Neon Rush: Cali Blast

VERSUS

Introduction

Not too long ago we saw the Neon Rush from Versus hit the market, taking many Mountain Dew fans by storm. Now, Neon Rush is back with a new flavour they’re calling Cali Blast. Should we anticipate seeing a complete Mountain Dew lineup come from Valens, or will Cali Blast be the end of the road for this short-lived childhood throwback? Let’s find out…

Review 

Packaging             1.5/5

It feels like minimal effort was put into the packaging. The light blue labeling really doesn’t catch your eye very well, and besides the name “Cali Blast” there’s not really a whole lot about the package that hints at what the drink itself is supposed to taste like. With the original Neon Rush, there was no questioning what it was going to taste like but if I had never heard of the original Neon Rush, I would have no idea this was supposed to be a Baja Blast. 

Versus also changed their choice of child-proofing recently and swapped out the sliding tabs for the black “can’t top” lids. For ease of accessibility, this was absolutely a downgrade. The excise stamp placement also seemed like it was intentionally placed to make it as difficult as possible for a person to get into the product without taking a knife to the packaging. I will recognize that Health Canada requires the sticker to create a seal on the top of the lid, but if every other beverage company on the market can figure out how to do that without stopping their consumers to get into the product, Valens can do it too. 

Taste:   1.5/5

The flavour was a little heavier on the citrus than the tropical flavours. This had some potential, but it was miles from being a good drink. My first, and biggest concern, was it wasn’t carbonated. The lack of carbonation in the Vacay Pink Lemonade I was willing to let slide because lemonade can, and does, come flat all the time - but a can of soda without carbonation is nothing more than a can of syrup and I don’t think you’ll find anyone on the market for a can of syrup. 

My next issue was the taste reminded me of some of the dealcoholized beverages on the market. It was a very distinct taste, almost reminded me of a Smirnoff Ice that was left out to go flat. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that it tasted better when carbonated, but I didn’t get to experience any of that, so I can’t comment. 

Visual Appeal   4/5

Once out of the can, the drink itself was a really pretty emerald-green/blue that was pretty darn close to the colour of Baja Blast. Visually, it was a beautiful drink. But that’s about the only good thing that was happening here. 

Cannabis-Aftertaste        4/5

The aftertaste on this was fine. But a can of syrup that tastes like it should be mixed with vodka is kind of hard to notice some distillate in. I’m giving them a 4 out of 5, but not because they “earned” those points by doing a good job. 

Effects:           0/5

Listen… for me to talk about the effects of a product, it has to make it into my system. There aren’t a lot of products on the market that I just won’t consume. But this beverage was so terrible that I took one sip, and was so disgusted I had to take a couple more just to be sure. This beverage came infused with 10mg of THC and 30mg of caffeine, I’m assuming to prevent any crashes that may come with it, but it wasn’t needed. People have to actually drink your product to be concerned about whether or not they’re going to have a crash - something they won’t have to worry about if they keep the recipe the same 

Overall  11 / 25 (44%)

There was a lot happening with this drink that seemed to be one disappointment after another. It took me five minutes just to get into the can after dealing with the very poorly placed excise stamp. I will recognize the fact that Health Canada mandates these stamps creating a seal over the lid, but if every other beverage company on the market can figure out how to do that and still let consumers into their product, then Versus can do it too. It was already going to be difficult enough to get into this after they changed their choice of child-proofing. Once I was able to get into the product, it was just a can of pretty coloured disappointment. The syrup was also undeniably sweet, with a whopping 46g of sugar per can. Although extremely sweet, it wasn’t significantly higher than an uninfused beverage. For comparison, Mtn Dew’s Baja Blast comes with 44g of sugar per can. 

My inner-child was really excited for a Mountain Dew, and when I saw the line expansion, I was immediately hoping for a Mountain Dew Pitch Black or Code Red, but my hopes disappeared pretty quickly. The OG Neon Rush very quickly won my heart, but the Cali Blast broke it just as quick. Unfortunately for Versus, Cali Blast is going to be the end of the road for me.

Other Notes: 

• Allergens: None listed

• Sugar: 46g

• 10mg THC

• 30mg Caffeine

Reviewed by Foggy