REVIEW: Mountain Dew x Trolli Cherry-Lemon

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Every year since 2019, Mtn Dew, no, sorry, Mountain Dew (they decided to spell it out again) has unleashed a spooky-themed mystery flavor under the name VooDEW. The freaky flavored opaque grey bubbly liquid ranged from the inaugural candy corn to “fruit candy chews” to 2023’s official collaboration with Airheads candy for a branded cherry flavor. But now Mountain Dew VooDEW is a ghost of the past, at least for 2025. Skipping over the frightful mystery contest in favor of a straight-up co-branded candy collab, this year’s newest Dew is a Trolli Cherry-Lemon gummy, available in only zero sugar.

While this absurdly vibrant red soda may lack the suspenseful surprise of the VooDEW branding, what it doesn’t lack is a punch when it comes to flavor. The cherry lemon gummy presence is just as bold as the coloring, with a strong cherry that verges on syrupy without ever going into the “not good” territory. It’s a big pop of cherry followed by lemon and the classic Dew flavor, which is already lemony in its own right.

The taste of this Trolli collaboration reminds me a lot of the early 2000s fan (and personal) favorite Code Red, with just a touch more citrus flare than I recall from Code Red, which favors the cherry. I imagine that side by side, there may be some additional nuance that comes out, but I’m not sure how much more gummy flavor can be injected into an already potent sweet mix like the foundation of Dew. In the same breath, it does taste remarkably like the yellow and red Trolli gummy worm, so it’s also quite accurate.

Regardless of whether this is a sneaky re-skin or not, it’s a close enough and tasty enough comp for a SKU whose zero sugar version is nowhere to be found in my area. As someone who tries to avoid full sugar drinks, I’m really enjoying this zero sugar Trolli Dew. It is a super sweet, almost-too-much-but-just-enough type of soda that is unique but familiar enough that I can absolutely see myself buying a 12-pack of cans and having no issue finishing it over the course of spooky season.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 20 ounces
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 Bottle) 15 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 85 milligrams of sodium, 1 gram of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 0 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Taco Bell Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Freeze

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Update: It appears, as of early September 2025, this is no longer on the menu. I had it mid-August, but didn’t get a chance to write a review until later, and didn’t realize it was gone. I’ll post this review anyway, in case it comes back.

Here we are in Autumn 2025, and there’s no sign of my beloved Mountain Dew Pitch Black. Instead, the only dark purple Dew available during this Halloween season is Taco Bell’s Mountain Dew Baja Midnight. Boo! Not ghost “boo.” Disapproval, “boo.”

Unfortunately, both times I went to Taco Bell to try the new exclusive Dew, there was no syrup available. The Baja Midnight soda spigot just spewed clear carbonated water, and I had to settle for Baja Blast to wash down a Crunchwrap Supreme and my sadness that was as dark as the Baja Midnight I was supposed to have in my cup. However, as a consolation prize, I ended up with Taco Bell’s Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Freeze.

Looking at the purple slush made me sad about not having Mountain Dew Pitch Black. Or maybe I’m experiencing some SAD (Slushie Affective Disorder) that’s caused by having to get the slush form of a Dew I wanted. Whatever I was feeling, this Freeze didn’t thaw my mood.

Baja Midnight is a Dew with passionfruit flavoring, which, if you’re keeping track at home, sounds precisely like Baja Passionfruit Punch that came out in 2023, which was also purple in color. Looking back at my review of it, I gave it a solid 7 rating. I can’t remember what it tasted like, which means it was either forgettable or I’m getting forgettable.

If Baja Midnight and Baja Passionfruit Punch are identical twins separated at birth, then maybe I didn’t care for Baja Passionfruit Punch as much as I thought I did. It had a decent tart passionfruit flavor with hints of citrus. But there was also a weird, floral-like aftertaste with the citrusy punch at the back end. But that floral flavor eventually went away the more I drank it. But whatever I was tasting didn’t wow me, and if given the choice between it and Baja Blast to wash down my Taco Bell meal and sadness, I’d prefer Baja Blast.

I guess it’s safe to say Taco Bell’s Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Freeze is not my cup of MounTEAn Dew. Oh, it’s not safe because I shoved “tea” in Mountain Dew, and you’re not impressed with that wordplay? Well then, you have now experienced the same disappointment I had with this Freeze.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: Large
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 200 calories, 0 grams of fat, 55 milligrams of sodium, 51 grams of carbohydrates, 51 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein, and 60 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Trolli Limited Edition Mountain Dew Sour Brite Crawlers

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If you’ve been waiting for your chance to “DO THE DEW” and “DO THE WORM” simultaneously (I wish I could take credit for this tagline, but alas, it’s ripped straight from the Mountain Dew website), you’d best slither on over to a package of the new limited edition Trolli x Mountain Dew Sour Brite Crawlers.

These candy critters aren’t the only option to fulfill all of your Dewy/wormy desires—this fruitful (ha) partnership also includes a Zero Sugar Cherry-Lemon soda—but I’m not opening that can of gummy worms today, so I’ll focus on this wriggly business.

As soon as I opened my pack, I was rewarded with a scent cloud that was certainly Mountain Dew-esque. The worms come in three flavors: the green Original Citrus, the red Original Citrus Cherry, and the blue Original Citrus Blue Raspberry.

You may, like me, be disappointed to note that there’s nary a “Code Red” or “Voltage” in sight—the savvy shopper suspects that this decision was made to broaden the pool of potential buyers to those who may be interested in gummies but unfamiliar with Mountain Dew’s intense yet vague naming conventions and while that is a bit of a bummer for Dewhards like Yours Dewly, fair enough. (What I can’t forgive as readily is the omission of Baja Blast, but maybe that’s another marketing thing—I concede that “Original Citrus Tropical Lime” does have a weird ring to it.)

