Celsius has been on a real ~ vibe ~ kick lately. A few months ago, the energy drink—ahem, fitness drink—released a slew of vibey new flavors, including Peach Vibe, Arctic Vibe, Oasis Vibe, and Tropical Vibe. You can probably guess what that first one tasted like, but the more conceptual Vibe flavors would be harder to nail down if the can didn’t explicitly state the flavor profile (for instance, Oasis Vibe is prickly pear-lime and Arctic Vibe is “frozen berry,” which in hindsight, I suppose, isn’t that helpful). The latest Celsius vibe to hit stores? Celsius Cosmic Vibe, which purports to be sparkling fruit punch flavored. Sure, it’s a ~ vibe ~ but does it taste as stellar as it sounds? We cracked open a can to find out.
I’ve tasted pretty much every Celsius flavor (I’ve even ranked all the Celsius flavors for your reading pleasure!) and, in general, I really like Celsius. It’s light and refreshing and has a pleasing fizz, but the downside is that Celsius varieties very frequently taste like artificial sweeteners—some more than others. Unfortunately, Cosmic Vibe is one of the flavors that tastes very strongly of artificial sweeteners. I get it: These drinks are sugar free, but fruit punch is super sweet, so you gotta sweeten it up somehow. Still, that unpleasant flavor really lingers as you sip. Also, I don’t think this tastes enough like fruit punch. It needs more pineapple in the flavor profile—all I get is harsh cherry candy flavor. As a self-proclaimed Celsius expert, I can say I’ve certainly had worse flavors, but this definitely isn’t one of the best flavors.
Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks.
Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction.
Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home.
Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.
Subscribe
Get all the top food rankings, new product reviews, and other grocery content delivered to your inbox every other week.
Gwynedd Stuart
Hebba Gouda
Jon Gutierrez
Jordan Myrick
Justine Sterling
