Tag: Mountain Dew

It feels like it’s been a Flamin’ Hot minute since I’ve done the Dew.

I’m jealous of all you hardcore Dew heads out there who manage to track down every flavor (I imagine you call yourselves “Dewds and Dewdettes,” naturally.) I know there are grinders out there who don’t let any regional release or store exclusives stand in the way of their doing of the Dew.

Me? I’m a big Mountain Dew fan, but at this point, half the names feel like fever dreams. Every time I turn around, there’s a new one on the market. It’s hard to keep track. The last Dew I had was red, but it wasn’t Code Red. You know the one! When was that released? Am I way behind?

Either way, I liked it. It was a headache in a bottle, but it tasted good. What can I say? I’m getting old, and the sugar rush goes straight to my dome. Actually, I think Mountain Dew could use that as a slogan. Mtn Dew: It’s a headache in a bottle, but it tastes good! Enter the two new Dew – Baja Gold and Baja Mango Gem. Guess what? They’re no exception.

Baja Gold is pineapple flavored, while Baja Mango Gem tastes like mango, with zero gem flavor to be found anywhere. I can honestly say I’ve had maybe two pineapple sodas and no mango. Couple that with the fact I’ve been a fan of the Baja variants since the OG at Taco Bell, and I was fired up to try these.

Well, what I can tell you upfront is, yeah, both of these are cloyingly sweet – too sweet if I’m being honest, but we all know what to expect from Mountain Dew. I couldn’t fathom drinking a full 20 ounces of either of these in one sitting, let alone both, but they were delicious in moderation.

Baja Gold tasted like the ripest chunk of pineapple you’ve ever had, inexplicably rolled in pure cane sugar. It’s essentially pineapple Life Savers in liquid form. My only real frame of context when it comes to pineapple sodas are Goya and Jarritos, and I think this stacks up pretty well in comparison. It’s vibrant, smells incredible, and has that tiny, almost peppery bite on the finish like the best pineapple usually has.

Pineapple is criminally underutilized by soda companies, and this lived up to the hype I built up in my head. I know Dew had a pina colada-inspired flavor at one point, and I’m really bummed I missed it.

Baja Mango Gem didn’t pack as much as a punch, but it was equally good.

Finding super ripe mangoes near me is always a total crapshoot, so I am a big fan of dried mango, and this soda tasted just like that. It didn’t pop quite like Gold but had a nice sweet mellow flavor that really made me think of those little dried fruit jerky pieces.

Mango and orange aren’t exactly similar, but this had a similar sensation to a less intense orange soda. It kinda falls somewhere between the typical orange soda and those creamsicle-flavored novelty sodas. It’s not “creamy” per se, but sweet and smooth.

It’s admittedly dumb even to mention this about a Mountain Dew release, but they still caught me a bit off guard with the sugar content. The fructose corn syrup in these drinks is higher than Snoop Dogg.

In the end, both are really nice, but they’re a headache in a bottle. I say definitely do these Dews, but don’t be shocked if you polish off the bottle and have a stomach ache soon after.

Purchased Price: $2.29 each
Size: 20 fl oz bottles
Purchased at: Quick Chek
Rating: 7 out of 10 each
Nutrition Facts: 280 calories, 0 grams of fat, 85 milligrams of sodium, 74 grams of total carbohydrates, 74 grams of total sugars, and 0 grams of protein.

Mtn Dew Typhoon is a Dew with a blast of tropical punch, and it’s only available online via the Dew Store. It’s a returning flavor that made its debut in 2010. A 16-ounce can six-pack will cost you $12 (not including $8 ground shipping). Plus, to purchase it, you have to be a Dew Nation HQ member, which I’m not sure comes with a membership card you can flash to access some auDEWtorium if you sign up. Is it worth spending an Andrew Jackson and sharing your email and birthday to get your hands on something that initially existed over a decade ago?

Well, it’s much cheaper and easier than building a time machine from scratch, let me tell you. But if you’ve already got one, go with the time machine because sodas were cheaper back then. If not, I think it’s worth getting the six-pack of Mtn Dew Typhoon because it’s a mid to maybe upper-mid-tier Dew flavor.

Here’s what I wrote about it back in 2010, when the flavor debuted as part of the DEWmocracy promotion: “While those who live in the western part of the Pacific Ocean probably don’t like its name, I thought its pineapple and citrus flavor was the best tasting and most unique of the three DEWmocracy flavors. Although, as much as I liked it, I wasn’t completely blown away by it.”

After tasting it again in 2022, that last sentence still rings true. It has a tasty fruit punch flavor with a noticeable pineapple kick, but it’s not so great that I want it available year-round or in brick-and-mortar stores. It’s been over a decade since I last had the chance to try Typhoon, and over that time, I haven’t really thought about it, unlike Mtn Dew Pitch Black, which I dream about multiple times a year.

