REVIEW: Mtn Dew Energy Baja Blast

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Mtn Dew Energy Baja Blast Can

What is it?

Baja Blast has washed down Nachos Supreme with authority for nearly two decades. Introduced in August 2004 as the first ever fast food exclusive soda collaboration between Pepsi and Taco Bell, the fan favorite has been allowed to spread its bubbly wings over the past eight years. Not only can the popular pop be bought in 20-ounce bottles and 12-packs at Walmart, but in 2022 it expanded into the burgeoning low-calorie energy drink market via Mtn Dew Energy.

How is it?

Baja Blast was designed specifically to complement Taco Bell’s salty and spicy food, so the profile has always been kind of mild and admittedly isn’t a favorite of mine from the Mtn Dew lineup. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll get the Zero Sugar version anytime I get a fountain drink at Taco Bell, but on its own, it doesn’t pack a whole lot of “wow” factor compared to the original, Code Red, or recent limited editions like Spark.

Mtn Dew Energy Baja Blast Glass

The flavor is hard to pin down because it’s so mild, but regular Baja Blast is described by PepsiCo as “a tropical lime storm,” and that’s fairly accurate if we’re talking about a very mild and sweet storm, like a key lime storm. Take that bit of sweet key lime and collide it with the classic inevitable Dew flavor and some nondescript citrus, and you’ve got your Baja blanket. To go along with the mild flavor, the can delivers a low level of carbonation with fairly wide bubbles that I want a bit more presence from. Even though the smoothness may be preferable for some, I like a nice bubbly burst and think some tighter bubbles would bring out more citrus storminess.

Mtn Dew Energy Baja Blast Pour

Anything else you need to know?

One of the features of Mtn Dew Energy is its use of fruit juice, and that small 5% of fruit juice does have an impact here, and it’s not a good one. The use of white grape juice concentrate makes the Energy version of Baja a touch less sweet than its purely artificial-based counterpart, which is a detriment to the flavor as a whole. I even get some grape juice flavor in the finish that builds the more I sip, which isn’t surprising since it’s the second ingredient. It’s very drinkable, and I’m sure it would go swimmingly with a Crunchwrap Supreme, but as a flavor, it’s not an improvement over the original.

Conclusion:

Mtn Dew Energy Baja Blast Caffeine

Mtn Dew Energy remains a good but not great line, with only one or two flavors that really impress me. I could see myself repurchasing this if it was on a good sale but will likely reach for a bolder, punchier lime when I want my citrus craving quenched.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 16 oz can
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 25 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein, and 180 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Fanta What The Fanta Mystery Flavor

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Fanta What The Fanta Mystery Flavor Bottle

I should start off by explaining/apologizing for how, when I recently finished a thriller whose twist ending blew my mind, I was quickly informed by online reviews that I was the only person in the world who hadn’t seen it coming by the third page. Please bear that in mind when I tell you that I had no idea what to make of my first sip of Fanta’s What The Fanta Mystery Flavor. It smelled like Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles, looked like dishwasher detergent, and tasted like a sudden inability to remember a single other flavor to which I could compare it.

After a few addled attempts, I realized that it reminded me of Fresca, the zero-calorie drink known to me throughout my childhood as equally for its sparklingly synthetic taste as for its inexplicable presence at every gathering my dad’s side of the family ever held. Fresca was grapefruit-flavored, but I don’t think the same can be said of this blue beauty. I don’t drink much sugar-free soda, so that was just one of my few frames of reference for the bright, biting, and ever-so-uncannily artificial flavor that overwhelmed any other tastes I might detect here.

Still, “fruit of some sort” seemed like a promising start, and I kicked into detective mode to find more leads.

My first clue was a message on the bottle that read, appropriately, “Find Clues: #WhatTheFanta.” Attempting to follow those directions immediately led to me drowning in a sea of disgruntled Twitter users comparing this soda’s taste, with varying degrees of tact, to a rear end. (Fortunately, another recurring guess was the way more helpful — not to mention plausible — “orange creamsicle”).

Eventually, I made my way to Fanta.com, an oasis of information where, for the price of my email address and birthday, I was granted access to a secret world by way of QR code.

Spoilers ahead!

