So many flavors - but which is the best? We did a taste test!

By Señor K

Lately, the competition for your soda buying dollars has pushed bottling companies to create lots of awesome new flavors of carbonated water. In the old days there were only two types of carbonated water: club soda and seltzer. Today, there are so many flavors of soda water that some have names that don’t even represent a fruit...like Dragon Whispers or Pixie Lights.

Other flavors have names that sort of represent a real plant like Guava Sao Paolo or Beach Plum. Either way, today we are living in a golden age of soda. 

Supermarkets everywhere now devote entire aisles to flavored soda water. And it's pretty cheap; an average 8-pack costs just less than 4 bucks. So, to give American Teen readers the rundown on what’s hot in the world of sparkling water flavors we break it down the major players: LaCroix, Spindrift and Bubly.

LaCroix

La Croix is one of the earlier sparkling water companies. They have been around since the 1980s but their big push to expand was in 2015 when many younger Americans began to buy more LaCroix products. They have some great original flavors like Mango, Key Lime and Passionfruit, as well as some delicious new flavors such as Limoncello and Hibiscus. 

Their cans are simple yet exciting with painting-like designs and a calligraphic font. Their best-selling flavor is Pamplemousse, for some reason. Pamplemousse is refreshing with a slight bitter taste, but is nothing compared to Key Lime and Limoncello. 

Key Lime is a simple flavor that goes with anything; it has just the right amount of flavor and is always enjoyable. Limoncello is La Croix’s newest flavor and it tastes like sunshine. Lemon with a hint of vanilla, Limoncello is perfect to sip on while relaxing by the pool, on your couch, or just about anywhere. But beware: Razz-Cran is so disgusting it’s deadly. Razz-Cran, while the can design is beautiful, tastes like if you put a moldy cranberry in a can of old water. It’s sour, bitter, and leaves an awful aftertaste. But in general, La Croix successfully satisfies in most flavors.

Spindrift

Spindrift is definitely on the newer side when it comes to the sparkling water business. Established in 2010, Spindrift has a variety of drinks and flavors. The brand both has regular sparkling water and spiked, but today we’ll only be talking about the non-alcoholic drinks. Their most popular flavor is Lemon, and it is for sure one of their best. It’s subtle yet smooth taste never disappoints. Their Grapefruit is also great. It tastes fresh and real, with a bitter undertone just like a real grapefruit. And honestly, all of their flavors are excellent. Since their selection is more limited, there’s less room for mistakes. Every flavor refreshes and renews.

Bubly

Bubly is the newest of our contenders, established in 2018 by Pepsi. With colorful cans and cute messages on the tabs, we love the look and feel of this brand. Can the taste live up to it? The answer is… not really. Compared to the other brands, Bubly just doesn’t satisfy as well. They’ve got some good flavors; we would recommend Lime, Grapefruit, and Blackberry for their subtle yet sweet and refreshing flavor. 

But there isn’t anything special about them, either. At all costs, stay away from their cherry flavor. Similar to La Croix’s Razz-Cran, this flavor was just done so, so wrong. It tastes rotten. Overall, Bubly isn’t our favorite, but in a pinch it will do.