12 Jarritos Flavors, Ranked Worst To First
Jarritos sodas are hopefully a familiar sight in the soda aisle of your local grocery store. They're pretty hard to miss because of the bright color spectrum that shines through those bottles. And while you may be accustomed to seeing only a few flavors, there are actually plenty that Jarritos makes and it has an interesting history.
The Jarritos brand launched in 1950 when its founder Francisco Hill was intent on making a cola infused and flavored with coffee. When it was bottled, he dubbed the beverage Jarritos which means "little jars" and the name stuck. We would be game to try whatever is in that original formula, but unfortunately were unable to find it. The coffee cola became a hit in Mexico, and Hill decided to go further and expand with a tamarind flavor. Spoiler alert — that happened to be our favorite. Tamarind became popular and profitable for the business. From there, the line of Jarritos sodas kept growing and was influenced by local fruits grown in Mexico that were Hill's favorites.
If you've ever been curious to try a variety of Jarritos flavors and discover which suit you the most, Jarritos offers a Fiesta Pack that serves up 12 distinct bottles. Of course, with anything you eat or drink, it's all subjective, but we sampled all dozen that were in the box and we have some takeaway thoughts and are happy to offer some guidance on which to seek out and which to avoid.
Watermelon
Despite the label on Jarritos' watermelon soda declaring that there are natural flavors in the bottle, they're clearly natural flavors that were not derived from actual watermelon but rather natural flavors that somewhat resemble how it tastes. It was extremely forward with its fruity intensity — it didn't make us think at all of watermelon, which is subtle and gentle with its sweetness. This was pretty heavy on the sugar. Without knowing which flavor we were sampling, we quickly assumed it was strawberry. Some of the flavor intensity we picked up and assumed was strawberry could be due to the citric acid in the ingredients list. A small hint of the flavor qualities of watermelon came through eventually, but it tasted artificial and overly concentrated. Overall, we can't recommend this flavor. If you're looking for that summery, sweet watermelon flavor, Jarrito's watermelon unfortunately just doesn't deliver.
Strawberry
We'll acknowledge that it's an incredibly difficult feat to get a thumbs up when it comes to replicating the flavor of a perfectly ripe strawberry. We like to stick with jams and jellies when it comes to incorporating strawberries into food, and only using fresh berries when we're making a dessert. We've found that the fruit can come across as putrid and acrid when it's a component in a sour lambic beer. Throwing sugar at the underlying flavor has proven to be unbearably cloying when it's employed in a candy. And unfortunately, we found that case to be true as well for Jarritos' strawberry soda.
It tasted a bit like dried fruit that has been liquefied — meaning that there was just an overpowering concentration of sweetness, flavor, and sugar that did not add up to a satisfying drink. There were other 12-ounce bottles of soda from Jarritos that matched the strawberry flavor's 70% daily recommended sugar intake, but they at least tasted a bit better.
The only advice we would have if you are looking at a bottle of strawberry Jarritos is that you split it among a few others. It could potentially be a good pairing with a cheese and charcuterie board if it's enjoyed in very small doses.
Lime
As far as appearances go, the lime flavor of Jarritos soda looked a lot like a paler version of the infamous 1990's pop drink inspired by the Ghostbusters – Ecto Cooler.
Sadly, we were not huge fans of Jarritos' lime soda. Despite the bragging on the bottle about how it's a natural flavor soda, nothing about it reminded us of fresh lime. It tasted more like liquefied candy. If we wanted something along those lines, we'd opt for a slice of key lime pie over this bottle any day because Jarritos has other flavors that we found to be much better and that more accurately reflect the underlying ingredient. We're not even confident that this could be a good mixer — it was just way too sweet and short on the tartness that we associate with lime.
We would argue that a glass of carbonated water that has a squeeze or two from an actual wedge of lime would make for a better citrus-infused beverage. It will offer some pucker and be a cooling pick-me-up refreshment versus the inevitable sugar crash that comes on the heels of the 35 grams of sugar per serving that goes with this bottle from Jarritos.
