Is Baja Blast Best In A Glass Bottle? We Found Out

Just over a year ago, we posted about the first rumblings of Mountain Dew Baja Blast hitting shelves in glass bottles. ~367 days later (and 3 months after they hit shelves), I finally found one of these mythical bottles at a Giant Eagle here in Columbus. As Sporked’s senior Baja Blast enjoyer, I’ve bravely volunteered to discern whether this real-sugar variant of the classic Taco Bell fountain drink is materially better than the OG recipe.

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Before I crack open this sleek bottle of the good stuff, we have to tackle a nitpicky terminology issue that hasn’t been 100% consistent in our previous coverage of this drink: the glass-bottled Mountain Dew Baja Blast is not made with cane sugar.

What’s the difference between “Made With Real Sugar” and “Made With Cane Sugar”?

Materially, the only difference is the source. Cane sugar is 100% sourced from sugarcane, whereas “real sugar” can come from a variety of sources, including but not limited to sugarcane. Nutritionally, the two sugars are the same. You may notice a minor taste difference if you taste the two sugars on their own, but that difference functionally disappears as soon as you add any flavoring. Basically, using “cane sugar” instead of “real sugar” is a marketing decision, not a nutritional one.

As for the difference between real/cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, there’s an actual chemical (and religious) difference between the two that I covered in detail last year at a particularly relevant time. It still isn’t much of a difference, but I digress. Enough science class, let’s crack open a soda!

Mountain Dew Baja Blast Made With Real Sugar Review

New Mountain Dew – Kinda!

I’m going to eschew the standard “Pros/Cons” format for this review, because this product is just plain complicated. Let’s state some basic facts. Does this taste materially different from the standard Mountain Dew Baja Blast recipe containing high-fructose corn syrup? No. Does this have a different mouthfeel because glass bottles keep drinks more carbonated and “fresher tasting” than cans and plastic bottles? Yes. Is that difference worth the significant per-ounce upcharge you’ll pay for this version over a can or plastic bottle? No. Is the novelty of drinking a “new” soda like Mountain Dew Baja Blast in the classic glass-bottle format worth that upcharge? That’s up to you.

It’s not every day that my ability to recommend a beverage depends entirely on your discretionary income. Roughly, the Mountain Dew Baja Blast in this glass bottle costs ~2-4 times as much as the other types of Mountain Dew Baja Blast you can get at the grocery store. Does this taste 2-4 times better than the alternative? Absolutely not.

Here’s my personal recommendation. If you can order this at a restaurant with a meal the same way you’d order a Mexicoke, it’s absolutely worth snagging for the novelty value and culinary pairing potential. If you find this at the grocery store like I did, it won’t blow your mind in comparison to the version in the plastic bottle just around the corner. That said, it is still Mountain Dew Baja Blast, so I can’t give it a bad score…

Credit: Griffin Parker / Mountain Dew

Rating:

9.5/10

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