Is the new Red Bull Calendar worth it?

By Anita Ratna Gautam

It finally happened: the famous Red Bull advent calendar from Europe has finally made it to U.S. stores in time for the holiday season. The 2025 editions became available Nov. 3 at major retailers such as Walmart, Circle K, Kroger, Target and Costco.

The calendar, priced at $49.99, contains 24 8.4 oz. cans divided into three flavor groups, or “sleighs,” according to the container’s graphic. In total, the box features 11 flavors, mixing Red Bull’s original lineup, current favorites and new drops.

We decided to try it, and now let’s talk about it.

Sleigh Number One

The first group starts us off with the brand’s classic options. The Founding Father of Red Bulls –more commonly known as the original flavor – is featured in the box three times.

That deliciously classic and crisp battery acid-like taste with strong carbonation is what brought in so many fans to the drink. While many might prefer the alternate flavors, this is a staple and will never disappoint. After all, hating on the original might be one of the disqualifications for the job of a Red Bull connoisseur.

Red Bull Sugarfree is another classic staple included in the calendar. And other than a few distant flavor notes, not a lot shifts from the original Red Bull flavor. The choice between classic and sugar free always boils down to personal preference.

Red Bull Zero is the first one that shifts further away from the classic, offering a monk fruit-sweetened edition of the drink. While it tries to mimic the original flavor using monk fruit extract as a natural sweetener, many might notice a few changes in the flavor. While the monk fruit feels lighter, the taste is more acid-like and artificial.

Due to the artificial sweeteners in the Red Bull Zero, some valuable notes, which usually shape the love for the drink, are lost. The drink feels more like a shot in the dark than a necessary addition to the lineup, tasting bland and in need of improvement.

When picking between the sugar free and monk fruit, the choice is easy. The sugar free is one of the closest and most similar alternatives to the Founding Father of Red Bulls. Perhaps Red Bull should take the opportunity to clear their stock of the monk fruit flavor this holiday season.

Sleigh Number Two

Next in the lineup is a group of five flavored editions presently loved by Red Bull fans and available throughout every season in U.S. stores. This sleigh features the Sea Blue can as juneberry, Amber as strawberry-apricot, Pink as fruit punch, Green as elderberry and Yellow as tropical.

Among this section emerges some obvious standouts. The tropical edition has been on the shelf the longest, with its sweet pineapple and mango taste that has kept customers in love. Sea Blue and pink are the two newest editions to the all-year lineup after gaining popularity as limited editions.

Now we get to the three new, fresh and exciting cans that recently joined the caffeine market. Festive edition, Winter Edition and Winter Edition Sugarfree are the official 2025 Red Bull winter premieres. Let’s break it down.

The calendar announces a new Winter Edition flavor for 2025: Fuji Apple and Ginger. Within the new red and yellow ombre can is a taste of sweet apple cider mixed with a hint of ginger, bringing us back to cozy memories of fall.

The sugar free version of this doesn’t fall an inch shorter than the original. Despite lacking sugar, it still has very vibrant flavors of the sweet and tender Fuji apple and rich ginger.

This is a very exciting flavor release, but it did fall short of some expectations. At first taste, the apple and ginger flavor is balanced, and neither of the flavors overpower each other. But by the end, the release of carbonation reminds drinkers less of apple cider and more of apple cider vinegar mixed with a ginger shot from the produce aisle. But maybe that’s because an apple flavor has been one of our most personally anticipated ones.

While we wouldn’t say the Fuji Apple and Ginger Red Bull is a flavor to ignore, we definitely do not think it lives up to its predecessor: the Iced Vanilla Berry Red Bull.

The Iced Vanilla Berry Red Bull has been one of the most popular releases Red Bull has had. This flavor tasted like a sweet combination of blueberry and blue raspberry with a slight note of vanilla. The refreshing taste was so loved by the public that it was announced to be a year-round flavor starting in January 2026.

Now for the star of the show. The previously-loved and fallen angel: Pomegranate Festive Edition. The 2021 Winter Edition Pomegranate Red Bull has been one of the fallen favorites from the Winter Edition segment of Red Bull releases. The pomegranate-flavored Red Bull is a great Winter Edition candidate due to the seasonality of the flavor. The winter editions usually hit the market during November and leave by March at the latest.

While the pomegranate flavor is such a memorable edition of this winter flavor lineup, the Festive Edition is an exclusive to the Red Bull 2025 advent calendar.

So is it worth it?

If you’re as star-struck by the pomegranate’s return as we are, prepare to hunt down every last calendar on the market. But that is not the only value that we found.

The calendar features 24 cans and retails for $49.99, and if we do some math, this means each can is priced at around $2.08 per can. The 8.04 ounce cans range in the $3 price range at nearby retail stores.

The Experience

Opening the Red Bull 2025 calendar was an exciting journey. The flavors were distributed evenly throughout the twenty four days, and was a great way to taste test the flavors that we wouldn’t normally go for.

We think this calendar is a great addition to every college student’s wish list.