Doritos Baja Fiery Mango

Product circa: Spring 2024

This is part of the 20th Bajaversary, which is a joint celebration between Taco Bell and Mountain Dew.  I'm having trouble finding the significance of the year 2004 in this "anniversary".  Said to be part of this celebration is the permanent release of Mountain Dew Baja Blast products in stores, as well as Baja Laguna Lemonade & Baja Point Break Punch.

Anyway, these things are fascinating.  They start with a bright and tangy mango flavor that can't help me think of sugary breakfast cereal... maybe it's the sugar and corn crunch together that's giving that aura.  The heat then slowly shows itself, and this is some of the most impressive heat I've experienced on a Doritos product.  There's probably some savory elements in this snack as well, such as onion and garlic, but if so, they are very subdued.  Honestly, this tastes like spicy Doritos that have Kool-Aid Tropical Punch powder sprinkled over them.  Overall, a fun experiment, but not a snack that I would reach for unironically.

Mountain Dew Baja Laguna Lemonade & Baja Point Break Punch

 

Products circa: Spring 2024

Laguna Lemonade: Tasty enough, but with a fake-tasting mango flavoring that pales in comparison to the Mountain Dew Mango Gem released a few years ago.

Point Break Punch: A fruit punch that's decidedly more "tropical" in flavor than the other million fruit punch Dews that have been made.  But something is off with the balance of the sweetness... either there's too much sugar, or not enough acidic bite.  But a nice change, overall.

Mountain Dew Baja Mango Gem

 

Product circa: Summer 2022

Mango is one of those flavors that doesn't really translate well to artificial flavoring.  However, this stuff manages to capture the flavor of mango in a shockingly authentic way... perhaps it's how it combines with Dew's citrus base.  One of the best Mountain Dews ever made, and perhaps the best mango soda I've ever had.