At the age of 12, Dennis got his first taste of Monster Energy.
For a year, he repeated this process, trying new flavors one after another and displaying them until his shelves ran out.
But Dennis’s love for Monster could not be bound by physical space.
He decided to immortalize his collection online, posting each of his cans of Monster on a dedicated Instagram account called @EnergyCans_NL.
Now 19 years old and living in the Netherlands, he is the second biggest collector of monster cans on Instagram.
Dennis’ rare can collection.
“When the cans are a few years old, they can leak, and I don’t want that,” he says.
“And I’m not saving because of the value of the collection, but because I really like it.”
Yes, there is a small community of influencers who collect and post rare Monster cans and flavors.
It’s like a sneakerhead community, only for energy drinks.
Most post their trophies under #EnergyDrinkCollection, but Monster-specific collectors like Dennis can be found on #MonsterCollection.
“When I first started, there were only a few [Monster] flavors available in the Netherlands for sale in local supermarkets, so I started looking online for even more flavors and a different look,” Dennis tells MEL.
However, he soon discovered a website that imports different flavors and has been importing, tasting and posting his way to the top ever since.
A post shared by ENERGY MAFIA (@energymafia) on Jul 25, 2019 at 2:12pm PDT
What it takes to be a real monster collector
Any old Kyle can post a picture of their Monster Energy can, but #MonsterCollectors are the elite level.
A skimpy green Monster Original sitting on a dusty shelf in a room lit up with Christmas lights isn’t going to get you any followers.
Dennis uses a Nikon D3400 and carefully matches the atmosphere and mood with the can and taste.
🍏MONSTER ENERGY ULTRA PARADISE!🍏 – Design: 9/10 Taste: 8/10
A post shared by energycans_nl (@energycans_nl) on Apr 8, 2019 at 6:31am PDT
🐲MONSTER ENERGY DRAGON TEA GREEN TEA!🐲 – ❗️Order this great flavor at: www.energycans.nl and use the discount code: INSTAENERGY❗️
A post shared by energycans_nl (@energycans_nl) on Jul 18, 2019 at 6:43am PDT
While Dennis says he no longer reviews flavors (though he’ll tell you his thoughts in a DM if you ask), some Monster collectors put as much emphasis on Monster’s unique palate as the image itself.
Take Domenico, a monster collector in Germany.
For example, here’s how he describes the Monster Energy GRONK edition:
“Monster Gronk 🏈 from the USA 🇺🇸💪🏻 at first it smells like a normal energy drink with a touch of vanilla 🤔😱 But the first taste was great 😋 It tastes a bit like Rockstar Original Energy Drink with a mix of Monster Original 🤙 🏻 But it tastes very sour 😂 👅 In the end I have to say that I like the drink 🥃🙋🏻♂️ [7.5/10]”
“I try to review all the drinks so my subscribers can get a better idea of what it tastes like!” he says to MEL.
Monster Ultra Paradise 🍏🥝 from USA 🇺🇸 • This is the best Ultra ever!🤘🏻 • It tastes like a sweet mix of apple 🍎 and kiwi 🥝 !
But it also has a typical ultra taste 🤙🏻 It’s a good variety of apple and kiwi 🔥🤩 • The design looks very nice 👍🏻👌🏼 The green color looks fantastic 😉 it’s a typical ultra design but I really like it 👈🏻🥰 TAGS: #oen #monster # monsterenergy #monsterenergydrink #monsterenergyultra #monsterultra #monsterultraparadise #monstercollectiongermany #monstercollection #usamonster #applekiwi
A post shared by Domenic’s Can Collection (@domescancollection) on May 2, 2019 at 7:09am PDT
But if people are looking for taste descriptions, they can go to YouTube, where there are many brothers describing the taste of their monsters.
On Instagram, however, Monster Collectors focuses on capturing a certain je ne sais quoi that surrounds each individual can.
But capturing the essence of cans isn’t just for the love of Monster.
