REVIEW: Monster Energy Ultra Blue Hawaiian

I just learned there’s a cocktail called the Blue Hawaiian, which is similar but shouldn’t be confused with the Blue Hawaii cocktail. I learned about it when looking up what’s in a Blue Hawaii for this review. I apologize for being so uneducated about blue alcoholic drinks. It makes me feel blue.

A Blue Hawaii, invented by a bartender in Waikiki, is made of rum, pineapple juice, blue curaçao, and sweet and sour mix. A Blue Hawaiian, which was influenced by the Blue Hawaii but created by someone somewhere else, is light rum, pineapple juice, blue curaçao, cream of coconut, and lemon juice. However, after scanning recipes and Wikipedia entries, I noticed that the latter has more pineapple juice and a green color.

So, is Monster Energy’s Ultra Blue Hawaiian trying to encapsulate the flavors of a Blue Hawaiian or a Blue Hawaii? With its Smurfy blue color, I’m going with the latter. However, its strong pineapple punch could convince me it’s the former.

Maybe what’s printed on the can will make things clearer.

Whether you’re in beast mode, vacay mode or just chillin’ island style, Ultra Blue Hawaiian will fire you up to be your best! Light, crisp, and super easy drinking with a tropical tiki twist, Blue Hawaiian is a killer combo of exotic Polynesian fruit flavors that are big on taste, but with zero sugar. With a full load of our world-famous Monster Energy Blend, this aloha energy will keep you goin’ and the shakas flowin’ from dawn patrol to last call.

Nope. That was no help.

What isn’t a nope is the tropical/pineapple flavor this has. It’s most definitely a yup and a yum. Also, it tastes better than Monster Energy’s Ultra Gold. In my review of that pineapple-flavored energy drink, I wrote that I wished its fruity flavor was a bit stronger, and Ultra Blue Hawaiian has a pineapple punch that I wished Ultra Gold had. But it’s not just pineapple flavors; there’s also a fruitiness that reminds me of tart blue raspberry. Or maybe its color is deceiving my tongue since the drink comes in the same hue as blue raspberry beverages. Whatever it is, it and the pineapple make this taste outstanding.

Despite being a sugar-free drink, it doesn’t taste like one. I know I keep saying that about every Monster Energy Ultra flavor that crosses my tongue, and I’ll probably copy and paste this paragraph into another Ultra review. However, I can’t help it because I’m still amazed at how a sugar-free drink can taste so good.

Monster Energy Ultra Blue Hawaiian has rocketed to the top of my favorite Monster Ultra flavors list. It doesn’t make me blue. It makes me want to yell, “Woo hoo!”

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 16 fl oz can
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 10 calories, 0 grams of fat, 370 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, 2 grams of erythritol, 0 grams of protein, and 150 milligrams of caffeine.

SPOTTED (SEASONAL EDITION): 2/4/2025

Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.

Buddy’s DIY Teddy Bear Cookie Decorating Kit
Buddy’s DIY Valentine Cookie Decorating Kit

(Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)

Member’s Mark White Chocolate Bark

(Spotted by Robbie at Sam’s Club.)

Marketside Valentine Chocolate Covered Fortune Cookies
Marketside Vanilla Cake Poppers

(Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)

French Heart Macarons

(Spotted by Robbie at Costco.)

Signature Select Special Edition Red Velvet Sweetheart Ice Cream Sandwiches

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Tom Thumb.)

Bakery Bling 6 Soft Glittery Cookies

(Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)

Milk Chocolate Planters Peanut Bark Honey Roasted Flavored Heart

(Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)

South Bend Chocolate Company XOXO Pretzel Hugs

(Spotted by Robbie at World Market.)

Private Selection Dipped Strawberry Madeleines

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Kroger.)

Limited Edition Lucky Charms Cereal with 2025 Leprechaun Trap

(Spotted by Robbie at Sam’s Club.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

SPOTTED: Pop-Tarts Spring Thaw Edition No Chill Sugar Cookie

Pop-Tarts Spring Thaw Edition No Chill Sugar Cookie 1.

Pop-Tarts Spring Thaw Edition No Chill Sugar Cookie 2.

This is like the hot dog and hot dog bun dilemma. There are ten designs, but a box only has eight Pop-Tarts. (Spotted by Robbie at Target.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

SPOTTED: Cinnamon Toast Crunch Strawberry Cereal

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Strawberry Cereal 1.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Strawberry Cereal 2.

A new Cinnamon Toast Crunch variety! Yay! It’s a Walmart exclusive for now. Boo! (Spotted by Robbie at Walmart.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Red Bull Pink Edition Wild Berries Energy Drink

I was wracking my brain, trying to find the perfect song from Alecia Moore, aka Pink, to sum up my feelings about Red Bull’s new “The Pink Edition.” Surely, a pop star with such myriad hits would have something – some song, some lyric – to help me express how this wild berry energy drink made me feel.

Alas, my search came up empty. It didn’t make me want to “get the party started.” It didn’t make me want to “raise my glass.” It was not “(censored) perfect.” I did, however, find the opening “lyrics” of her smash hit, “So What,” appropriate:

Na-na-na-na, na-na, na
Na-na-na-na na-na –
… and so on and so forth…

Nah. This ain’t it.

Now that I got that extremely clunky reach for an intro out of the way, allow me to introduce “The Pink Edition,” which, in an ironic turn of events, is a real snoozefest from Red Bull.

The Pink Edition tastes of “wild berries,” which seems like a flavor profile Red Bull would have tackled by now, but apparently not. Whenever I have something “berry” flavored, I like to try and guess which berries are being used, so I took my first sip without research.

First of all, this isn’t even really pink. It’s more red. It’s too red. Anyway, flavor-wise, I assumed rasp, black, and one of cran, blue, or straw. The standards. Sometimes something crazy happens and brands sneak in a boysen or a snozz, but those are usually the main “mixed” berries.

The Pink Edition smells like Strawberry Jell-o but just kinda tastes like a slightly underripe raspberry. On the surface, that’s not bad, but there was also a strange chaser in there. I couldn’t pinpoint whatever berry it was, so I cheated and checked Red Bull’s official summarization:

“Raspberry and other fruits complemented with exciting herbal notes.”

It’s red, and it’s just one berry. This is literally red bull.

Ignoring how they just hand-waved the other potential fruits, THAT made sense. This has a slight herbal taste to it. It’s not very exciting, but it made me feel a very specific way. As just an everyday energy booster, I wouldn’t recommend this flavor at all. It’s one of the most middling Red Bulls I’ve had in ages.

That being said, if I was sick, I would absolutely love this. I don’t wanna jinx myself, but when I’m under the weather, I live on Ricola cough drops and drink ice cold seltzer almost exclusively. That’s what this tasted like – an herby fruity cough drop melted into a seltzer.

Does that appeal to anyone except sick me? I’d imagine it doesn’t. It’s maybe not as medicinal as I’m making it seem, but that herbal element really leans towards it.

So yeah, not great. Unless you’re a sicko like me, skip it. You’ll probably wanna pour this pink drink down the sink. I wish I had Alecia LESS of this flavor.

Yeah, that’s a bookend, I guess. Hmm, maybe I am getting sick.

Purchased Price: $2.38
Size: 8.4 Fl. Oz.
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 3 out of 10 (8 out of 10 if I had a fever)
Nutrition Facts: 110 calories, 0 grams of fat, 90 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of total carbohydrates, 26 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of protein.

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