Fanta What The Fanta Mystery Flavor Glass

The QR code transports you to a mysterious website where you’re greeted by an array of images: first, there is just an innocuous blue Fanta bottle, which quickly reconfigures itself into an ice cream truck, a weird bluish blob that I initially parsed as an octopus but eventually realized was probably meant to be a stylized scoop of ice cream, an ice cream cone (okay, I thought I got it!!!), an ear of corn (never mind, I was confused again!!!), a carrot, a traffic cone, and finally some sort of reddish donkey-thing.

The three pieces of ice cream imagery and the two iconically orange items lend a lot of credence to the orange creamsicle theory, but I must admit I still have no idea how the corn or donkey play into it. I guess if the cerulean color for an ostensibly orange flavor is any indication, Fanta isn’t above throwing in a few red (or blue) herrings (or donkeys).

So, that’s the mystery of the flavor resolved (probably). What about the resolution of this review? Unfortunately, the tinny tang that comes along with the “zero sugar” label meant that I regrettably found the QR code caper more compelling than the actual beverage that inspired it. Drink this if you’re thirsty for a good case to crack, but perhaps not if you’re thirsty for a good soda.

Update: We also tried the Burger King Frozen What The Fanta! Click here to read our review.

Purchased Price: $2.19
Size: 20 oz
Purchased at: Wawa
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 65 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: The Artist Marshmello’s Limited Edition Coca-Cola

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Marshmacoke1

Coca-Cola has been around for 136 years, which is no easy feat. Those years haven’t always been smooth (New Coke enters the chat), but they have generally adapted to the market’s taste changes. It’s no mystery that younger folks are drinking less traditional soda than previous generations. Taste shifts coupled with the sheer amount of choices available have made soda companies readjust their approach, and the new Coca-Cola Creations division aims to bring younger people back to the brand.

Coca-Cola Creations was launched in early 2022 with its first flavor: Starlight. Not long after, we got a second entry into the Creations Canon with BYTE. The third release is different from the other two in many ways. The Artist Marshmello’s Limited Edition Coca-Cola tells you right on the can what to expect: Watermelon Strawberry Flavored Coke.

Even though the previous flavors were left a mystery, I think they wanted to avoid people misreading the can and thinking it was marshmallow-flavored. The joke’s on them because I did that anyway. While scanning the almost all-white can, my brain absolutely assumed it was marshmallow flavored. I would also imagine this was because I read Marshmello as marshmallow.

Marshmacoke2

A well-known electronic music artist/producer, Marshmello is easily identified by his signature helmet that looks like a Lego head painted white with black “X” eyes and a smile. I am painfully out of the loop with popular music but know a few songs he’s collaborated with. All this to say, he’s popular with younger people, so teaming up with him for a limited edition Coke seems like the right move.

From the skinny white can, came a strong sweet berry smell that was so familiar to me, but I couldn’t place it. Pouring it into a cup, I was shocked to see the color of regular Coca-Cola. Based on the flavor description, I thought the color might be lighter or reddish. My first taste brought a crashing wave of recognition. The flavor was very strawberry/berry up front, with the smallest tang of classic Coke on the back end. The taste is, to me, very reminiscent of Pepsi Blue.

Marshmacoke3

Unlike Pepsi Blue, the sweetness is pulled back with this drink. I think that is because Coke is not as sweet as Pepsi to me. While I absolutely loved Pepsi Blue, I wish this wasn’t quite as similar. The lack of discernible watermelon was disappointing, and the strawberry overpowered any other flavor that might have been present. I’m curious how the Zero Sugar version compares taste-wise and if the watermelon might be more present.

The Artist Marshmello’s Limited Edition Coca-Cola is an interesting offering that I think will do well with its target audience. It has a “drink of the summer” vibe that I don’t feel we’ve seen yet this year. I enjoyed it overall but wished the watermelon flavor was more present. I was looking forward to a new and unique flavor but ended up with the answer to a question I hadn’t asked: What if Coke made Pepsi Blue?

