Aguas Frescas La Gotita Limonada con Chica: We purchased this drink after waiting two hours in line for goat tacos at the Taco Y Birria food truck in LA's Boyle Heights. I hadn't previously heard of the combination of chia seeds and lemonade, but it turns out it's a traditional Mexican drink called Chia Fresca. The massive 32 oz bottle, similar in size and just a tad lighter than my hand weights, contains 4 servings of lemonade with 44g of sugar each. Surprisingly, even with the high sugar content, it came off as a bit watered down... (read more) 2.5/5.0

Cha Cha Matcha Matcha lemonade with mint: More mint than matcha, this chilled lemonade is refreshing but doesn’t quite hit the mark as far as green tea flavor. It has a slight bitterness that sets it apart from a normal lemonade, but it would be hard to guess it contains matcha if you were to drink it without first seeing its identifying dark green color. Purchased from the ultra trendy matcha shop Cha Cha Matcha, a cafe seemingly built for Instagram, replete with a faux living wall and lifestyle neon signage. 3.0/5.0

Asha Tea Sparkling ginger lemonade: I didn’t know Asha Tea served any non-tea drinks, but they currently have a special sparkling ginger lemonade drink available only available at their Berkeley location. Ginger soda is my favorite drink, so when I saw the sign at the register for this new special, I switched my order to get it. The drink is made from a house made ginger syrup and has a pleasantly potent spicy flavor that stays with you for several minutes even after you’re done. The lemon flavor is milder and has a cooling ef... (read more) 3.5/5.0

Ring Tofu Donuts Yuzu Lemonade: I was surprised at how overly sweet this housemade yuzu lemonade was given the light, barely sweetened flavor of Ring Tofu’s donuts. It reminded me of a slightly more tart version of korean citron tea. Definitely stick to the Donuts. 2.5/5.0

Gatorade Strawberry Lemonade Sports Drink: Tastes like a liquified version of watermelon Jolly Ranchers. Very little strawberry flavor, but the taste of artificial watermelon is strong. Contains no fruit juice but has both natural and artificial flavors. Curious what the natural flavors are. Purchased for electrolytes. 2.5/5.0

YakiniQ Strawberry yuzu lemonade: A remarkably thirst-quenching summer drink, with strawberry seeds mixed throughout and citrus rind (in the same pulpy form as Asian citron tea) at the bottom. Well balanced; sweet and tart, and ultra fresh. One of the best beverages I’ve had in recent memory. Seasonal offering from this small cafe in the heart of Japantown in SF. 4.5/5.0