REVIEW: Mtn Dew Infinite Swirl

I’ve enjoyed every Dew blasted with pineapple flavor, from Maui Burst to Baja Gold. Although, I enjoyed the former more than the latter. And that adoration extends to the 7-Eleven exclusive Mtn Dew Infinite Swirl, a Dew with a blast of pineapple berry flavor.

Its Smurf blue color brings to mind other recent Dew varieties, Liberty Chill and Summer Freeze. That blue hue looks good with the soda’s yellow and red-colored label.

Infinite Swirl has a pineapple-forward taste with some berries on the back end. At first, the blue color made me think it was blue raspberry. But, as always, the label artwork gives a clue. The red ribbons with seeds on them seemed to indicate strawberries, and when I realized that, I began to taste that berry more prominently. The two flavors make a delicious fruity combination. As someone who is a fan of pineapple and strawberry-blasted Mtn Dew varieties, this is definitely a favorite. In fact, I love it as much as the Dollar General-exclusive Maui Burst, one of my favorite Mountain Dew varieties.

Unfortunately, like Maui Burst, it’s a store-exclusive product. But 7-Eleven locations (and sister stores, like Speedway and Stripes) I think are a bit more plentiful than Dollar General locations, so this might be easier to come by. (UPDATE: Did a quick Google search to fact-check, and it turns out there are as many 7-Eleven locations the US as there are Dollar General locations, which is very surprising.) Also, for those of you wondering if there’s a zero sugar version, there isn’t one at this time. But I’ll try to buy enough of it to perhaps give PepsiCo a reason to make one because this pineapple berry Dew is that good.

I hope Infinite Swirl’s time on shelves is infinite. I read that this is a permanent flavor, and I really hope that ends up being the case because it’s a DEWlicious tasting Dew.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 20 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 280 calories, 0 grams of fat, 85 milligrams of sodium, 76 grams of carbohydrates (including 76 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 94 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Mtn Dew Star Spangled Splash, Freedom Fusion, and Liberty Chill

Do the Dew in red, white, and blue! Woo hoo! Although one isn’t really new. Get into the Fourth of July groove!

According to their cans, Mtn Dew Star Spangled Splash (red) is a Dew with a blast of red berry, while Freedom Fusion (white) has peach and lemonade flavors, and Liberty Chill (blue) is a combination of 50 flavors. If you have an encyclopeDEWia of Dew knowledge in your head, that last one might seem familiar to you, and it should be because it’s the same description as the equally patriotic-named Liberty Brew. I get the feeling that the name change was brought upon because some folks might think with “brew” in its name, it might have alcohol since Mtn Dew has gotten into the adult beverage game.

Let’s start with Liberty Chill and its 50 flavors, which I assume represent the 50 states. If Puerto Rico and/or Washington DC become states someday, we can look forward to Dews with 51 or 52 flavors. From what I’ve read, this is just a renamed Liberty Brew. I don’t remember drinking it, but we did review it when it came out in 2019. It comes in a color that makes me want to feed it cookies and then remind it that cookies are a sometimes food. And all those 50 flavors amount to a soda that reminds me of blue raspberry with a floral finish. It’s a pleasant soda I wouldn’t mind tasting and feeding cookies to every summer.

Star Spangled Splash has a familiar Dew taste. It smells like fruit punch, and it kind of reminds me of fruit punch. There’s a noticeable cherry flavor, which Mtn Dew uses in a couple of its most popular varieties — Code Red and Game Fuel Citrus Cherry. But I also notice some strawberry, which needs to be in more Mtn Dew releases. Maybe my mind is taking the “red berry” thing a bit far. Overall, it’s good, but it isn’t really a unique-tasting Dew. If you like the other red flavors I mentioned in this paragraph, then I imagine you’ll like this.

Finally, we have my favorite of the bunch — Freedom Fusion. The Dew rumor mill (DEWmor Mill?) said there was supposed to be a peach-flavored Dew exclusively at Wawa earlier this year, but that was scrapped. Instead, the entire country gets to enjoy this peach and lemonade Dew. I’m not sure I taste the lemonade, but I do taste the peach, which reminds me of other peach drinks I’ve had. It even has a pleasant peach aroma without a hint of lemonade. There’s a slight sourness, but lemonade doesn’t come to mind when I drink this, even though it totally looks like the sugary, citrusy beverage.

