Is Baja Blast Best in a Glass Bottle? Our Taste Test Reveals the Answer

Before I pop the cap on this stylish bottle of the good stuff, we should clear up a minor terminology snag that hasn’t been entirely consistent in our earlier coverage of this beverage: the glass-bottled Mountain Dew Baja Blast is not crafted with cane sugar.

How do “Made With Real Sugar” and “Made With Cane Sugar” differ?

In practical terms, the only divergence lies in the origin of the sugar. Cane sugar comes exclusively from sugarcane, whereas “real sugar” can originate from a variety of sources, including but not limited to sugarcane. Nutritionally, the sugars are equivalent. You might perceive a slight taste distinction when tasting them solo, but that difference vanishes as soon as any flavoring is added. Essentially, labeling something as “cane sugar” versus “real sugar” is a marketing choice, not a nutritional one.

As for the contrast between real/cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, there’s a genuine chemical (and, for some, a debate of belief) distinction between the two that I explored in depth last year at a particularly apt moment. The gap isn’t drastically large, but I’ll spare the chemistry for now. 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 steer away from the usual “Pros/Cons” format for this review, because this product is simply intricate. Let’s establish some plain facts. Does this taste materially different from the standard Mountain Dew Baja Blast formula that uses HFCS? No. Does this have a noticeably different mouthfeel because glass bottles tend to keep drinks more carbonated and “fresher tasting” than cans and plastic bottles? Yes. Is that difference worth the sizable per-ounce premium you’ll pay for this glass-bottled version over a can or plastic bottle? No. Is the novelty of sipping a “new” soda like Mountain Dew Baja Blast in the classic glass format worth that extra cost? That’s a personal decision.

It isn’t every day that my recommendation hinges entirely on your budget. Roughly speaking, the Baja Blast in this glass bottle runs about two to four times the price of the other Mountain Dew Baja Blasts you’d find at the grocery store. Does it taste two to four times better than the alternative? Not at all.

Here’s my take: if you can order this at a restaurant alongside a meal in the same way you’d order a Mexicoke, it’s absolutely worth grabbing for the novelty value and possible culinary pairing. If you stumble upon it at the grocery store like I did, it won’t blow your mind compared to the plastic-bottled version just around the corner. That said, it is still Mountain Dew Baja Blast, so I can’t give it a bad score…

Rating:

9.5/10