Review: Mountain Dew - Kickstart Hydrating Boost

Mountain Dew's Kickstart Hydrating Boost is a caffeinated soda with coconut water and comes in two flavors: Strawberry Kiwi and Pineapple Orange Mango.

I tried both flavors at $1 per 12-oz can.

Coconut water is a somewhat clear liquid with a very light flavor that doesn't really taste much like coconut and shouldn't be confused with coconut milk. Coconut water is known for its hydration properties but I'm not sure how well that squares with the diuretic properties of the caffeine in these drinks. Due to the sweetness of the drink and coconut water's subtle flavor, I couldn't really taste it.

Each can contains 60 calories, which is about half of a regular can of soda but also means its sweetened with a combination of high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners including acesulfame potassium and sucralose. The result is both flavors were quite sweet and left a lingering aftertaste that I commonly associate with artificial sweeteners.

The cans note that the drinks are 10% juice but rather than the juice of each respective flavor, they contain white grape juice concentrate. Unsurprisingly, the drinks don't really taste like fizzy juice but are more like the syrupy flavors of soda.

The Pineapple Orange Mango tasted mostly like mango and then orange, while the Strawberry Kiwi felt a lot like strawberry soda. Between the two, I preferred the Strawberry Kiwi.

Overall, Mountain Dew's Kickstart Hydrating Boost sodas were just okay for me. I didn't care for the lingering aftertaste from the artificial sweeteners and would have liked more fruit-like flavors over the more standard soda-like flavors.

Nutritional Info - Mountain Dew Kickstart Hydrating Boost - Strawberry Kiwi (12 fl oz)
Calories - 60 (from Fat - 0)
Fat - 0g (Saturated Fat - 0g)
Sodium - 130mg
Carbs - 15g (Sugar - 14g)
Protein - 0g
Caffeine - 68mg

Nutritional Info - Mountain Dew Kickstart Hydrating Boost - Pineapple Orange Mango (12 fl oz)
Calories - 60 (from Fat - 0)
Fat - 0g (Saturated Fat - 0g)
Sodium - 130mg
Carbs - 15g (Sugar - 14g)
Protein - 0g
Caffeine - 68mg