Costco's New Mango Smoothie Is A Major Food Court Fail

While many of Costco's food court items, like the famed $1 hot dog, are popular with customers, others seem to miss the mark. The warehouse store's new mango smoothie is the latest food court item to receive a mixed response, but honestly, most of its reviews skew toward negative.

One TikTok user described the mango smoothie as "delicious" and claimed their son wanted a second one. However, the vast majority of customers claimed the smoothie tasted bitter and not at all like the fresh mangoes they were expecting. Reddit users suggested the mango smoothie tasted like overripe mangoes, and others likened it to baby food.

Costco's food court smoothies have been a source of contention for years, with its fruit smoothie replacing the beloved berry smoothie and the mango smoothie, in turn, replacing the fruit smoothie. That said, considering how even mango lovers are against this smoothie, there must be some explanation behind the controversy.

As pointed out in the TikTok video, the new mango smoothie contains four servings of fruit and no added sugars or preservatives. Interestingly enough, many customer theories tie back to its seemingly simple recipe. 

Some have suggested the smoothie's bitterness could be because of the lack of added sugar. Ripe mangoes taste sweeter, while less-ripe mangoes tend to be more tart. On a similar note, some Reddit users speculated the smoothies could be made from "stock that couldn't be sold as whole fruit, so there's likely a lot of overripe or bruised fruit in the mix."

It's worth mentioning that the paper straws used in Costco's food courts could also influence the smoothie's taste. Some paper straws, for example, might imbue a cardboard flavor, affecting the flavor of drinks that pass through them. Of course, not everyone was disappointed by the mango smoothie because of the paper straw, so the off-putting taste is more likely a result of the quality of the mangoes.