If the idea of drinking 36 cans of Mtn Dew to get all three flavors is daunting, they’re also available in 20-ounce bottles. All of them are good to great and tasty beverages to help keep you cool this summer.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 12 oz cans
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Star Spangled Splash), 7 out of 10 (Liberty Chill), 8 out of 10 (Freedom Fusion)
Nutrition Facts: (12 ounces) Star Spangled Splash – 160 calories, 0 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 43 grams of sugar (including 43 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 54 milligrams of caffeine. Freedom Fusion – 170 calories, 0 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 43 grams of sugar (including 43 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 54 milligrams of caffeine. Liberty Chill – 170 calories, 0 grams of fat, 55 milligrams of sodium, 46 grams of carbohydrates, 46 grams of sugar (including 46 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 56 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Mtn Dew Baja Point Break Punch and Baja Laguna Lemonade

It’s Mtn Dew Baja Blast’s 20th anniversary! It’s been two decades since the flavor debuted at Taco Bell. Does that make you feel old? Well, you’re not alone, my Gen X and Millennial friends. It’s also Mtn Dew Baja Season! What is that? It’s when Mtn Dew releases Baja offshoots in tropical flavors to let us know summer is here. Although this year’s flavors, Baja Point Break Punch and Baja Laguna Lemonade, hit shelves a few weeks earlier than previous years.

Baja Point Break Punch is a Dew with a blast of natural and artificial tropical punch flavor. Now, you might be yelling in your head, “Hey! Wait a minute! Didn’t Mtn Dew already Dew a Baja Dew with tropical punch flavor?” It Dew-d, I mean, did. That was 2021’s Baja Punch, but Baja Point Break has a different tropical punch flavor. And I imagine there will be future Baja Dew iterations with a blast of tropical punch flavor. But is this one a blast? Well, yeah, it is.

Looking at the can’s artwork, the flavor seems to combine pineapple, raspberry, blueberry(?), cherry, and donuts. Okay, I’m pretty sure there’s no donut flavor, but those yellow thingies sure look like donuts and not pineapple slices. Its flavor is cherry and raspberry heavy with a bit of pineapple in the background. But there’s enough of the pineapple to convince my taste buds that this is “tropical.” Overall, the fruit combination tastes great and is a little unique from other tropical punch offerings I’ve had.

But enough with the inferior flavor of the two.

If you have to choose between Baja Point Break Punch and Baja Laguna Lemonade for your sugary, caffeinated beverage, go for the one with alliteration because it might be the best limited edition Baja flavor ever. This delightful Dew features a blast of mango lemonade flavor. Now, you might be yelling in your head, “Hey! Wait a minute! Didn’t Mtn Dew already Dew a Baja Dew with mango flavor?” It Dew-d, I mean, did. That was 2022’s Baja Mango Gem, but Baja Laguna Lemonade has a hit of lemonade that makes it taste more of a hit than Mango Gem.

Despite not being in the product’s name, mango is at the forefront of this soda, and adding lemonade takes it to another level. It’s so good that I want to find a suitable professional golfer to name this combination after, similar to calling an iced tea lemonade mix an Arnold Palmer. Laguna Lemonade starts with a bold mango flavor, and then the lemonade flavor appears to add some sourness to the proceedings. It’s a one-two flavor punch that I won’t forget, unlike Baja Mango Gem. Seriously, I can’t remember what it tastes like.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 12 oz cans
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Point Break Punch), 9 out of 10 (Laguna Lemonade)
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 170 calories, 0 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 44 grams of sugar (including 44 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition 2023 Mtn Dew VooDEW

Back for a 5th Halloween season, VooDEW Grim is here to deliver another mystery flavored ghost white soda wrapped in spooky graphics. In years past, the flavors have all been candy-themed, and while they were intended to represent fairly specific candies, like 2020’s “Fruity Candy Explosion” basically being Skittles, this year’s edition partners Mtn Dew with an actual candy brand.

They’ve offered up a few not particularly subtle hints about the flavor, so I’m going to be equally as unsubtle with offering my guess. If you’d rather try it without being biased, now is the time to pull your reaper hood over your eyes and slowly back away into your graveyard. Try not to trip over that mummy with the mohawk.

