Review: I Tried Taco Bell's New Refrescas And There's One Flavor You Need To Order

There are many popular food chains to get delicious drinks from, whether you're in the mood for a fast food iced tea, craving a quick cup of coffee, or want something more innovative or exciting. Now, when it comes to Taco Bell, many people immediately think of their favorite food items on the menu. It's mainly known for its delicious Crunchwraps, burritos, and quesadillas. What many people don't realize, however, is that it can be a great spot for a delicious drink. One of Taco Bell's most famous beverages is the Baja Blast, which is a special flavor of Mountain Dew. That drink was launched in 2004, and since then, Taco Bell has come out with many different types of drinks to add to its menu. Some are soda-like or refreshing fruity-type waters, while others are frozen and filled with flavor.

In June 2025, six new beverages were added to Taco Bell's menu: Three flavors of Agua Refrescas, two flavors of Rockstar Energy Refrescas, and one flavor of the Refresca Freeze. I was able to taste-test each flavor, and will give you the full details on which of these drinks you should get and which to avoid.

First, we have the Agua Refrescas. These are derived from popular and traditional Mexican drinks called agua frescas — however, these Taco Bell beverages aren't made exactly the same. Each flavor has freeze-dried fruit pieces in them, and green tea incorporated, as well. While not extremely high in caffeine, they do have about 52 milligrams of caffeine per drink. For flavors, you can choose from Strawberry Passionfruit, Dragonfruit Berry, and Mango Peach.

If you're looking for more of a caffeine kick — 200 milligrams, to be exact — you might be more into the Rockstar Energy Refrescas. These drinks are in collaboration with Rockstar Energy, which is a brand of energy drinks sold in cans. Taco Bell offers this version of its Refrescas in a Pineapple Lime or Tropical Punch flavor. Lastly, you can get a Refresca Freeze in a Strawberry Lime flavor. This beverage also has freeze-dried fruit pieces in it, but with a flavorful slushy consistency.

Taco Bell's new Refrescas line-up is available nationwide, as of this writing. The chain's Agua Refrescas come in 20-ounce cups and are generally priced at $3.99. But if you're located in a popular city, like I am in New York City, you may have to pay a bit more. For example, I was charged $4.79 for the Dragonfruit Berry, as well as the Mango Peach, and $4.99 for the Strawberry Passionfruit. It's also worth noting that these three items are permanent additions to Taco Bell's menu.

As for the other Refrescas options, the Rockstar Energy Refrescas are also served in 20-ounce cups. While these Pineapple Lime and Tropical Punch beverages cost about $4.49 regionally, they set me back around $5.99 each in the Big Apple. Finally, the Strawberry Lime Refresca Freeze can be bought in either a 16-ounce or 20-ounce cup, and cost $3.79 and $3.99, respectively.

At first sip with this Strawberry Passionfruit Agua Refrescas, I immediately noticed that it had a nice, mild taste to it. By the color of it, which is a rich pink hue, I thought it would be a lot more flavorful. Now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The drink is incredibly refreshing, with a light amount of sweetness and a fresh taste. I also noticed much more of a strawberry flavor than that of passionfruit, but the beverage was still very enjoyable. There is even a satisfying aftertaste of pure strawberries that sticks around after each sip. 

The only critique I have for this Refrescas drink is that I wish it had a little bit of tartness to it, which fresh strawberries tend to have. Other than that, I'd definitely order the Strawberry Passionfruit Agua Refrescas again.

The Dragonfruit Berry Agua Refrescas has a deep purple coloring to it, and that hue matches the taste perfectly. It's a very subdued drink, and definitely the mildest one out of every beverage I tasted in Taco Bell's Refrescas line. However, it has a very nice balance of sweetness and certainly tasted like the juice of a dragon fruit, as you might expect. 

Now, if you're expecting big flavors from this drink, you may be disappointed; but if you look at it as more of a fruity water instead, you'll likely enjoy it more. Overall, I think that this Agua Refrescas flavor is great if you're looking for a slight touch of fruit juice but don't want it to be overpowering. The chunks of freeze-dried dragon fruit also added to the overall appeal, making it a nice and refreshing treat to have on a hot day.

