Singapore Energy Drink Trip 2017

Humidity Like Being in a Bathroom

Singapore is incredibly humid! The temperature is around 30°C, and it's mostly cloudy, so the sunlight isn't too harsh, but the constant humidity feels like being in a bathroom, and it was overwhelming all day. I’m especially sensitive to humidity, so I was drenched in sweat the whole time.

Tourism and Energy Drinks, Both Easy

In Singapore, the subway system is well-established in all the main areas, so transportation is almost entirely by subway. There are buses too, but they’re probably not necessary. As for energy drink hunting, there aren’t many to begin with, so there’s no need to move around a lot like in the U.S. Just buy what you can at nearby supermarkets and enjoy the sightseeing; it's a relaxing trip!

Energy Drink Situation in Singapore

Basically, the global Red Bull, Asian Red Bull, and Monster Energy are the main brands. These are available pretty much everywhere you go. The Asian Red Bull seems to be available only in stores outside of Singapore, and there’s only one original version outside of convenience stores and supermarkets.

The dragon design on the left, full of "chūnibyō" (cringe-worthy) style, is not everywhere, and you’ll only see it occasionally. It might be a convenience store exclusive.

I forgot to take pictures, but I also saw 28 Black and some wrapped products, but I skipped them this time. I believe 28 Black is from Hong Kong, and since you can buy it in other parts of Asia, I’d like to pick it up if I visit Hong Kong.

I visited around 20 stores, including convenience stores, supermarkets, and other shops, but they all had the same selection. Although the number of stores was much smaller than usual, I didn’t need to visit more since everywhere had essentially the same things.

I knew beforehand that Singapore wasn’t really a destination for energy drinks, based on my research of the beverage market, but I didn’t expect it to be this sparse...

Red Bull is imported from the EU, and it turns out that Monster is also imported, so it seems like Singapore will still have a long way to go before it can operate independently in the energy drink scene. In fact, it might not even be realistic. I mean, if an energy drink scene was booming in such a small country like Singapore, that would be pretty scary, right?

Just Buy Energy Drinks While Sightseeing in Singapore

Singapore (and likely other Southeast Asian countries) doesn’t require much time to spend on energy drinks, so you can enjoy sightseeing to the fullest. There’s no need to carry heavy luggage, and as long as the humidity isn’t an issue, it’s a great country for energy drink travelers to have a relaxing holiday (*´艸｀*)

By the way, when I went to Singapore, it was right in the middle of Chinese New Year, and the whole city was immersed in a Chinese atmosphere. This is Chinatown. Even shopping centers in Orchard, the main shopping street, were completely red. It seemed like many people of Chinese descent were wearing red clothing. In Japan, we hardly feel the New Year festivities, but this is how it’s celebrated around the world.

It was my first time experiencing such a strong CNY (Chinese New Year) atmosphere, but I kept hearing "Happy CNY" from Chinese friends and people around them. Traveling around, you get to experience things you didn’t know before, like energy drinks, and I always feel like I’ve learned a lot from these experiences (ｕ_ｕ*)

What Singapore Means for Energy Drink Enthusiasts

Although Red Bull and Monster are imported, they’re made in a way that is specifically designed for Singapore, just like the ones in Japan. So you can proudly add them to your collection as a symbol that you’ve been to Singapore. For enthusiasts, these are must-have items.

Oh, and speaking of which, during the F1 event, it was actually in Singapore where the normally non-sale F1 edition was sold in stores. If you time it right with a limited release, you might be able to grab some surprising finds.