I Tasted 11 C4 Energy Drink Flavors: Here are the Best Ones, Ranked

For a long time, it felt like there were maybe three energy drink brands. Today, there are more than you can count, and one of the most explosive entries into the energy drinks category is C4. Geared toward athletes and the workout world, C4 Energy offers advice for an effective diet, a resistance training program, and a whole lot more.

C4 is zero-sugar and comes in tons of flavors and varieties, including non-carbonated drinks and powder. Curious to know just which of the carbonated energy drinks are worth your money? I tried 11 C4 flavors and ranked them based on taste and flavor. Here are my findings.

C4 provided samples of the Performance Energy line for this review. Prices and availability are subject to change.

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This is more or less the amount of flavor I’m looking for in a drink this large. It’s mostly limey, with only a little bit of cherry. It’s so much easier to drink than most of the candy-flavored C4s. I can definitely see myself grabbing one of these on a road trip.

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Of all the real-life counterparts that C4 is trying to mimic, this is most successful attempt. Take a sip, close your eyes, and think about that part of a Bomb Pop where the blue and white stripes connect. Though in normal circumstances this type of thing would be too sweet for me, the exactness of the flavor helps get me on board. And I dig it. 

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I took my first sip bracing for impact against aggressive mango flavor, but it turned out to be unnecessary. Mango is also one of the most laid-back flavors C4 makes. There are some familiar mango notes floating around the can, but it lacks all the funk and stickiness of other mango-flavored beverages. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a good thing.

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This is like Grape’s counterpart; soda-esque, and not too intense to drink. If you like orange soda as much as Kel and I do, this feels worth adding into your energy drink rotation.

Related: 13 Alani Nu Energy Drink Flavors, Ranked

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Grape is polarizing, so what C4’s done here makes sense. This is pretty subtle, or at least as subtle as something can be for being a grape-flavored energy drink. If any of us are expected to drink an entire 16-oz. can we’re gonna need calmer flavors like this one. I really never saw a No. 5 rating coming.

Related: I Suffered Through 5 Flavors of Bang Energy Drink

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Cherry easily wins the Starburst line. It’s sweet, but it doesn’t jump all over you the way the rest do. This is as classic a cherry flavor as you can find: All the sweetness and none of the cough syrup-ness.

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I’m not fully sure if Skittles is the central flavor here. Is it like a handful of Skittles? Some people believe that all Skittles are the same flavor, and they have different colors and smells, though Skittles has denied this. If that’s the case, is this every single Skittle flavor combined into one energy drink?

Whatever it is, it’s far more mild than most of the other flavors. Fruity, but easygoing.

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Your boy is a fan of pink Starburst, but unfortunately this doesn’t really remind me of it too much. There’s a marshmallowy, strawberries-and-cream thing going on here, and if this was 10% less sweet, I’d be all about it. Regardless, this is way better than the orange one.

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I assume this is called Arctic Snow Cone because it tastes like the leftover flavored syrups you find at the bottom of a snow cone. The flavor is pretty decent, but holy hell, this is so sweet. For a zero-sugar drink, I’m stunned. Flavor-wise, we’re looking at something adjacent to a very tart blue raspberry. 

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I absolutely taste orange Starburst here. In fact, I taste about 50,000 orange Starbursts. This thing packs explosive flavor, and I guess I see why this product is called C4 now. For those who can handle the sweetness, this is a good nostalgia bomb.

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Do you like lemon Starburst in the real world? If you don’t mind the slightly bitter, acidic, peel-flavored vibes that the candy has, consider this drink. C4 has, unsurprisingly, cranked the flavor of lemon Starburst up to an 11, because this is extremely tart. It’s actually on the verge of bitter, to be honest. I’d certainly consider mixing this into a cocktail, though I’m not trying to relive any of the original Four Loko days.