The CG Cafe has three (or four, if you get creative) colorful drinks for sale at three bucks a pop. These carbonated drinks combine the White Lotus plant-based energy drink which uses white lotus extract and 80 milligrams of caffeine (roughly equivalent to one cup of coffee) and club soda to give students a boost during their day. These include the White Lotus, the Trojan, the Blue Wave and the (not so) secret fourth item you won’t find on the menus. Also, as a slight disclaimer on scoring, a 5/10 is average. Anything below is worse than average, and anything above is better than average. The scores are based not only on how they compare to each other but also other carbonated drinks. 

White Lotus:

The White Lotus is the basic flavor. It’s fruity, yet I struggle to come up with a description beyond that. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but it really is like trying to describe the flavor of a Red Bull. You truly have to try it for yourself to know what it tastes like. The flavor is subtle and pretty good without being overpoweringly sweet. Oddly enough, the best part of this drink is the aftertaste. It’s actually more noticeable than the flavor itself and sits comfortably at the back of your mouth for a decent while. Overall, the White Lotus certainly feels like the generic flavor. Nothing super special, but definitely serviceable. 

Score: 6/10

The Trojan

The Trojan is named for its bright red color. The flavor could most accurately be described as cherry. The flavor is even less prominent than the White Lotus, though I would say I prefer the taste of it. I would rate it higher if I had more to say about it, but I really don’t. It’s better than White Lotus, but not by a lot.

Score: 7/10

Blue Wave

This is where it gets really good. The blue wave tastes almost exactly like a blue raspberry Jolly Rancher and is – my bias is showing here – the best of the flavors. The taste is also quite strong in the drink, whereas the previous two have had rather subtle flavors. This flavor knows it’s the best and wants you to know it, too. If you couldn’t tell, this flavor is my favorite and is really the only of these drinks I would consistently get. 

Score: 9/10

The (Open) Secret Flavor

While you won’t find it on the menus, the final flavor is purple and can be ordered simply by asking. If you know basic color theory you might’ve guessed this flavor, which I will simply be referring to as ‘purple,’ is a combo of Blue Wave and The Trojan. This flavor, fittingly enough, tastes almost exactly like grape soda. That may turn some people away; personally, I find grape soda to be a pretty acquired taste. After trying it though, I must say it’s quite good. My main problem with grape soda is that it has an incredibly powerful taste to the point of being sickly sweet. The purple flavor is far weaker than a grape soda while maintaining the taste.

Score: 8/10