In concept, this was a home run. Mtn Dew Baja Blast is interesting enough on its own, but turning it into ice cream was extremely clever. For those unfamiliar, Baja Blast is a Mtn Dew (formerly Mountain Dew) variant that was made for Taco Bell and has been around since 2004. It shares the same super sweet citrusy base as regular Mtn Dew, but it’s spiked with a deep artificial lime flavor that sets it apart from the rest of the Dew family. It’s like a bottle of Mtn Dew hyper-collided with a box of lime Jell-O. It’s far from a craft beverage, but not without merit. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its launch, they transformed it into a gelato.

Screenshot of the gelato in the mobile app
Up close with the gelato

Turning this flavor profile into gelato really could have worked. However, I don’t think that Taco Bell delivered on this limited-time offer. There are a few problems that need to be addressed. First, it’s $3.99 for a tiny cup of the pre-portioned treat. You’ll get more dessert for your dollar at nearly any scoop shop. Second, this is “gelato” from only a very technical sense. Most of us think “ice cream” when we hear the word “gelato”, but a literal translation of gelato from Italian to English could just be “frozen”. That’s what this is. Frozen. Frozen what? Well, mostly “Mtn Dew Baja Blast flavored caffeine free syrup”. Once you get down the list a bit you’ll also find nonfat milk, more sugar, corn syrup solids (sugar), some cream and other stabilizers and preservatives. This is more goo than moo, and that gives it the texture of a cheap frozen Slurpee instead of a smooth ice-cream type product. It’s sticky and crumbly, and melts into a thick teal water.

So much potential
The hidden spoon is a neat trick

The last problem is that it doesn’t taste quite enough like Mtn Dew Baja Blast. You get a bit of the lime flavor, but it’s more muted than the fountain drink. You don’t get much of the generic citrus notes at all. I really wanted to like it, but I can’t endorse this promotion. Maybe the Mtn Dew Baja Blast Pie will be more successful. For what it’s worth, you need to be a part of the Taco Bell rewards program in order to purchase the gelato (for now). Don’t say I didn’t warn you.