REVIEW: Starbucks Iced Energy Beverages

/ / Reviews

Who would’ve thought Starbucks and Dunkin’ would be competing for our cash with fruity energy drinks this year? I didn’t have that on my 2024 Fast Food BINGO card. Earlier this year, Dunkin’ pushed 144 milligrams of caffeine into our bloodstreams with its SPARKD’ Energy Drinks. Now, Starbucks is helping keep America energized with its line of Iced Energy Beverages.

The sugar-free drink debuted with three flavors: Melon Burst, Tropical Citrus, and Frozen Tropical Citrus Iced Energy with Strawberry Puree. While the first two are permanent additions to the menu, the third one is only available for a limited time and exclusive to the Starbucks app. This review will cover the first two.

Starbucks says the Melon Burst Iced Energy features melon and cucumber flavors balanced with Passion Tango Tea. If you’re unfamiliar with the chain’s Passion Tango Tea, it’s made with a blend of hibiscus, lemongrass, and apple, creating a beverage with the color of passion. For a drink called “Melon Burst,” it sure doesn’t have a burst of melon. Nor does it have a noticeable cucumber flavor. Both come out a bit in the aftertaste, but I mostly detected the flavors in the Passion Tango Tea. It’s not a bad tasting beverage since I enjoy hibiscus teas, but I was hoping for more melon.

Starbucks’ Tropical Citrus Iced Energy combines passionfruit and citrus flavors with green tea. There’s a slight tartness from the passionfruit flavor, but I’m not sure I taste anything citrusy, which I guess, depending on the citrus fruit, could also cause the tartness. It starts fruity, and the green tea becomes more noticeable right before I gulp it down. Thoughts of Arizona Green Tea came to mind while drinking this, but as a fan of the cheap canned beverage, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. If I were to repurchase an Iced Energy, I’d get this flavor over the Melon Burst.

With that said, I wish these had a stronger fruitiness. Their flavors don’t pop like they do with Dunkin’s energy drink offerings. Heck, Starbucks’ Refreshers are more enticing. I guess I’m disappointed because I’m used to zero-sugar Monster and Red Bull varieties being flavorful despite having zero calories and artificial sweeteners. But on the plus side, while these Starbucks beverages also use artificial sweeteners, I didn’t notice the sucralose and ace-k in them.

While these don’t pulverize your taste buds with flavor, they do pack a heck of a caffeinated punch. Melon Burst has 180 milligrams of caffeine, and Tropical Citrus has 205 milligrams. Those numbers are for the venti size, which is the ONLY size these drinks come in. I wonder if the reasoning for this is because of what happened with Panera’s Charged Lemonade.

If you want a lightly carbonated, lightly fruity, easy-to-drink, and heavily caffeinated pick-me-up that doesn’t make you feel like you need to brush your teeth afterward, Starbucks’ Iced Energy Drinks will satisfy your taste buds, bloodstream, and teeth.

Purchased Price: $6.25 each
Size: Venti (24 fl oz)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Melon Burst), 6 out of 10 (Tropical Citrus)
Nutrition Facts: (Venti) Melon Burst – 10 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 1 gram of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein, and 180 milligrams of caffeine. Tropical Citrus – 5 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein, and 205 milligrams of caffeine.

SPOTTED: 6/26/2024

/ / Spotted on Shelves

Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.

Bettergoods Carolina BBQ Style BBQ Kettle Potato Chips
Bettergoods Red Pacific Sea Salt Potato Chips
Bettergoods Hatch Chile Tortilla Chips
Bettergoods Guacamole Flavored Tortilla Chips

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)

Bettergoods Roasted Sweet Corn and Campfire Roasted Salsas
Bettergoods Mango Chile and Creamy Tomatillo Salsas

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)

Great Value Honey BBQ Trail Mix

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)

Good & Gather Honey Pecan Drizzled Granola Clusters
Good & Gather Apple Cinnamon Raisin Drizzled Granola Clusters

(Spotted by Amanda Y at Target.)

Sprouts Gluten-Free Blueberry Mini Cookies
Sprouts Gluten-Free Tuxedo Mini Cookies
Sprouts Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies

(Spotted by Sarah R at Sprouts.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

SPOTTED: Hostess Limited Edition Cherry Slurpee Twinkies

/ / Spotted on Shelves / 2 Comments

Hostess Limited Edition Cherry Slurpee Twinkies.

Would really love a Banana Slurpee Twinkie, Hostess! I might be the only one though. (Spotted by Amanda Y at 7-Eleven.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

SPOTTED: Mtn Dew Infinite Swirl

/ / Spotted on Shelves / 6 Comments

Mtn Dew Infinite Swirl.

This 7-Eleven exclusive is a Dew with a blast of pineapple berry flavor. (Spotted by Shaun at 7-Eleven.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Fritos Flavor Twists Queso

/ / Reviews / 4 Comments

One of the biggest mysteries emanating from the chip aisle is why the hell aren’t there more Fritos Flavor Twists flavors? Originally released in 1992 in the now-beloved Honey BBQ, as well as two others I never had the pleasure to try — Cheddar Ranch and Jalapeño Cheddar — these twirly, crunchy corkscrew corn chips are inexplicably delicious to anyone who enjoys a sweet but smoky BBQ flavor. Yet for how excellent the form factor is, Frito Lay has sat on its hands for over TWENTY years without adding any new flavors aside from two limited regional drops in the early 2010s…until now! Fritos Flavor Twists Queso originally came out last year as a Dollar General exclusive (again, why the limited distribution?!), but are now making their way to most stores that carry the brand.

The reason why Flavor Twists are so fantastic is that fusilli-adjacent shape really does lock in a ton of flavor while delivering an exciting, crunchy, yet light and airy texture. This is coming from someone who loves regular Fritos, too, both the smaller and Scoop varieties. In fact, I think original Fritos are the most underrated “plain” chip in all of chips, but the Twist shape is better in every way aside from scooping. Frito Lay may have unlocked the ultimate cheat code in the early 90s and has criminally under-utilized it since, but this beautiful purple-accented bag of Queso Twists is a promising sign of things to come.

These new-ish Flavor Twists have a solid amount of seasoning that will leave your fingers decently caked after enjoying a couple handfuls. The flavor reminds me of Chili Cheese Fritos without the cumin-y funk. They have a solid cheese-forward burst in the front, followed by the classically strong and iconic Fritos corn taste, and then finish with just a teeny tiny bit of spice. I don’t think I would even call the finishing note “heat,” and it isn’t noticeable until you have eight or so in a row; it’s a nice round peppery spice that sits pleasantly beneath the salty cheese-prominence.

Queso Flavor Twists aren’t nearly as dynamic as their Honey BBQ sibling, but they are still a really tasty chip. They channel a big bowl of Fritos Scoops next to salsa con queso at a party, minus the mess. While they aren’t quite as good as getting a big scoop-full of meaty chili cheese on a thick salty chip, they are a fun new addition to the Fritos family that’s worth grabbing a bag in hopes that they stick around with more Twists to come.

Purchased Price: $2.69
Size: 3 1/2 ounces
Purchased at: Walgreens
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (23 pieces, 28g) 160 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

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