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Despite coming of age in the late 1990s, when the Jägerbombs flowed like water and you couldn’t turn on the TV without seeing one of those quirky animated commercials where someone sprouts wings, I never really became a Red Bull fan. In fact, it had pretty much entirely escaped my attention that the energy drink brand that launched a million human-powered flying machines had branched out into wild flavors that go beyond the vaguely medicinal original flavor.

For this taste test, we tried every flavor of Red Bull we could get our hands on to find the best of the best. These five were our favorites.

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Best of the Best

I don’t think any of us thought we would like a coconut-flavored version of Red Bull—and certainly not enough for it to wind up in the top spot. But, I gotta say, the Coconut Edition is a big improvement on the original. “I think there are certain coconut flavored things that don’t really have coconut flavor, but this does,” Sporked staff writer Jordan Myrick observed. Staff writer Danny Palumbo liked that it took that familiar, saccharine Red Bull taste in a totally different direction: “This is the most successful at masking the Red Bull flavor.” If you don’t really love Red Bull, give this a shot.

Credit: Merc / Amazon

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best Sugar Free

Red Bull went the Coca-Cola route and decided to release a “zero-sugar” variety along with its Sugarfree diet option (the former was released in 2018, while the latter hit shelves in 2003). Compared to both Sugarfree and original Red Bull, we thought this one had a pleasant cream soda sort of flavor with some citrussy notes too. It also seemed to have a little less carbonation than its forebears, and everyone appreciated that. “I think it’s a good thing,” Danny said. Agreed.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Fruit Flavor

I don’t think I’ve ever eaten fresh dragon fruit, but it makes for a really interesting Red Bull flavor. This one is almost savory (our editorial assistant Naajia Shukri thought it tasted sort of tomatoey), which really sets it apart from other fruit flavored versions, like peach and watermelon, which both run pretty sweet. If you want an energy drink that isn’t super cloying like Red Bull can tend to be, give this green guy a shot.

Credit: Merc / Target

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Tart

As the team predicted, this one tends more toward the taste of watermelon candy than actual watermelon. But, you know, watermelon candy is good and so is this. If you’re used to regular old Red Bull, which is sweet as hell, then this won’t burn out your taste buds too much. But if you wan’t something fruity that isn’t super cloying, give Dragon Fruit a shot.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Classic

In my opinion, regular Red Bull makes the list by virtue of having a totally unique taste that’s resonated with people for literal decades. Is it for me? Nope. But sometimes a classic is a classic for a reason. It’s also impressive that you can’t quite put your finger on what Red Bull tastes like (is that medicinal tang the Taurine?). It’s a flavor all its own and people love it.

Credit: Merc / Amazon

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Other products we tried: The Peach Edition, The Yellow Edition Tropical, The Blue Edition Blueberry, Red Bull Sugar Free

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