The Mountain Dew Flavor Taco Bell Fans Desperately Want Back

Before Mountain Dew became a full-blown flavor circus, Taco Bell had a lock on the lineup. In 2004, the chain debuted Baja Blast — a teal-green tropical soda designed to pair specifically with fast food. It was a hit, not just with Taco Bell regulars but also with Mountain Dew fans in general, some of whom treat it more like a prized side dish than a drink. Its success opened the door for a follow-up: Sangrita Blast, a darker, punchier soda that first appeared in late 2013 as another Taco Bell exclusive.

Sadly, it didn't last. A canned and bottled version came and went in 2015, and a frozen iteration known as Sangrita Blast Freeze made a brief appearance that summer — but by 2017, all traces of Mountain Dew Sangrita Blast were gone for good. If you weren't hitting Taco Bell during that four-year window, odds are you never even knew it existed.

And yet, it's that short run that helped it stand out. Unlike other limited-edition sodas that get shuffled back every few years, Sangrita Blast has stayed gone long enough to earn a kind of mythic status among fans. For a certain slice of the internet, it's the Mountain Dew flavor we wish would return, and it's often regarded as the one that got away.

Some sodas just fade into obscurity, while others stay lodged in our memory. Sangrita Blast falls squarely in the second camp. On Reddit, the flavor is described in remarkable detail by those rooting for its return. Sangrita Blast was made up of cherry, cranberry, and raspberry notes, all tied together with the signature Baja edge and a sour-sweet punch. It's been compared to Mountain Dew Thrashed Apple thanks to its crispness, making it a winner in the eyes of its most devoted fans. "I can still remember it to this day," one Reddit user wrote. "It's a crime they haven't brought it back."

The enthusiasm hasn't cooled, but some remain pessimistic about its return. With the upcoming release of Baja Blast Midnight at Taco Bell, fans have pointed out that the chain already has an exclusive flavor on its hands. While there's a chance Sangrita Blast could return on a future Decades Menu, it seems like a long shot to hope it will happen any time soon.

It's not just nostalgia. Sangrita Blast offered something different — bold but not gimmicky, fruity without tasting like a melted lollipop. The soda had real bite, which felt fitting considering Mountain Dew's origins as a whiskey chaser. Sangrita Blast might've been too much for the masses, but for the fans, it was exactly right.