In March 2026, a new energy drink hit the shelves of Hy-Vee. FLRT, under the parent company of Monster Energy Drink, is a new energy drink that is marketed toward women. It is advertised more as a health drink than as an energy drink, however. It markets itself with collagen and vitamins for hair and skin health, claims to help with immunity, focus, energy, metabolism, and burning fat. With all these benefits, it is accompanied by 200 mg of caffeine. Astoundingly, though, it contains no taurine or sugar, elements that are common in most energy drinks on the shelves right now. 

When I first heard about the launch of FLRT, it was from an Instagram reel talking about new energy drink flavor launches. I thought it was a bit weird to market an energy drink toward women, because when I think about energy drinks, I don’t think ‘Oh, this one’s for boys and this one’s for girls’. Most of my friends and I drink all types of energy drinks, from Ghost to Monster to Celsius to Redbull to Alani. While Alani’s target demographic is more female-focused, I wouldn’t judge one of my guy friends for drinking one. Yet, FLRT is obviously marketed to women, something that can be seen plainly from the can, with a bubbly design reminiscent of the 2000s and a text thread on the side claiming that users should “Flirt for no good reason – except life’s more fun when you do.” The name of the brand and the flavor names are all slightly sexualized, with flavor names like ‘Berry Tempting’, ‘Strawberry Fling’, ‘Guava Lava’, and ‘Sunset Squeeze’. This is all quite odd, since there are plenty of women and girls already who drink Monster Energy drinks. FLRT is aimed at a demographic that its parent company already covers. 

FLRT also claims on the can that it helps metabolism and burn fat, but if you follow the little asterisk on the can next to that statement, it will lead you to a small section underneath the ingredients that claims: “FLRT alone does not produce weight loss, but combined with a healthy diet and exercise, FLRT’s energy blend helps boost metabolism and burn fat. Sip, sweat, and enjoy a can of FLRT – just remember, individual results may vary for every unique body!” This seems like it could bring up certain issues for the drink brand with the claims that are so blatant on the can. Hiding these caveats could present issues for false claims of aiding in weight loss, a slippery slope for an energy drink putting on the facade of a wellness drink. 

I tried all four of the drinks’ flavors and rated them out of 10. I felt that most of them tasted exactly like the Zero Sugar Monster equivalent, but the taste was slightly watered down or flat. Furthermore, the can is 12 fl oz with 200 mg of caffeine, which is the same as Alani Nu Energy drinks, but when I drink Alanis, I can feel the caffeine very strongly since the caffeine is more concentrated in a smaller amount of drink than a Ghost, which has 200 mg in 16 fl oz. The difference with FLRTs is that the caffeine does not feel very strong, despite it being the same concentration and amount. 

Overall, I think that this new energy drink release was unnecessary and disappointing. The flavors fell flat, the benefits seem shaky, and the caffeine lacks that ‘pow’ that energy drinks are supposed to bring.