Monster Ultra Black

Monster Ultra Black was just bound to happen. There is Ultra White, Red, Blue, etc. I found Ultra Black at a gas station somewhere on my way to Maryland a couple of weeks ago and it is not yet available in Canada. I want to say that I paid $3.19 for it, but I honestly don't remember.

Taste

Curious to know what Ultra Black is like in side? So am I. I did no research when I bought, nor any when I got back home. I am going in blind for this review.

Ready, drumroll........Ultra Black is....super dark purple inside. Yup. It is purple. Or shall I say dark plum? OK, that is a dead giveaway for what Ultra Black really is - black cherry. The aroma confirms this. Beneath the blast of carbonation, you get whiffs of heavy black cherries and citrus.

The flavor is surprisingly rich at the start with notes of ripe black cherries, followed by lemon/lime twist. There is a noticeable sweetener presence throughout, but it is a little muted compared to other sugar-free drinks. The sweetener presence extends into the aftertaste where you also find some lingering sweet black cherry notes and a bit of lime.

I am not a fan of the standard cherry flavor as it reminds me too much of cough syrups, but I find that this black cherry flavor is complex and enjoyable and hard to compare to plain cherries.

Energy

There are 140 mg of caffeine in the can and the initial effects come through in the form of a focused jolt within 10 minutes. Unlike its sugar-full counterparts, Ultra Black gave me a focus boost and I felt more productive at what I was working on. There were no jitters or any other negative side effects that distracted me. In another 15-20 minutes I felt very energized and upbeat, ready to continue on with my day. No jitters. The kick lasted for over 3 hours and ended without a crash.

Overall, I thought that Ultra Black is a great addition to the line and the black cherry flavor was the perfect choice.

Scores:
Cost - $3.19
Taste - 8.9/10
Energy - 7.9/10

Overall - 16.8/20...rich flavor, decent kick