The student store is always experimenting with new items to sell to the hungry students around school. This year especially, they’ve added a lot of new things to their inventory, including new froyo flavors, froyo toppings, energy drinks, new desserts, and other snacks. 

The thing is though, most new items, specifically the desserts, are limited time, and usually only available for no more than a week. This was particularly devastating when the banana froyo that was introduced a few months ago, seemed to leave as soon as it had come, leaving me missing the delicious fruity taste of my favorite froyo flavor. 

However, a new addition to the student store caught my eye: the root beer float. While it could never fill the void left behind by my favorite froyo, it showed promise. When I saw my friend with a root beer float a few days ago, I knew I wanted to give it a try. The following day at flex, I stood in that long, crowded line, telling myself that the wait would be worth it in the end. Before I knew it, the person in front of me stepped aside, and my time had finally come. 

I ordered a root beer float for $3, as well as a bag of baked hot Cheetos for $1. 

Initially, I noticed that the root beer float seemed to just be root beer with the signature vanilla froyo poured on top. This had been my prediction, so I wasn’t necessarily surprised by this. I made my way to my math classroom to work on my algebra project and sat down with my root beer float. 

First, I took a tentative sip, fully immersing myself in the taste. The only thing I tasted at first was the root beer, seeing as the froyo was too thick to slurp up with the straw. I’m going to be honest, I’m not exactly crazy about root beer, so take this with a grain of salt, but I wasn’t exactly loving the flavor. I used the spoon to eat some of the actual froyo, and while the mild flavor of the vanilla combined with the root beer was pretty good, the texture was a little off, seeing as the froyo had crystallized the soda around it. 

I will say that dipping my Hot Cheetos in the float was extremely delicious, as the sweet, creamy vanilla paired perfectly with the spicy crunch of my Cheetoscheetos. If nothing else, the portion was generous, and I wasn’t able to finish my serving. Also, I’m lactose intolerant and didn’t want to push it. 

Overall, I was pretty underwhelmed by the new root beer float, and I’m still waiting for the student store to introduce something that can live up to the legacy of the beautiful banana froyo.