With that said, I do like the idea of getting the opportunity to go back into Mtn Dew history and try flavors from its past, even if that involves creating a password for the Dew Nation HQ website. I hope this leads to the selling of other discontinued flavors. Can you imagine trying Johnson City Gold or Mtn Dew Pitch Black I AND II again? That would be awesome!

So, I guess what I’m saying is, buy Mtn Dew Typhoon. By doing so, you’ll be getting a fine tasting Dew, and we all might get the chance to wrap our lips around more discontinued Dew flavors in the future.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product samples from Mtn Dew. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 16 fl oz cans
Purchased at: Received from Mtn Dew
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 230 calories, 0 grams of fat, 65 milligrams of sodium, 61 grams of carbohydrates, 61 grams of sugar (61 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, 72 milligrams of caffeine.

What is Mtn Dew Purple Thunder?

It’s a Circle K exclusive Mountain Dew flavor that combines the classic carbonated and caffeinated citrus soda with blackberry and plum flavors. It’s available in 20-ounce bottles and at Circle K’s Polar Pop fountains.

How is it?

It tastes like another Mountain Dew flavor that I enjoyed, which is odd because the press release about Purple Thunder says that it has “a one-of-a-kind blackberry and plum fusion.” I can’t recall which other flavor this tastes like because all the high fructose corn syrup I’ve consumed from trying every Mtn Dew variety might’ve made my memories hazy. But it’s probably one of the other berry-flavored Dew flavors I’ve tried. I guess you could say Purple Thunder is a DEWrivative.

It’s really the berry that has my taste buds experiencing flavor deja vu. I don’t notice any plum flavor unless the flavor scientists at Mountain Dew eat the same flavorless plums I sometimes end up getting because I have no idea how to pick good ones at the grocery store.

Anything else you need to know?

Its purple color makes me yearn for Mtn Dew Pitch Black. Now that I’ve typed that sentence, I want it even more. Give me a second. I’ve got to create an eBay saved search for unopened Pitch Black cans that are very-beyond-the-best-by-date. Come on, Mountain Dew! Bring back Pitch Black for Halloween this year! Heck, it can even be a reboot. Reboots are in now. Dew it!

Also, a zero-sugar version is not available. Sorry. Wait. Why am I apologizing? It’s not as if I influence what gets made and what doesn’t. Besides wanting Pitch Black back, I’d like Maui Burst to be released from Dollar General’s exclusivity. But just because I typed that doesn’t mean it will happen.

Conclusion:

Even though it tastes familiar, Mtn Dew Purple Thunder is a fine release. It’s not even close to being in my top 10 favorite Dew flavors. But it is definitely in my top 10 favorite purple-colored Dew flavors, which I think there are less than ten, so there’s a chance it’s ranked higher than ten.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample (along with a bunch of swag I’ll never use) from Mountain Dew and Circle K. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 20 oz bottle
Purchased at: Received from Mtn Dew and Circle K
Rating: 6 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), and 0 grams of protein.

When Mtn Dew Gingerbread Snap’d leaked several months ago, the promotional pictures showed the soda would be brown, and its name would be just Snap’d. But as we all know, a lot can change in a year. So here we are with a white-colored Mtn Dew with a longer name that makes me wonder two things:

1. Was the color change made because this was supposed to end up as a winter/holiday mystery flavor?
2. Was the brown color scrapped because it would be totally awkward if this flavor was known as the Dew Dew Dew?

For those of you not keeping track at home, Gingerbread Snap’d is the 623rd new Dew flavor of the year. Okay, there haven’t been THAT many, but the number of flavors Mtn Dew has put out this year across all its lines makes Oreo look lazy.

This festive soda is a Dew with a blast of artificial gingerbread flavor, and before even trying it, I thought, as odd as it sounds, it’s probably going to taste decent. After all, the Flamin’ Hot-flavored Dew ended up being not bad.

Oh boy, I was totally wrong.

It wasn’t decent. Instead, it was like two snaps and around the world fantastic.

Before I go on, I have to admit my thoughts about this Dew have been influenced by snacking friend @CandyHunting on Instagram. Basically, she thinks it tastes like a cola. (Click here to read her full explanation.) Having tried Gingerbread Snap’d and reading her thoughts about it, I can not NOT think this Dew is a cola in a ghost white-colored body.

The scent and taste of artificial gingerbread are the most noticeable in this bottle, but the Dew’s citrus is right behind, well within gingerbread’s personal space. That blend of spice and citrus gives Gingerbread Snap’d a kind of craft cola vibe. If this came in its originally planned brown color and wasn’t labeled, I think those who drank it would think it’s a cola (or even a cloudy, less gingery ginger ale).

Mtn Dew Gingerbread Snap’d is a surprisingly tasty holiday beverage. If you’re curious about it, you should definitely buy it because who knows if it’ll reappear next year or get replaced with Mtn Dew Pump’dkin Spice or something like that.

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, 90 milligrams of sodium, 73 grams of carbohydrates, 72 grams of sugar (including 72 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.