Fruit Punch
Known in Mexico as "Tutti Frutti", we were not big fans of the fruit punch soda offering from Jarritos. It's described as being a fruit punch mix with natural flavors, but we found that it tasted like it was created and processed in a lab. Beyond that, it didn't really carry many distinct flavor notes. If anything, it tasted a bit like a grape soda — confusing considering it has a dark pink hue — with perhaps a dash or two of other artificial fruit ingredients. It felt like we were drinking candy, and we weren't even sure what food would even be right to pair with it. It seemed like it would be better served as a mixer to combine with vodka or rum.
This soda from Jarritos gets a low ranking from us because it was a sugar bomb that does not offer complexity nor does it represent a singular ingredient in comparison to the other sodas that feature one ingredient and accomplish the mission. It's so intense with its sugar content — 69% of the daily recommended amount– that chugging a bottle could easily become a viral TikTok challenge, but let's hope not.
Mexican Cola
We always love and appreciate a cola that uses real sugar cane rather than high fructose corn syrup — we find that there is a greater depth of flavor that isn't just pure saccharine. It's rounded out from the start when it first hits your taste buds all the way to the finish at the back of the throat. While the vast majority of Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola products utilize corn syrup as a sweetener, you can find bottles that incorporate sugar cane, particularly at big box retailers and stores that specialize in importing beverages.
Jarritos offers a sugar cane cola that we found interesting. It's a bit hard to square how it ranks among the other sodas that Jarritos offers mainly because the others that we tried were fruity. Whereas you could argue whether the mango Jarritos tastes like mango or how much the guava Jarritos resembles actual guava, cola is a recipe that involves a lot of varying ingredients beyond the kola bean itself. We weren't able to find it outside of being included in the Fiesta Pack, so we considered ranking it in the middle due to scarcity and not really being great enough to be worth the trouble to have it.
Grapefruit
We had one big question on our minds before we even cracked open the bottle of Jarritos grapefruit soda. Why go with green? Unless there is some varietal of the citrus that we're not aware existed, we associate it with having a yellowish orange rind and a bright pink pulpy center — some might even go so far as to call it ruby red. It turned out that just the bottle was green, and the contents were crystal clear much like a Sprite or 7-Up.
Getting past the confusing and mixed messaging of the visuals, when it came down to how it tasted, this soda didn't really remind us too much of grapefruit. We think of that citrus as being delightfully tart and bitter and rather low on the sucrose side of things — there's a reason why people have it for breakfast because it really awakens the senses and gets your morning going. This soda was shockingly sweet, and along with the odd coloration, we'll rank it low for not really living up to the ingredient that's the core of its namesake. But, if you're a fan of palomas, this could be a good mixer if you like those to be on the more sugary side.
Pineapple
While the flavor of pineapple certainly comes through in this bottle from Jarritos, we would place it in the middle of our rankings because we thought it could have benefited from some additional tart, puckering notes. While the ingredient list does mention citric acid towards the top, we think it could have used a lot more to give this drink more pep. Maybe a few drops of quinine would give this a touch of the zingy tang that you would find in even the ripest pineapple and make this a much better beverage.
But, if a burst of fizz and extra sweet pineapple flavor is all you're after, this is the drink for you. We think it would pair very well with barbecued meats as a contrast to the protein and savoriness. Give it a chance the next time you're having brisket, ribs, or pulled pork. But we would argue that Jarritos' pineapple soda would really shine as a companion to al pastor which is already known to feature the fruit in the cooking process to help season the meat and also added as a topping to the taco.
Mandarin
Before you even have the opportunity to taste a ripe, sweet citrus fruit, there's the sensory burst that comes simply from peeling it open and unleashing those aromatic oils and smelling what you're about to taste. We were quite pleased that Jarritos' mandarin-flavored soda had the same effect. Upon pouring the drink, we didn't even have to bring the glass up close — as if the neon orange coloration wasn't convincing enough that this would be a liquid citrus delight, we could smell that burst of sweet and sour tang immediately.
