Fans of luscious, flavor-packed Mexican mangonadas may want to steer clear of the latest mainstreamed version of the frosty treat, presented by Oregon-based java giant Dutch Bros Coffee.
Let’s start by saying we actually had high hopes for the Mangonada Rebel when it debuted on April 1. The sipper is a blend of Dutch Bros’ Rebel energy drink and mangonada flavor topped with “Strawberry Real Fruit” and Tajín. The fact that the spicy chili-lime seasoning brand signed off on the drink made us think twice about hating it right off the bat, so we went in with open minds.
The sipper is offered in either frozen or iced form, but the barista suggested iced, as the drink tends to separate when it melts. We ordered it iced, but alas, it arrived frozen. “It’s all good,” we thought, driving away from the shop. “A mangonada is supposed to be frozen, anyhow.”
The drink is topped with Dutch Bros’ proprietary fruit concentrate — which includes pieces of chopped strawberry — and a generous sprinkling of Tajín, but that’s where the similarities between this version and the one served at your favorite snack shop end.
The drink tastes like an executive at Gatorade took a stab at what mango might taste like, added a few tablespoons of artificial sweetener, and called it a day. The watery, weak mango flavor is nothing like the voluminous real fruit-based snack many San Antonians know and love, and while maybe that’s to be expected from a Pacific Northwestern-based company, we would have suggested not calling it a mangonada outright.
But no one asked us, so here we are.
As advertised by the ever-so-honest gentleman at the drive-thru window, the drink began to separate almost immediately. Divided between a viscous, syrupy section at the bottom and a half-frozen section floating on top, no matter which way we adjusted the straw, a lingering aspartame flavor coated the tongue.
The morbidly curious can find the Mangonada Rebel (and a Mangonada Lemonade) at nearly two dozen Dutch Bros locations in San Antonio. A medium drink will run you about $6.50.
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This article appears in Mar 22 – Apr 4, 2023.
