From dorm room to world record: the collector with 2,000 energy drink cans

One energy drink bought on a hot day has turned into a record-breaking collection of 2,000 cans.

Gergő Borbély (Hungary) moved to Debrecen, Hungary, in 2008, and started the largest collection of energy drink cans.

On 9 April, he was confirmed as a Guinness World Records title holder, but Gergő had never intended to become a collector. He told us how his unusual hobby began. 

“It was a very hot August day, and I had only been living in my dormitory for a few days. I found a small shop nearby and went in looking for something cold and carbonated, but the only suitable option in the fridge was a HELL energy drink. I had never tried an energy drink before, so I bought one. I liked it, so I started trying other energy drinks.

“Back then, the selection was much smaller than it is today, not only in brands but also in flavours. Most energy drinks basically had the classic tutti-frutti flavour, either regular or sugar-free. 

“The cans simply started piling up in my dorm room. After a while, I decided to take them to recycling, but while sorting them, I changed my mind and put one of each different can back on the shelf. There were around 15 of them, they looked good together and added some colour to an otherwise rather plain dorm room, so I kept them.”

In 2010, while travelling, Gergő visited a supermarket in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, where he spotted an energy drink that he didn’t have. He bought it, took it home and returned to Hungary with 20 different cans in his collection. 

Gergő never enjoyed drinking coffee, so during his late university nights, energy drinks became his caffeine fix.

As time went on, Gergő became interested in more than the drinks themselves. He loved discovering different flavours, brands, and can designs. Many cans Gergő found had different artwork inspired by games, movies, sports or even famous figures.

Through travelling in Japan and across Europe, Gergő has made connections within the international collector community, and said: “I feel that some pieces in my collection are not just cans but also symbols of different places and different periods of time.”

With 2,000 cans to choose from, which is Gergő’s favourite?

One of his favourites is Rasta Monsta, and he likes this one because of its built-in straw feature; another is the oldest item in his collection, a Semtex can from 1994, which Gergő explained: “It looks much more like a food tin can than today's energy drink can.” 

But his most sentimental cans are the ones he bought on his honeymoon in Japan. He added: “They have memories attached to them that cannot really be measured in money. If I had to choose one of those, it would probably be the Japanese Chainsaw Man-themed ZONE can. It combines Japan, anime, and energy drink collecting, and on top of that, I bought it on our honeymoon.”

Some of Gergő’s most unusual finds include a Japanese energy drink called Alien, which comes in a glass bottle rather than a can, as well as eight versions of the Michael Jackson Mystery series from the 1990s.

He said: “I also have an old Guarana energy drink made in Yugoslavia. I find that particularly interesting because the country no longer exists.”

Of course, as a collector, there will always be items that are more difficult to find! For Gergő, he is on the lookout for cans from South African brand Slayer Energy, whose cans feature different designs created by local and international artists.

Read about more record-breaking Collections here!

So where do you put 2,000 energy drink cans?

He told us: “The collection is currently in my gaming/hobby room upstairs in our house. When you have more than 2,000 cans, storing them becomes a real challenge. Around 900 cans are attached to the sloping ceiling of the attic with small pieces of double-sided hook-and-loop tape. The rest of the cans are displayed on shelves.” 

Although many of the cans are ordinary and not worth very much, Gergő estimates that the older, rarer and more unusual pieces bring the total value of the collection to between €10,000 (£8,543; $11,355) and €35,000 (£29,903; $39,745). However, he says that their personal value is far greater because of the memories attached to them.

Gergő has drunk the contents of almost all the energy drinks in his collection, and citrus flavours are among his favourite. However, he once came across a hot-sauce flavoured drink which he’s unsure if he’d try again!

For Gergő, he is not planning to attempt any other Guinness World Records titles but is keen to continue adding energy drinks to his ever-growing collection. He said: “For me, the Guinness World Records title is not the end of collecting; it is more like a very important milestone.”

In 2025, while contemplating a house renovation, Gergő wondered where he was going to put all of his cans. That’s when he had a thought: “I wonder if I have the most in the world?”

He said: “My daughter became the real motivation for me. I thought about how nice it would be if one day she picked up a Guinness World Records book, saw her dad in it, and felt proud of him. From that point, I felt that I had to try.”

Turning that idea into an official record was far from simple, he said: “Altogether, it took several hundred hours of work. Every can had to be catalogued and photographed individually, the complete inventory had to be prepared, and then the record attempt itself had to be documented. We did much of this in the evenings after we put our daughter to sleep.

“My wife didn't just help me with the work; she also kept me going throughout the whole process. There were some real low points when I honestly thought I couldn't continue and that all this work simply wasn't worth it. She was the one who helped me through those moments and made sure I didn't give up. 

“Now that the official Guinness World Records title certificate is here, I can definitely say it was worth it.”

Now a world record holder, Gergő has his sights set on an even bigger dream: creating an exhibition or energy drink museum where the public could see his collection alongside pieces from other collectors. 

“I would love to make sure that at least some of these collections or special pieces are preserved so that other people can still see them in the future. If someone had told me in 2008 that those few cans would one day lead to a Guinness World Records title, I definitely would have laughed.

“And now here we are.”