Of course, I had to try the OG flavor first, and my verdict was… yeah, that tastes like what a Mountain Dew-flavored sour gummy worm should taste like! It starts with a burst of mild sourness that quickly recedes into sweetness, with a bright, refreshing throughline of fizzy citrus-ness. I usually don’t opt for snacks much sourer than a Sour Patch Kid, and fortunately for me, these fall on the lower side of the sour scale, such that even if you’re tentative towards tart treats, you shouldn’t have much of an issue. Because of the mellow flavor, if you told me these were Sprite gummies, I would have believed it, but they’re credible as Dew too. While I noticed an oddly artificial aftertaste (how dare my sugary snacks based on a radioactively-hued soda taste artificial!?), I found that to be minimized when I took smaller bites rather than gulping down a whole worm at once.

The red and blue variants had even more intense flavors, which I would say made me enjoy them more than the green, but the tradeoff was that they didn’t strike me as especially Dew-like. Rather, they tasted like pretty generic cherry and blue raspberry slushies. Appearance- and texture-wise, all of the worms are quite satisfying—they are thick, chewy but not too hard, and somewhat stretchy, with an appealing marbled pattern. (I tried to discern whether the lighter parts and the darker parts tasted different, but as best as I could tell, the difference was purely aesthetic.)

If you’re thinking about picking these up, I suggest you Mountain Dew it; they won’t be around forever, so make like an early bird and get that worm.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: 12.3 oz package
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (serving size of 5 pieces): 100 calories, 0 grams of fat, 45 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, 14 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Mountain Dew Honeydew

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I want to start a #FreeMountainDewHoneydew campaign. Will you join me? Because it pains me to see the new Mountain Dew Honeydew be trapped by exclusivity in the US as a flavor that we can only purchase from regional convenience store chains that have spelling issues (Maverik) or cause giggling issues (Kum & Go). Let’s release those chains from those chains and bring it to all who wish to Do the Honeydew because it’s quite HoneyDew-licious.

Mountain Dew Honeydew actually made its deDew, I mean, debut in Canada in 2023, and since then, US Dew fans have wondered if we would ever get the flavor. But like ketchup and All-Dressed potato chips, it has made its way into the US stores, albeit not everywhere.

Twisting off the top and giving the freshly opened soda a sniff, its aroma was similar to many honeydew-flavored drinks I’ve had from Japan. Although the beverages from Japan usually have some kind of creamy component, this Dew didn’t have one. Instead, think of the best piece of honeydew you’ve ever had in your life, but sweeter with a stronger melon flavor and a hint of the underlying citrus flavor at the back end. That’s what this soda tastes like, and that’s why I adore it.

Being so good, it brings up another question besides, “Why is Mountain Dew Honeydew an exclusive flavor?” Why aren’t there more honeydew-flavored drinks in the US? Off the top of my head, I can’t think of another melon-flavored beverage offered throughout the United States. Although knowing my astute and lovely audience, I’m sure some of you will come up with one or two in the comments.

Much like it upsets me that the delicious Mtn Dew Maui Burst is a Dollar General exclusive, it’s equally as upsetting that Mountain Dew Honeydew is only available at a regional convenience store chain. My favorite Dew flavors are difficult to obtain, and that annoys me. Maybe I should move? Or start #FreeMountainDewHoneydew and #FreeMtnDewMauiBurst campaigns.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 20 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 270 calories, 0 grams of fat, 85 milligrams of sodium, 74 grams of carbohydrates, 73 grams of sugar (including 73 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 93 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Mountain Dew Dragon Fruit

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Despite its namesake, dragon fruit isn’t exactly the boldest of flavors. Now, don’t get me wrong, I \*like\* dragon fruit, especially the yellow kind. However, I really find that it adds more in the way of color and texture than flavor, which is why I was honestly kind of surprised when I heard that Mountain Dew, a brand known for bold flavors like Flamin’ Hot and Code Red, had decided to add a dragon fruit flavor to its lineup.

I do have to give them credit where credit is due (or Dew, haha): this stuff DOES really taste like dragon fruit. The flavor is mild, but it is present, and it does evoke the actual namesake fruit. There is a hint of that trademark vaguely citrusy taste most varieties of Mountain Dew share as a background note and a slight aftertaste, and that Dew scent remains present. However, there is a sort of mild, earthy hint of kiwi-like sweetness from dragon fruit that ties it all together.

Even the color looks close. If you’ve ever blended a few chunks of red dragon fruit into an otherwise pale smoothie, topped some Greek yogurt with it, or even just picked up a piece with your bare fingers, you know that bright pink shade it imparts, and I daresay this Dew nails it.

All that being said, the flavor is still really weak. If I’m taking in as much sugar as two servings of Skittles (there’s no zero sugar variety), I want to TASTE something! This almost feels like a sweetened La Croix with the fruit-like whisper of flavor the dragon fruit lends. So, if you’re looking for a bold new Dew to celebrate the summer with, I might suggest Baja Cabo Citrus, 7-Eleven’s exclusive Infinite Swirl, or the returning Summer Freeze. Because sadly, this one just misses the mark and the flavor I have come to expect from one of my favorite soft drink brands.

Purchased Price: $2.38
Size: 20 fl oz bottle (also available in cans)
Purchased at: Walmart (Exclusive)
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 280 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 73 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 73 grams of total sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

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