Two ingredients vs fifteen-plus. That's the real story when you put Bare Brew and Monster side by side. One is cold brew coffee made from Arabica beans and water. The other is a long ingredient list that also contains caffeine. Here's the full ingredient breakdown so you can decide for yourself.
This comparison is for anyone who currently drinks Monster (or is thinking about it) and wants to know what they're actually putting in their body — and whether there's a better option for the same job.
The Numbers at a Glance
| Category | Bare Brew (12oz) | Monster Energy (16oz) | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caffeine | 320mg | 160mg | Bare Brew (2x more in a smaller can) |
| Sugar | 0g | 54g | Bare Brew |
| Calories | 20 | 210 | Bare Brew |
| Total Ingredients | 2 | 15+ | Bare Brew |
| Can Size | 12oz | 16oz | Depends on preference |
| Caffeine per oz | 26.7mg/oz | 10mg/oz | Bare Brew (2.7x more concentrated) |
| Flavors Available | 1 | 40+ | Monster |
| Retail Availability | Online + select retail | Everywhere | Monster |
| Price Per Can | $4.50 (12-pack, $53.99) | ~$2.50-$3.00 | Monster |
| Price Per 100mg Caffeine | ~$1.41 | ~$1.72 | Bare Brew |
Bare Brew pricing is from drinkbarebrew.com: $53.99 for a 12-pack ($4.50/can), $32.99 for a 6-pack ($5.50/can), $23.99 for a 4-pack ($6.00/can). Shipping is $8.99 flat on every order — no minimums. Monster figures use a $2.50-$3.00 retail range; energy drink retail prices vary by store and region, so run the math on what you actually pay.
The Full Ingredient Lists
Bare Brew Cold Brew — 2 Ingredients
- Honduran Arabica coffee
- Filtered water
That's it. No sweeteners (artificial or natural), no preservatives, no added flavors, no vitamins, no proprietary blends. Coffee. Water. Done.
Monster Energy — The Full Label
- Carbonated water
- Sucrose
- Glucose
- Citric acid
- Taurine
- Natural flavors
- Sodium citrate
- L-carnitine
- Panax ginseng root extract
- Ascorbic acid
- Caffeine
- Sodium chloride
- Niacinamide
- Riboflavin
- Guarana seed extract
- Inositol
- Glucuronalactone
- Pyridoxine hydrochloride
- Cyanocobalamin
- Color added
The first three ingredients after water are two forms of sugar (sucrose and glucose) and an acid. That 54g of sugar is the equivalent of dumping 13.5 teaspoons of sugar into your drink. For reference, the American Heart Association recommends a maximum of 9 teaspoons of added sugar per day for men and 6 for women. One Monster gets you there and beyond.
Where Monster Wins
Flavor variety. Monster has 40+ flavors across multiple product lines — Ultra, Juice, Rehab, Java, and more. Want mango? Pipeline punch? Mean bean? They've got it. Bare Brew is black cold brew coffee. One flavor. If you need variety or don't like the taste of black coffee, Monster has options that Bare Brew simply doesn't.
Availability. Monster is one of the most widely distributed beverages on the planet. Every gas station, convenience store, grocery chain, vending machine, and college campus in America stocks it. Bare Brew ships direct-to-consumer and is available at select retail locations. For pure convenience, Monster is unmatched.
Upfront price. At $2.50-$3.00 per 16oz can, Monster costs less per can than Bare Brew's $4.50 per 12oz (in the $53.99 12-pack). At those prices, Bare Brew works out to less per 100mg of caffeine — $1.41 vs $1.72 — but energy drink retail prices vary, so check what a can actually costs where you shop.
Where Bare Brew Wins
The sugar gap is massive. 0g vs 54g. This isn't a marginal difference. One Monster per day adds up to over 19,000 grams — roughly 43 pounds — of sugar per year. Bare Brew adds zero. If you're drinking energy daily, this is the single most important number on the label.
Caffeine efficiency. Bare Brew packs 320mg into a 12oz can. Monster puts 160mg into a 16oz can. That means Bare Brew delivers 2.7x more caffeine per ounce. You're getting more caffeine from a smaller container with nothing else attached to it.
