Baja Blast is one soft drink that we can’t get enough of, literally. Created in 2004, this soda is produced by PepsiCo exclusively for sale at Taco Bell locations and is only released in retail stores for limited-time runs.
Otherwise, you can only find it in Taco Bell fountains or bottles and cans sold at their restaurants and other Taco Bell locations.
After a successful retail outing and Baja Blast is discontinued from retail stores, fans of this fruit-flavored soda go crazy because they would have to wait a year or two for another retail store release.
In 2016, because of its huge sales during these limited-time retail store runs, PepsiCo (producers of mountain dew) allowed the fans to make a “Dewcision” between Baja Blast and another popular Dew flavor, Pitch Black, for which soda would remain permanent in retail stores.
Fans were to make this Dewcision through a national voting session, and any of these PepsiCo products that won the session would become permanent in retail stores.
So, fans of Baja Blast did everything to retain their favorite soda in retail stores, including starting Twitter hashtags and several social media challenges.
Surprisingly, Pitch Black won the voting session with a small margin over Baja Blast. And unfortunately for lovers of this soda, they would still visit taco bell restaurants to get their drink.
This was even worse because Baja Blast was not released for another limited run until 2 years after, in 2018.
So, What Flavor is this Interesting Soda? And Would You Like It?
You can read about other interesting sodas, such as ramune soda, nehi soda, and stubborn soda, and go through our fascinating list of the 15 grossest sodas.
Baja Blast is a tropical lime-flavor of Mountain Dew, which is alluded to in their tagline “A Tropical Storm.” While it has a distinctive taste, your taste buds may adjust to this soda pretty well if you are a fan of lime-flavored drinks,
This soda gets its name from Baja California, a Mexican state off the southern coast of California known for its many beaches, which is represented in the ocean-like teal color, and wave designs of Baja Blast.
From 2004 until now, Baja Blast has been released in many flavors and freeze variants. Some flavors are:
- Diet Baja Blast: This was added to the Taco Bell menu in December 2013 but was later replaced by Orange Citrus Kickstart in 2015.
- Sangrita Blast: This soda was released along with Diet Baja Blast in December 2013 but was discontinued in 2017.
- Baja Flash and Baja Punch: Baja Flash has a pineapple-coconut flavor, and Baja Punch has a fruit punch flavor with undertones of cherry and orange. They were released alongside the re-release of Baja Blast in 2021
- Mountain Dew Energy: This is the latest flavor of Baja Blast, released in June 2022 for a limited run until September 2022. It is an energy variant.
Other flavors include Hard Mountain Dew Baja Blast, Baja Mango Gem, Baja Gold, Baja Blast Zero Sugar, and Baja Blast Non-alcoholic Bubbly. Some freeze variants include Baja Blast Colada Freeze, Baja Blast Birthday Freeze, and Baja Blast Freeze, among others.
When Did Baja Blast Come Out?
Baja Blast came out during the summer of 2004 and was sold only in Taco Bell locations in the United States. It began the collaboration between beverage companies and fast-food restaurants and paved the way for other collaborations, such as thrashed apple.
The tropical-lime-flavored soft drink was intended to go best with Taco Bell’s Mexican-inspired food and increase sales at their drive-through points. And it did just that, becoming a favorite of many Taco Bell customers.
It is one of the many items on Taco Bell’s menu with a cult following; this list also includes Nacho Fries and Cinnamon Twists.
What Is Baja Blast Made of?
According to Heb, the ingredients for Baja Blast include Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate (Preserves Freshness), Caffeine, Gum Arabic, Sodium Citrate, Calcium Disodium EDTA (to Protect Flavor), Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate, Yellow 5, Blue 1.
Wikihow also explains that you can make your fruit-flavored soda at home by combining Mountain Dew soda and Cool Blue Gatorade in 474 ml and 237 ml quantities, respectively.
Is Baja Blast Only Available At Taco Bell?
Baja Blast is a franchise-exclusive soda created for sale at Taco Bell locations. So, yes, this soda is only available at Taco Bell. However, after its first release in bottles and cans in 2014, Baja Blast and its flavors have been sold at retail stores for some months during the summer, usually lasting the whole summer.
In 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 this soda was released to retail stores. Seeing as PepsiCo records successes after each retail outing, fans wonder why they are yet to make this super soda permanent in retail outlets.
Is Baja Blast Available In Stores?
No. Baja Blast is not always available in stores. However, as explained earlier, it has been released in stores during many summers, with the latest release being in the summer of 2022.
Does Mountain Dew Baja Blast Have Caffeine?
Yes, Mountain Dew Baja Blast contains 54 mg of caffeine per 12 oz serving, as well as 170 calories.
This amount is similar to what you have in your regular cup of coffee. It is also similar to what is in regular Mountain Dew soda, Mountain Dew Code Red, and other Mountain Dew flavors-most have about 55 mg of caffeine.
But, Baja Blast freeze contains a lower amount of caffeine: 36 mg per 12 oz serving.
Is Baja Blast Vegan?
Yes. Baja Blast is vegan. Made with flavors and components that are vegan-friendly, it is one of the many Mountain Dew flavors that are vegan. Others include Mountain Dew Ice Lemon Lime, Mountain Dew Code Red, Mountain Dew Live Wire, and Mountain Dew Voltage.
For some people, the citric acid component of Baja Blast may be mistaken as a non-vegan component derivable from glycerol, which can be produced from animals. However, this is not the case in this soda, as its citric acid is created from the juices of lime and other such fruits.
Is Baja Blast Unhealthy?
Over 100 countries previously imposed a ban on Baja Blast and other Mountain Dew products for containing brominated vegetable oil (BVO), which causes behavioral and reproductive problems. But since 2020, Baja Blast has stopped using this ingredient in production.
And its low caffeine content makes it safe for anyone concerned about caffeine. However, one thing you may need to worry about is the amount of sugar in Mountain Dew products.
A 20 oz bottle of regular Mountain Dew contains up to 77 grams of sugar, much higher than the 65 grams in an equal serving of Coca-cola.
Also, while the diet version only has less than one gram of sugar, its sweetness is provided by aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose.
Still, Baja Blast will only be unhealthy for you when drunk in excessive amounts over time. Plus, they offer a zero-sugar version if you want to stay completely away from its sugar.
Conclusion
Baja Blast is a tropical lime flavor of Mountain Dew. This soda gets its name from Baja California, a Mexican state off the southern coast of California known for its many beaches. It was created in 2004, and since then, many other flavors and freeze variants of Baja Blast have been created.
All year, it is sold exclusively at Taco Bell locations but is usually released during summer along with other Mountain Dew summer line-ups. It is vegan, contains a small amount of caffeine, and can be considered healthy if drunk responsibly. So, you will surely enjoy this soft drink and its distinct flavor!