It started off slightly tart, and we consider that a positive quality. After a few seconds, this mandarin pop drink resulted in being predominantly on the sweeter side. Our verdict was that it was absolutely reflective of the primary ingredient on the label. So, consider that factor if you intend to pair this beverage with a meal. We think it would be a nice palate cleanser alongside dishes that are extra savory and salty and don't contain much sugar. It could also be a pleasant complement to grilled chicken or seafood given how well citrus works in marinades for both.
Guava
The guava flavor of Jarritos soda is a shock of neon pink that, while it may be artificially colored, we'll forgive it. If there was an haute couture gown to wear on the soda aisle of the grocery store, this is it. It immediately compels you to at least give it a try. Once the bottle of this soda is cracked open, it smells like a sweet, delicate perfume that was reminiscent of a freshly bloomed rose. It's off to a great start so far.
Flavor-wise, Jarritos' guava soda was definitely sweet. It gave us cotton candy vibes — though maybe that was due to the pastel hue –which does reflect what you would find when you cut open a raw guava fruit. Though there was a lot of sugar, it wasn't overwhelming. We found there to be a bit of tart in the finish to balance everything out. Among the other fruity sodas from Jarritos, we would rank this one rather high because there was plenty of nuance in the flavor, a welcoming aroma, and that all-important visual appeal. We also think it could be great as a mixer in a party punch bowl.
Mango
Jarritos mango soda is well deserving of a top spot in our rankings. It absolutely knocked it out of the park by looking, smelling, and tasting almost exactly like a perfectly ripe mango. And all of that comes without the effort that's usually required to cut and slice the fruit, or to try to find it at a decent price even when it's in season. The only tool you need here is a bottle opener and you're immediately getting a trip to the tropics.
Although this predominantly tasted of mango, another big reason why we gravitated towards putting it at the top of the ranks of Jarritos sodas is that it had a lot of layers. We also picked up on hints of papaya, a bit of banana, and even a slight touch of peach nectar from this beverage. We would love to have a bottle of this alongside some classic Caribbean dishes such as mofongo, jerk chicken, or conch fritters. It would also especially be a nice refresher when you're enjoying a spicy Indian curry. Don't pass this one up.
Passion Fruit
We absolutely loved the passion fruit flavor of Jarritos soda because it had a lot of rather surprising funky and savory notes. While it was definitely sweet courtesy of sugar cane and other natural ingredients, Jarritos passion fruit soda came across as accurate to what we've had when we've bought fresh passion fruit. It very much reminded us of grabbing up a batch of very ripe passion fruit that a farmers market vendor would be selling in bulk during peak season at a deep discount. Buy those up and eat them while they're still good, and also enjoy the beautiful contrast of the red skin against the orange, yellow, and green pulp inside. If you missed out on that opportunity, we think that Jarritos' passion fruit soda is a decent substitute until the next opportunity arises.
When you're entertaining guests of all ages or if beer or wine isn't an option, we think the sugary nature here would be an excellent non-alcoholic beverage option to pair alongside an array of cheeses and nuts on a platter. We would recommend some soft Brie, toasted bread, salted almonds, slices of Manchego, or a bowl of seasoned pistachios.
Tamarind
It's clear why Jarritos has been a lasting presence in the soda business when you try its tamarind flavor. After Jarritos founder Francisco Hill found success with his coffee cola, tamarind was his next soda offering to the public. Tamarind is a sweet and tart fruit that grows well in areas near the equator, and we were particularly pleased that Jarritos embraced the sour qualities with this recipe and didn't go all in on sugar.
When we took a sniff from a fresh pour — and, we're not exaggerating here — it reminded us of a spa day, a delicate cologne, or a scented candle. The flavors proved to be even better than the aromas that came from this beverage. It took us to an apple cider realm. It was replete with cloves, star anise, a cinnamon stick, and an orange wedge along with plenty of fizzle. While there is definitely a lot that is cozy and autumnal about this soda, we feel confident that it can be enjoyed year-round.