If there were a Monster Monster, it would probably say the full-sugar Monster Electric Blue and Orange Dreamsicle Energy Drinks are sometimes beverages. The energy drink brand describes Electric Blue’s flavor as “shockingly smooth blue raspberry popsicle” and Orange Creamsicle as “wickedly creamy orange vanilla ice cream blend.”

If your memory recalls another Monster Orange Dreamsicle, remind me to never play Concentration with you, because, yes, there was the Monster Reserve Orange Dreamsicle from 2022. Both flavors seem to be flavored versions of the original Monster Energy Drink, and both have a tasty flavor that brings to mind the ice cream truck favorite.

One of the issues I had with the older version was that the sucralose in it gave the drink a citrusy artificial sweetener aftertaste that reminded me of orange vitamin tablets, which hurt the drink’s initial citrusy, sweet, and creamy flavor. This new version also has sucralose, but there’s no funky aftertaste. Maybe there’s less sucralose? Or perhaps it’s because this version’s 51 grams of sugar brute-forced the aftertaste away, which the Reserve’s 28 grams of sugar couldn’t do?

Oh, speaking of the sweet powder, these use real sugar and not high fructose corn syrup.

When I first tasted the Electric Blue one, the blue raspberry Pedialyte ice pops I give to my son when he gets sick immediately popped into my head. I also misremembered Electric Blue being the name of Debbie Gibson’s second album. Like music on Ms. Gibson’s pop album, this energy drink is bright and sweet. It’s also a bit syrupy, but it’s a familiar taste that I enjoy immensely. And just like the Orange Dreamsicle, it also didn’t have a sucralose-tainted aftertaste, perhaps thanks to its 46 grams of sugar.

With all that said, if I’m standing in front of a wall of Monster Energy options in a refrigerated case, the chances of me pulling out one of these flavors are significantly lower than me picking up something from Monster’s Ultra line because of its lack of sugar. While I enjoy these flavors equally, I agree with Monster Monster and believe these flavors are sometimes beverages for me, much like regular Coke, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, and Mountain Dew are.

Purchased Price: $2.69 each
Size: 16 fl oz cans
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Orange Dreamsicle), 8 out of 10 (Electric Blue)
Nutrition Facts: Orange Dreamsicle – 200 calories, 0 grams of fat, 370 milligrams of sodium, 50 grams of carbohydrates, 46 grams of sugar (including 46 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 160 milligrams of caffeine. Electric Blue – 210 calories, 0 grams of fat, 250 milligrams of sodium, 54 grams of carbohydrates, 51 grams of sugar (including 51 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 160 milligrams of caffeine.