Purchased Price: $2.19
Size: 12 oz can
Purchased at: Wawa
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 140 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 39 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Mtn Dew Overdrive

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Mtn Dew Overdrive Bottle

Mtn Dew Overdrive is a Casey’s-exclusive flavor. What’s Casey’s? It’s a convenience store chain that isn’t convenient for anyone who lives outside the upper center of the United States.

According to its label, it’s a Dew with a blast of citrus punch. I assume that punch contains mango, raspberry, and lime flavors because there are images of those fruits on the label. The graphics also include a bunch of critters, like a beaver, turtle, catfish, duck, and what I assume is a moorilla, part moose and part gorilla.

Mtn Dew Overdrive Moorilla

(UPDATE: I am told that is Benny the Bearalope, and it’ll be touring Casey’s locations and the nightmares of those poor folks who lay their eyes upon it.)

Mtn Dew Overdrive Critters

If you’ve read my past Mtn Dew reviews, what I’m about to type is whatever the written equivalent of me sounding like a broken record is. Mtn Dew Overdrive smells and tastes very similar to another Dew (or a Dew offshoot) that exists or has existed, but I’m not sure which one. However, I know for sure that I have no idea whether it tastes like Mtn Dew Cyclone, the first citrus punch-flavored Dew that was a Speedway exclusive, because I’ve never tried it.

While it’s supposed to have mango, raspberry, and lime flavors, I only taste the raspberry and lime when I take a sip. I notice a bit of mango in the aftertaste, but I wish I could taste it with the other fruits. As much as I enjoy Mtn Dew Overdrive’s flavor, it’s not one I’d put in the uppermost echelon of my favorite Dew varieties. Of course, your taste buds may vary.

Again, Mtn Dew Overdrive is tasty, but I can’t help but think about how it’s a little disappointing that it reminds me of another Dew variety. If you live far outside the region where Casey’s stores are located, it’s not a flavor I’d drive over many miles to obtain.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 20 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: eBay (Casey’s exclusive)
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 270 calories, 0 grams of fat, 85 milligrams of sodium, 73 grams of carbohydrates, 73 grams of sugar (73 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 91 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Berries and Cream RC Cola

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Berries and Cream RC Cola Can

RC Cola used to be my favorite soda growing up. I remember it tasting sweeter and had more of a bite than Coke and Pepsi. But then it just disappeared out of my life. I’m not sure what happened. Maybe Coke and Pepsi conspired to make sure RC Cola never got shelf space, or perhaps my parents received bribes from Big Cola to make sure during my formative years that my allegiance would be with Coke or Pepsi.

Since then, I’ve had RC Cola a few times, but it doesn’t taste as good as I remember. Maybe it’s the high fructose corn syrup, or perhaps my tongue has been washed with Coke and Pepsi so often that my taste buds can’t bring themselves to relive the good times they’ve had with RC Cola.

RC Cola is still around, kicking, and according to Instacart, available at a grocery store near me. But the cola is not only alive, but it also has a new limited time only, Dollar General exclusive flavor — Berries and Cream.

Berries and Cream RC Cola Pour

The can has a retro look, and its muted colors make it look even more so. Its vanilla-heavy aroma is inviting, and it smells like what you’d get cracking open a can of Vanilla Coke or Pepsi Vanilla. However, I don’t notice any berry scent.

Berries and Cream RC Cola Red

Thankfully, a syrupy berry flavor comes through the cola taste with the very first sip. I thought it was a bit odd at first, but subsequent sips weren’t weird. Although its name contains the vague “berries,” the only one I taste is raspberry. The cream flavor is also around, but I wouldn’t call it “cream” because it reminds me of the vanilla flavoring in other colas.

Berries and Cream RC Cola Glass

Overall, Berries and Cream RC Cola is tasty enough that I think it has the power to raise the brand up and out from behind Coke and Pepsi. Just kidding. But it’s definitely good enough to prevent RC Cola from sinking lower.

Purchased Price: FREE*
Size: 16 fl oz can
Purchased at: eBay (available exclusively at Dollar General)
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 220 calories, 0 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of sodium, 58 grams of carbohydrates, 57 grams of sugar (57 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 57 milligrams of caffeine.

*Thanks to the mnmtwinz, known for their fantastic Instagram, for sending this (and a few other extras) with the Mtn Dew I purchased from them on eBay.

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