The Mango Peach Agua Refrescas lies somewhere in between the intensity level of the Dragonfruit Berry and Strawberry Passionfruit. It bursts with quite a bit of flavor; however, it doesn't hit as strongly as the Strawberry Passionfruit. But personally, I wasn't too much of a fan of this flavor itself. 

While I normally love both mangos and peaches, and thought that this Taco Bell offering did taste like both fruits, there was an unpleasant aftertaste that slightly ruined the experience for me. It was like an odd sensation of acidity that got stuck on the back of the tongue, which made it seem less refreshing. I don't think I'd buy the Mango Peach Agua Refrescas flavor again.

I generally don't drink energy drinks too often, but out of the ones that I've had, I thoroughly enjoyed Taco Bell's spin on it. At first sip, the Rockstar Energy Pineapple Lime Refrescas is incredibly sweet — but then a strong and enjoyable sour flavor kicks in from both fruity flavors, almost smacking you in the face. It reminded me of when you're eating a bowl of pineapple, and you suddenly get an incredibly ripe piece that stands out from the rest. In this drink, however, that's the case with every single sip.

As far as energy drinks go, I think this is a great option. While I will say that I think it's a bit too sweet to drink the entire cup, I would definitely choose to buy it again if I was in need of a good caffeine boost but wanted a refreshing drink at the same time.

The Tropical Punch flavor of the Rockstar Energy Refrescas line-up didn't quite scratch the same itch that the Pineapple Lime did. It is still incredibly strong flavor-wise, and it has a nice explosion of fruity notes when you first take a sip. This beverage is very sweet, as well, but it has more of a smooth mouthfeel when compared to the Pineapple Lime version.

That said, for some reason, this flavor didn't taste as fresh as the Pineapple Lime. This could be because it's not based on any specific fruit, but rather, it's more of a hodgepodge of various tropical fruit flavors. As such, overall, I thought it had a more artificial taste to it. Specifically, the Rockstar Energy Tropical Punch Refrescas' aftertaste was almost like the taste of a diet version of your favorite soda, where the flavor is almost there, but it's just not exactly right.

Hands down, this was my absolute favorite drink out of Taco Bell's new Refrescas line-up. I'm a big fan of 7-Eleven Slurpees, and I was curious to see if the fast food chain's Refresca Freeze would be a competitor. I am glad to say that this Strawberry Lime Refresca Freeze may just be my new favorite frozen drink to get on a hot day. It had an incredibly smooth consistency, was perfectly sweet, and had a surprisingly sour kick that popped through — which most likely came from the lime. There were also chunks of fruit at the bottom, which made it even more exciting. 

That said, this drink actually reminded me more of a cherry flavor versus strawberry. However, I still enjoyed it immensely. Perhaps it was because of the familiar coloring, or the sugar rush I was having, but I almost forgot that this drink was supposed to be strawberry-flavored. But because it was so enjoyable, I won't deduct any points from this home-run of a drink. I would say it was perfectly comparable to the 7-Eleven Cherry Slurpee or even a cherry Italian Ice from Rita's. This Refrescas drink was a fun twist on a nostalgic summer treat, and I will most likely be ordering it all throughout the summer.

I've admittedly never tasted any drinks at Taco Bell, but I was pleasantly surprised by my experience. Overall, I thought that each drink in the chain's new Refrescas line-up had a nice, refreshing quality to it. But ultimately, I think that I'd highly recommend the Strawberry Passionfruit Agua Refrescas and the Strawberry Lime Refresca Freeze.

The other Refrescas flavors weren't bad, per se (besides the Mango Peach Agua Refrescas, as I was really not a fan of that). However, I think the two strawberry options particularly stood out above the rest. If you're heading to a Taco Bell anytime soon and are in need of a little refreshing pick-me-up, you won't be disappointed with either option. But if I had to choose one over the other as the must-try option, it would definitely be the Strawberry Lime Refresca Freeze.