Taste test: The verdict on Red Bull’s new lime, cranberry, and blueberry flavors

by Sarah Blaskovich

• Tweet
• Email
• Print
• 0 Comments

The results range from "not totally unpleasant" to "I'd pay real money for that."

DALLAS — On Monday, California-based Red Bull launched three new flavored energy drinks: lime, blueberry, and cranberry. It's been 15 years since the company launched its yellow-colored upper in the U.S., and the new varieties are the first flavored drinks for the brand.

We recruited some of our entertainment reporters to a taste test the new bevvies on a sleepy Tuesday afternoon to see if Red Bull's newcomers could stack up. Many say the classic Red Bull flavor tastes like chemicals in a can, and we set out to decide if adding a little fake fruit flavoring would help or hurt.

We swirled, sipped, and swallowed as if we were testing fine wine. The results:

Blueberry

The panel's least favorite was blueberry, which a majority agreed "smells like mop water." The flavor was distinctly berry-like, reminding us of a swig of Dimetapp. (For me, that was a good thing: It made me feel like a kid. But alas, I was out-voted.) For most of the rest of the panel, the flavor was overpowering and too grapey.

Lime

Sold in a puzzling silver can instead of a green one, and pouring clear, the lime-flavored Red Bull had the taste of effervescent Sweet Tarts. The group declared it "not totally unpleasant." It tasted like jacked-up Sprite.

Cranberry

The clear favorite was cranberry. It smelled like a red-flavored cough drop, tasted like a fizzy, fruity cocktail, and finished with a candy aftertaste. Cranberry Red Bull reminded of us those awesome strawberry candies our grandmother always used to have in her purse. Half of the panel chose cranberry as the tastiest flavor, and a majority said they'd purchase that flavor in a store.

But wait, there's more

The absolute best concoction of new Red Bull flavors is a mix of the lime and cranberry. Light and only slightly fruity, a combination of the two is surprisingly void of that chemical aftertaste so despised (or beloved, depending on who you ask) in the original Red Bull flavor.

The consensus on the cran/lime cocktail: "I would buy that at a bar." And add some vodka, please.

Follow @sblaskovich

Panel participants: Rand Duren, Brentney Hamilton, Britton Peele, Tiney Ricciardi, Samantha Shaddock, Shannon Sutlief, Amanda Wilkins

Tweet