A post shared by Energy Drinks Brasil (@energydrinksbrasil) on Jun 16, 2019 at 5:27am PDT
“Of course, flavors play a big part,” explains Dennis, “but people will buy a can more quickly if the design is very nice, especially rare cans.
Maybe that’s why he doesn’t review cans publicly anymore, but Dennis recently got sponsored by a monster import store, which sends him different cans and a stipend to the store in exchange for posting pictures to his many followers.
He is now a bona fide Monster influencer.
A post shared by ENERGY MAFIA (@energymafia) on May 3, 2019 at 6:10am PDT
“When I take pictures of these cans, I always put in the description that you can buy the can from their web store [and] use the ‘Product’ tag, so you can immediately buy the Monster can I post on Instagram when you click on the photo.”
“This is a unique offer for me,” he continues, “I can take pictures of beautiful Monster Energy cans and I don’t have to pay anything.
Dennis says rare monster designs “can sell for up to [$110] for just one can,” but just because they’re rare doesn’t mean they’ll taste better.
“Strange or limited cans don’t necessarily taste better than other cans,” he adds.
So what adds value to a can of Monster?
According to Domenico, it’s the age of the can, what shape the can is in, where it’s from and, finally, the design.
For example, Dennis’s rarest tin, pictured below, was released in 2008.
But, he explains, “these BFC [‘Big Fuck Can” or 32 fluid ounce] cans were only sold for a short time because they were too unhealthy for people, they were too big.”
Dennis’ rarest Monster can
But, he says, “the value of the can decreases if the Monster Energy card is missing, the can is empty, or if the can has scratches and dents.”
Some of the most sought-after cans, according to Domenic, are “Java Chai Hai, Java Lo Ball, Monster Mixxd and all pre-2007 or older cans.”
As with many collecting communities, adding a monetary value to items can make things a little more cumbersome.
But so far in the monster collecting community it’s quite the opposite.
Monster Hydro Mean Green 🌿 from Germany 🇩🇪 • It tastes like a very sugary lime drink 🍸🍋 it’s non-carbonated and for me it’s a perfect example of a typical sports drink 🥤 I don’t like German hydros because they’re all watery…the American ones are much better 😉🙌🏻 • Design looks ok 😉 It’s a green plastic bottle with a blue monster claw and some text 😱 it has a blue cap with a white monster claw 😅 The bottle has 550 ml inside🤙🏻 ⚠️TAGS⚠️ #oen #monster #monsterenergy #monsterhydro #monsterhydromeangreen #hydro #hydromeangreen #meangreen #monstercollector #monstercollection #monstercollectiongermany #green
A post shared by Domenic’s Can Collection (@domescancollection) on Jul 31, 2019 at 6:11am PDT
“I feel like we’re all one big group of people with the same goal,” Dennis tells me.
“We all mostly know each other and even have an international WhatsApp group for Monster Energy information around the world.”
Today I tried the new Dragon Tea Yerba Mate from the USA🇺🇸🐉 In my opinion, it is one of the worst Monster flavors😅
A post shared by Monster Collection Denmark (@monstercollectiondenmark) on Aug 16, 2019 at 8:34am PDT
In their group chats, people will trade or sell their duplicates to others in different countries.
If a guy has two limited edition Gronk cans that were only released in America, he can trade with someone in Canada who might have gotten hold of the discontinued Monster Rehab Tea Lemonade.
Collector groups exist all over the world: Irish Monster Cans, Monster Energy Germany, Monster Collection Denmark, and Netherlands Monster Cans, to name a few.
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Today I’m drinking Ultra Paradise from USA🇺🇸 Great taste👍🏻
A post shared by Monster Collection Denmark (@monstercollectiondenmark) on Sep 16, 2019 at 7:36am PDT
With boots all over the world, the group has become savvy enough that, according to Dennis, they’ll know about new flavors and designs before Monster officially releases them on social media — and long before the Kyles get their grubby little hands all over them.
He reports on internet culture, technology, health, masculinity and the communities that flourish within them.