster energy shot, also known as Hitman. I am a little skeptical about this one since I am not a huge fan of the regular Monster and this looks like a concentrated regular Monster. Well, it is time to crack the shot open and chug it.

I like the cap, it is large and the mouth opening is big enough. But not only is the cap open, the shot itself is also big - 89 mL. This is the biggest energy shot I have ever had after the Hardcore Energize Bullet. Enough stalling, lets drink this.

As expected the shot does not have a very inviting aroma. It is a combination of apples, soap and some dull, earthy smelling ingredients, resembling the aroma of the Fuel Cell Appleberry shot. The taste is equally bad, but at least it is smooth. There is a pinch of sourness that touches the tongue and makes drinking this bearable. There isn't much flavour and the flavour that exists is hard to describe. Like the aroma, the main flavour is apples and there is a touch of the regular monster taste at the end, but the rest is a mystery to me. The bitterness from all the energy ingredients comes in at the end, but does not stay for too long in the aftertaste, which is on the sweeter side and tastes like artificial sweeteners.

Now lets talk about if this shot works. The 89 mL container has 160 mg of caffeine plus whatever else from the guarana seed, which is about the same as a can of a standard Monster energy drink. Unlike some other shots, the energy comes in later - about 15 - 20 minutes after consumption. I felt a gradual elevation in my energy levels and I did not experience any jitters, which is always a plus. It took about 25 minutes for me to feel fully awake and energized, and then I had a 20-30 minute period of calmness and focus. The shot lasted for a very long time surprisingly and I did not experience a crash or anything bad once its job was done. I was pleasantly surprised by this shot! I know really have to try the other Monster energy shots.

A note about the label on the back - it is extremely hard to read. There is way too much information crammed in a tiny place and since the text is metallic and glossy, it is extremely hard to read.

Medicinal Ingredients:

• Taurine - 2,000 mg
• Ginseng - 398 mg
• Caffeine - 160 mg
• Vitamin b3 - 40 mg
• D-glucuronolactone - 10 mg
• Inositol - 10 mg
• Guarana - 10 mg
• Vitamin b6 - 4 mg
• Vitamin b2 - 3.4 mg
• Vitamin b12 - 12 mcg

Non-medicinal Ingredients: water, glucose, sucrose, malic acid, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sucralose, naturally sourced flavours, salt, maltodextrin, artficial color (FD&C blue No. 1, FD&C red No. 40).

Scores:
Cost - $3.49 CAD for a 89 mL shot, some places sell them for $2.99 CAD
Taste - 4/10
Energy - 9.5/10

Overall - 13.5/20...the taste is not very good, but this works pretty good and if you have a desk job or are trying to study, the focus this shot provides can come in handy