Ingredient simplicity. There's no comparison here. Two whole-food ingredients vs a list that requires a food science degree to decode. Glucuronalactone? Pyridoxine hydrochloride? These are real compounds with real functions — but if you can't pronounce what's in your daily drink, that's worth thinking about.
Calories. Monster's 210 calories per can come almost entirely from sugar. Over a month of daily consumption, that's roughly 6,300 calories. Bare Brew is 20 calories per can — about 600 over the same month.
What About Monster Zero Ultra?
Fair question. Monster Zero Ultra removes the sugar and drops to 0 calories with 150mg of caffeine. It's a simpler nutrition panel than the original Monster — but it achieves "zero sugar" by using erythritol and sucralose (artificial sweeteners) while keeping the same 15+ ingredient formula. Bare Brew achieves zero sugar by simply not adding anything to coffee and water.
The Real Cost Comparison
If you drink one energy drink per day for a year:
| Metric | Bare Brew | Monster |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Cost (retail) | ~$1,643 | ~$1,003 |
| Annual Sugar Consumed | 0g | 19,710g (~43 lbs) |
| Annual Calories | 7,300 | 76,650 |
| Annual Caffeine | 116,800mg | 58,400mg |
| Cost per mg Caffeine | $0.0141 | $0.0172 |
Bare Brew annual cost is 365 cans at the $4.50 12-pack rate ($1,642.50), before shipping; shipping is $8.99 flat per order. Monster annual cost uses $2.75 a can, the midpoint of the $2.50-$3.00 range above.
Yes, Bare Brew costs more per can. But you're also paying for twice the caffeine, zero sugar, and two ingredients. The annual difference buys you 43 fewer pounds of sugar in your body. For most people, that math works out.
Who Should Pick Which
Pick Monster if: you want maximum flavor variety, need to grab something from any gas station, prefer a larger drink volume, want the lowest possible per-can price, or genuinely enjoy the taste of energy drinks.
Pick Bare Brew if: you're trying to cut sugar, want to know exactly what's in your drink, prefer coffee-based caffeine over synthetic energy blends, care about calorie count, or are switching away from energy drinks and want a shorter label.
The ingredient label doesn't lie. You're either drinking coffee and water, or you're drinking a 15+ ingredient formula with 54g of sugar. Both give you caffeine. Only one gives you nothing else.
Try Bare Brew Cold Brew — 2 ingredients, 320mg caffeine, zero sugar. Newsweek Readers' Choice "Best Cold Brew" Brand 2026 finalist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is cold brew coffee better for you than Monster Energy?
From a nutritional standpoint, black cold brew coffee like Bare Brew has a simpler panel: zero sugar, 20 calories, and no artificial additives. Monster contains 54g of sugar and 210 calories per 16oz can, plus a 15+ ingredient list. The caffeine in cold brew comes from a single natural source (coffee beans), while Monster blends caffeine with guarana, taurine, and other compounds. For daily consumption, the shorter label is the easier one to justify.
How much caffeine is too much per day?
The FDA cites 400mg of caffeine per day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects in healthy adults. One can of Bare Brew (320mg) keeps you under that figure with room to spare. Two cans of Monster (320mg total) would give you the same amount of caffeine but with 108g of sugar and 420 calories attached. If you're caffeine-sensitive, start with half a can of either and see how you respond.
Does Monster Energy have more caffeine than Bare Brew?
No. Bare Brew contains 320mg of caffeine in a 12oz can. Monster contains 160mg in a larger 16oz can. Bare Brew has exactly double the caffeine in a can that's 25% smaller. Per ounce, Bare Brew delivers 26.7mg of caffeine compared to Monster's 10mg — that's 2.7 times more concentrated.
Why is Bare Brew more expensive than Monster?
Bare Brew uses Honduran Arabica coffee beans (the higher-quality, more expensive variety) and a cold brew process that takes longer than standard brewing. Monster uses water, sugar, and synthetic caffeine as its base. A Bare Brew can is $4.50 in the $53.99 12-pack versus roughly $2.50-$3.00 for a Monster. At those prices Bare Brew works out to less per milligram of caffeine — about $0.0141/mg vs Monster's $0.0172/mg — because a can carries twice the caffeine. Energy drink retail prices vary by store and region.
