photo by Taylor Keal
My soda drinking career started and ended at 2 years old when my dad’s Sigma Chi fraternity brother taught me how to burp after drinking Sprite — gross. I’ve never finished a can of soda since, not a Coke, not a Dr. Pepper, not even a ginger ale for a stomach ache. But something about the click of a pop tab and the tingly feeling of bubbles excites me.
Enter sparkling water. This drink is perfect; just the right amount of bubbles and refreshment without the calories, sugar content and sodium of soda. And it is completely free of the gross stomach burbling drinking a soda brings about.
You could say that sparkling water is my not-so-guilty pleasure. Bad day? Sparkling water. Good workout? Sparkling water. Celebratory dinner? Sparkling water.
So I set out to find the best sparkling water on the market (an excuse to waste time in Whole Foods and Target during the process).
Bubly:
This one had me at hello — literally. The colorful pop-tab reading “hey u” was enough to convince me to take a sip, along with the big smiley face on the pink can.
Bubly is refreshing, plain and simple. The explosive bubbles and overall natural flavor (no artificial flavors or sweeteners) provide a nice way to cool off when your AC breaks — I would know from experience. Bubly has the perfect bubble-to-flavor ratio and the flavor tastes more fruity and crisp, compared to soda. While it is more bubbly than other brands (hence the name), it really helps to enhance the essence of the drink and make it pop — pun intended.
Although Bubly can be tricky to find, it’s on Amazon Prime and sold at Target — and is totally worth the hunt.
Spindrift:
Ah, Spindrift. I first found this brand on one of my aimless trips to Trader Joe’s. Naturally, I fell in love with everything from water-colored grapefruit art on the can and aesthetically pleasing pack
aging.
At first sip, Spindrift tastes more like juice than sparkling water because one-eighth of a grapefruit is squeezed into each can. However, the bubbles cancel out the overly flavorful “juice” and leave a sweet yet zippy aftertaste. It gives all the vibes of a glass of lemonade or grapefruit juice without the sugar content — a major win in my book.
The only downside? Spindrift does contain calories and sugar compared to it’s zero cal competitors, but it’s worth it for the extra flavor. However, the drink is still sodium free and doesn’t contain any added sugar — but what could be so bad about natural sugar anyway?
La Croix:
My friends often send me memes making fun of my love for La Croix. Call me basic, but I almost bought one of the La Croix swimsuits that popped up on my Facebook feed this past su
mer. In fact, La Croix was my gateway sparkling water, my first love — Pamplemousse and I go way back.
But I have to admit, my loyalty is wavering. I never thought I would say this but, I think I may have to agree with the tweets: La Croix does lack flavor. While the drink has a solid ratio of bubbles to flavor, it lacks the punch of some of the other brands. It tastes more like actual water than flavored water
Despite the lack of flavor, the abundance of choices and unique fruit flavor combinations like strawberry pineapple and peach pear make up for it. And overall, I
will forever be a loyal La Croix lover.
Waterloo:
I have to admit, I bought this can specifically for the reason that the name reminded me of the “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” cover of ABBA’s hit song “Waterloo.” I was hoping it would transport me to a little cafe in Paris, sitting across from the handsome, young Harry. But I was pleasantly surprised by Waterloo’s kickin’ flavor.
This water is known for being “vapor-distilled” and “cold forced carbonated.” While I am still unsure what that means, I think it results in some pretty pleasing carbonation. The water was just fizzy enough to tickle my taste buds, but not give an overwhelming tingly feeling.
As for flavor, Waterloo nails it. The grapefruit flavor was both sweet and tart and had just enough acidity to create a natural taste. It’s a true sparkling water, with less juice than Spindrift, but more flavor than La Croix.
Overall, this one’s a winner — not only for the Instagram-worthy font on the can but also for the authentic flavor.