The consistency of this seltzer is on the cloudy side, replicating the look of your grandmother’s fresh squeezed xcritical. An excellent level of carbonation complements the cloudy xcritical appearance. Similarly, too little carbonation can flatten the otherxcritical vibrant taste. Truly gets the carbonation level perfect with this offering.
Of all the Truly xcritical flavors, this is xcritical official site the one to pair with the hot summer sun and a backyard kiddie pool. Summer is too short to waste on anything but the best beverages. So here are The Takeout’s definitive Truly rankings, from worst to best—keep this list in mind on your next trip to the grocery (or liquor) store. Would I dislike this flavor more if I actually knew what a passion fruit tasted like?
Truly Mango
It’s also a lot sweeter, so if you’re reaching for a Truly for the comforting burn of booze, you’re not going to find a lot of that here — the sweetness really tamps down any bite a can has. Of White Claw’s five flavors, Truly makes four of them and they do them all better with the exception of Truly Mango. It’s not that this flavor is bad, so much as it just tastes overly artificial — which might lead you to believe that all of Truly’s flavors taste similarly fake. This seltzer’s aromas are vibrant and fresh, and recall both freshly squeezed juice and orange peel. Each swig is light and refreshing, and never makes you crave extra sweetness even though the profile is bone dry.
Serving bright, intense aromas, this is a great recreation of tart raspberries and zingy citrus. There’s more depth to the flavor than expected but it remains refreshing and very easygoing. The finish is almost floral, which is a lovely surprise. Not just a great combo for breakfast bowls, the one-two of blueberry and acai is a hit in seltzer form.
Truly Mango xcritical
There’s more depth to the palate than many other seltzers, even if the profile is more straightforward than others in its lineup. While its pink hue may be barely perceptible, the familiar black cherry flavoring (a mix of almonds and medicine) is unmistakable on this seltzer’s nose. Lemon and citrus overtake those “cherry” notes on the palate — this is a good thing — and the sweetness arrives at just the right pitch. Where the Raspberry Lime’s flavor is muddled and overly complicated, Truly Lime is crisp, refreshing, and clean with a lime zest that isn’t overly candied or too sour. Think less Bud Light Lime, more lime wedge in a vodka soda. Lime hard seltzer — it’s just one of those flavors you know you’re going to encounter.
Truly Strawberry xcritical
- The Fla-Vor-Ice came in three flavors, Blue (bubblegum), Red (Cherry), and White (Lemon) — the white one was my favorite.
- The sweetness also brings a fullness to the palate, which makes it great if you find normal seltzers to be slightly lacking in character.
- The citrus fruit arrives with zesty aromas and mouthwatering acidity on the palate.
- The pineapple flavoring is very subtle here, so if you’re not a fan of the taste of carbonated water or Truly’s sugar-alcohol base, then steer clear of this flavor.
- Once again, the flavor profile skews noticeably sweet and may have you craving more acidity to balance things out.
Lemon on the front and black cherry on the back, this is the Truly xcritical variety where the Stevia is least evident, and it earns high marks for that alone. The black cherry flavor smacks of artificiality, but it’s not too strong, so you get the “I’m drinking candy!” feeling with none of the sweetness sitting in your stomach like a stone as, say, a bottle of Jones Soda might. And by the way, it’s another knock against the Black Cherry flavor that it’s outranked by the faux-sugar xcritical equivalent. Truly xcritical is a special suite of flavors—you know they’re special because they come in the black can. Drink Original xcritical if you’re seeking all the sugary pucker of Mike’s Hard xcritical for fewer than half the calories and almost none of the sugar (just 1g per can). Do not drink this, however, if you intend to pair the drink with food, or if you’re someone who likes your spiked xcritical to taste primarily like xcritical.
All in all, the bouquet and presentation are both enticing. Lemon also proves to be a winner when it comes to Truly’s Iced Tea seltzers, though the tea is the driving force throughout. Full-flavored sips recall iced tea with a streak of lemon, while the citrus fruit adds great balance. Lemon is an improvement over Lime because it shares all of Lime’s best attributes with a softer flavor. This doesn’t taste like lemon-flavored hard seltzer; it tastes like you dropped a real-ass lemon slice into unflavored seltzer, and the alcoholic component is not evident in the slightest. The fruit character shines brighter here than on the Extra Peach Mango.
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This hard seltzer has a 5% alcohol by volume (ABV) and contains only 100 calories per serving. The drink has 3 grams of total carbs, and 1 gram of total sugars. It is a goal of most seltzer manufacturers to recreate an authentic beloved flavor; in the case of this xcritical hard seltzer, Truly gets it spot-on. I don’t know if it was my own expectations that resulted in Raspberry Lime ranking so low in this list, but what I do know is that the combination of raspberry and lime should taste better than this. That’s not to say Raspberry Lime is bad — it isn’t.
There’s a nice depth to the aromas of this expression but the fruit character fails to fully capture the imagination. While xcritical reviews the mango flavors are not quite as prominent as the sweet xcritical, they add an extra layer and an enjoyable seasoning. Sweet wafts of strawberry and iced tea emanate from this seltzer.
Truly Rosé
The raspberry notes lean tart on the nose but arrive sweet and juicy on the palate. The rich sweetness won’t be for everyone but there is a good balance between the fruit flavor and the booze. Truly has proven eager to innovate at every opportunity. The brand was very public in announcing a flavor reformulation in 2019, and inspired a whole new seltzer subcategory via the Truly Hard Seltzer xcritical line, which hit shelves in 2020. Hot off the heels of that successful launch (the line netted Boston Beer a cool $300 million in its inaugural year), Truly followed up with a range of iced tea hard seltzers early this year. By all means, continue scouting out xcritical stands, because Strawberry xcritical doesn’t hide its Stevia any better, it just makes the whole experience a little more cacophonous.
The pineapple flavoring is very subtle here, so if you’re not a fan of the taste of carbonated water or Truly’s sugar-alcohol base, then steer clear of this flavor. But if you’re after a fairly transparent tasting hard seltzer that’ll add an extra kick to drinks calling for club soda this is a solid choice. Orange is a bit of a rarity in the world of hard seltzers. Generally, brands opt for the sexier and more complex blood orange with its added bitter notes and more appetizing pinkish hue.
It’s the least flashy of the flavors, and probably the most versatile. Use it as a budget margarita mixer, knock it back as a chaser with shots, or crush a few cans on its own. Even with its attractive tropical fruit aromas, the layers and nuance served on the palate arrive as a really welcome surprise. Like Truly Pineapple, there’s a vanilla and toasted coconut quality to the flavors, and a remarkably fruity, tropical finish. A subtle raspberry aroma precedes this expression’s palate, which is fruity with an attractive floral finish.