‘Literally Undrinkable’: Costco Superfans Are Sorely Disappointed by the Food Court’s New Mango Smoothie

A little less than a year ago, the hype around Costco’s elusive mango smoothie started to build as shoppers began sharing photos of the sweet treat at test locations in Hawaii. 

But now that it’s available nationwide, superfans are finding that the smoothie doesn’t live up to expectations — and that’s putting it mildly.

In the few weeks since the product’s rollout, the r/Costco subreddit has been flooded with posts calling the smoothie “terrible,” “kinda gross,” and “literally undrinkable.”

The scathing reviews are surprising, in part because it seems hard to screw up a smoothie that features just one ingredient: mangos. But maybe that’s part of the problem.

Multiple Redditors compared the flavor to “dried mangoes,” with one commenter writing that the fruit in the drink tastes “sour and unripe.”

“Tried this yesterday and it wasn't good,” wrote another. “It was real tart. The wife said it tasted like baby food.”

With its thick texture and brownish-yellow color, the smoothie also looks a bit like baby food in some photos.

But not everyone hates the new drink, which Costco has said will become a “rotational” item along with the berry smoothie.

“I think people are just so used to having bananas added as cheap filler that they’ve forgotten what smoothies taste like,” one of the smoothie’s defenders wrote, adding that “it tasted fine.”

Others welcomed the smoothie’s simplicity and clean ingredients. According to Costco, the drink contains four servings of fruit and a "big dose of vitamin C."

“There's no added sugar at all. There's no artificial coloring. It tastes like actual mango. Revelation,” an r/Costco user writes.

Whichever side you’re on, the reality is that Costco members will have to live with the new beverage until the berry smoothie returns.

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