This year’s VooDEW is available in both regular and zero sugar, and I tried both before I did any research as to what the flavor was. The zero version was the first I found, and sniffing it, I thought it had a familiar scent, but beyond “fruity candy soda,” I couldn’t have told you what it was. Tasting it had a similar effect, except that I was totally distracted by the artificial sweeteners. As someone who typically enjoys all sorts of sodas, including zero and diet types, I’m surprised I found this one so offensive, but I just couldn’t overlook it. I guess I don’t want fake sugar when I’m drinking my candy?

I was feeling like this year’s flavor might be a disappointment, but thankfully, a friendly apparition in the form of the regular variety showed up in my grocer’s cooler. Things are much improved here. There’s a citrusy lemon-lime aspect in the vein of normal Dew (or maybe closer to Sprite or 7UP) with notes of other fruits like cherry. It leans much more sweet than last year’s decidedly sour edition.

It had me feeling like I should know what this is, but I’m not sure I could have placed it exactly without the help of Dew’s clues. With them, though, it made perfect sense. Calling it “SCAIRY” and dropping a red balloon emoji on their social media along with a Blair Witch-style video of people running through the woods being stalked by a red balloon, I can pretty confidently say this VooDEW is Airheads flavored. Typically, the non-color of the brew is part of the disguise with the blank slate not offering up any hints as to what it might taste like. This year, I think the flavor is hiding in plain sight: White Mystery Airheads. The candy is made with leftover flavorings that are hanging around, so if you try this and think it tastes like some blend of cherry, lime, raspberry, and whatever else, you’re probably right.

Overall, VooDEW 5 is a sweet, smooth drinking soda that I think most people will find enjoyable regardless of how they feel about Airheads as a candy. If you’re able to get the regular version of this scary sip, I highly recommend it over the zero.

Purchased Price: $2.29 (regular), $2.00 (zero sugar)
Size: 20 fl oz
Purchased at: Jewel-Osco (regular), 7-Eleven (zero sugar)
Rating: 8 out of 10 (regular), 6 out of 10 (zero sugar)
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) Regular – 270 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 80 milligrams of sodium, 73 grams of total carbs, 73 grams of total sugars (incl. 73 grams of added sugars), and 0 grams of protein. Zero Sugar – 0 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 80 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of total sugars (incl. 0 grams of added sugars), and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Mtn Dew Baja Caribbean Splash and Baja Passionfruit Punch

“Always two there are. No more. No less.”

That quote from a green, wise old man can be applied to the Sith and with annual Mtn Dew Baja flavor extension rollouts.

With the new Baja Caribbean Splash and Baja Passionfruit Punch, Mtn Dew has turned almost all the most popular tropical fruits into Baja flavors. (Waiting for banana and papaya, Mtn Dew.) Pineapple has been used twice, mango once, whatever is in tropical punch once, and then there are these two latest varieties — Caribbean Splash with a blast of guava and Passionfruit Punch with a blast of, well, you know.

Baja Caribbean Splash smells tropical, but its aroma doesn’t quite bring guava to mind. Its orange-red hue also doesn’t quite remind me of guava flesh, which in my head is pinkish. But its flavor is guava, although a lot milder than I’m used to because I grew up drinking many cans of this. Although I wish the guava stood out more, Caribbean Splash is tasty, and I like it slightly more than the other new Baja flavor.

Even though the can’s artwork shows a volcano spewing out many purple passionfruit, I was surprised by Baja Passionfruit Punch’s purple color because I grew up drinking many cans of this which depicts yellow-skinned fruit (lilikoi is passionfruit here on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean). But the soda’s slightly tart taste does bring to mind the passionfruit juice I’ve consumed over the years, but much like Caribbean Splash, the tropical fruit flavor needs to be punched up a bit. Also, I don’t know if the purple color is influencing my taste buds, but its aftertaste made me think of Mtn Dew Pitch Black.

Overall, Baja Caribbean Splash and Baja Passionfruit Punch are great and worth a try to fulfill your fruity caffeine needs. But I was more impressed with previous Baja Dew flavors, like Baja Gold and Baja Mango Gem. Anyway, they’re still good, and I look forward to next year’s Mtn Dew Baja offerings (again, waiting for banana and papaya).

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 12 oz cans
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Caribbean Splash), 7 out of 10 (Passionfruit Punch)
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) Caribbean Splash – 170 calories, 0 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 44 grams of fiber, 44 grams of sugar (including 44 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 55 milligrams of caffeine. Passionfruit Punch – 170 calories, 0 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 44 grams of fiber, 44 grams of sugar (including 44 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 55 milligrams of caffeine.