Monster Java Chai Hai

This is the second review of the day for me. Jeff and I picked up the Chai Hai at out local market today, and we thought that maybe we could do a "Double Review." Basically, it will include both of our opinions and thoughts on the drink for the amount of one review. So here's my part.

This is the drink I've been waiting to try since we started Canned Reviews. This drink is called the Chai Hai, a blend of spices and tea. If you've ever tried a Chai Tea Latte, you might know what this will taste like. I, personally, love tea and coffee, so I am really hoping that this will be a powerful Monster blend. This can has a Chinese background consisting of faded green stone artwork. In front of the background, you see the usual Monster logo with its stained brown look and font carved by a sharp object. So far, this is Monster's best artwork yet. I am glad to finally try this drink and I know it'll be a winner in my book.

This is by far, the best smelling energy drink I have ever smelled before. I immediately smell a blend of spices, milk, and tea, similar to egg nog and chai mixed. This has a light brown, milky color as it hits the cup. Way lighter than the other Java Monsters. The taste is mouth watering...warm, buttery, silky smooth. You then feel a mix of cinnamon, green tea, and sugary sweet, creamy coffee. Once you taste this drink, you cannot put it down. I am constantly taking more and more sweet Monster coffee blend that doesn't get old and always keeps you hyped and alert. Sure, this drink is chuggable, but you really do want to...you need to savor the drink because I can almost guarantee that you will not find a better coffee/tea energy blend out there like this one. Obviously, this drink has no carbonation, no gumminess, and no nasty aftertaste you get in most energy drinks. Instead, you get that warm feeling you get at Christmas, or being inside a cottage with a hot fire during a snowstorm. Overall, if you want a drink either during the holidays, or you want a sweet, warm drink with no gumminess or artificial aftertaste, purchase this drink, and stay AWAY from Starbucks a few paces away. For a cheap average price of $2.00, you get this intense, flavorful drink. For a ridiculously expensive price of about $5.00, you get an overpriced Chai Latte which tastes the same, if not worse than this Monster. Which would you rather buy?

Okay, now the ingredients: I first see filtered water and reduced fat milk, standard ingredients for a Java Monster. Next, I see sucrose and glucose, an alterantive sugar substance to HFCS. Taurine, then comes in at number five, different than most energy drinks you'll see out there. Per can, you get about 2,000mg of taurine and 180 calories. Have you noticed the difference? That's right, the least amount of calories in a Monster product (except the Lo-Carb). You only get 28 grams of carbs as well, I think this drink is a message say "Hey, we want to make an energy drink low on everything, but not so low that we have to call it low...so, lets make it sweet, tea-like(for organic ingredients), creamy, and milky." So, overall, this was an amazing drink and I would for sure recommend this to tea lovers, coffee lovers, and energy lovers.

Taste: 10 - Incredible flavor and no aftertaste or gumminess
Kick: 10 - I am so focused right now...
Overall: 10 - You will never find a better tea-like energy drink out there

Reviewed by: Chan

As Jeff puts it...

This is Jeff, writing the second part of our Chai Hai double review. I have fallen in love with each of the Monster Java drinks I've tried so far. I haven't reviewed them all, but I know that every one is coffee, except this. Chai itself is not the tea leaf, but the beverage brewed with many aromatic spices. I'm expecting another quality drink by Monster, this time with intense flavor.

I opened the almighty Chai Hai through my dramatic can opening ritual. When I opened it, I got a whiff of cinnamon, nutmeg, mocha, vanilla, and it seemed hundreds of other spices and pleasurable aromas. It had the perfect sweetness and a creaminess to it that was insanely addicting. As you take a sip, you notice the silky smooth cream sensation and then slowly the warm and welcoming spices greet you along with the lovely and earthy tea. It reminds me of Christmas time and sitting by our imaginary fireplace in a comfortable chair. There's no nasty aftertaste you'd get from an energy drink, just liquid nirvana. The color, I forgot to mention, is a little lighter than the coffee Javas and is more tan than brown. This one is for sure the best drink out of all the tea drinks out there. I mean it's better than any Lipton brand tea drink you could find anywhere. There's not a trace of any artificial sweetener, which means there's no overpowering quality to it and it never gets old. I don't know what else to say but that this is simply amazing.

Now, don't forget, this is an energy drink, too. With the incredible taste, you also get 2000mg per can of Taurine, an energy ingredient, 400mg of Ginseng, and an overall 5000mg; or 5 grams of the Monster Energy Blend; including L-Carnitine, Glucose, Caffeine, Guarana, Inositol, Glucuronolactone, and Maltodextrin. At a little over $2.00, I know this would seem like a way better value than any overpriced hot drink at any cafe. And knowing you'll get a real good boost is half the experience. If you're a calorie-counter or health freak, don't fret; there's no more than 180 calories in the can, with a mere 26g of sugar. That's around 5.4 tablespoons for the 15oz in the can. I'd say that's not bad, considering soda has a lot more sugar. After this, I feel really awake and aware, focused enough to do anything asked of me, like sweep the floors or prepare dinner. If you've got to choose between this and a Starbuck's Coffee, trust me, you will be far more satisfied with the Monster.

Taste: 9 - Incredibly tasting and thoroughly satisfying
Kick: 7 - Yeah, I got a boost
Overall: 9.5 - Worth every cent

Reviewed by: Jeff