Top 10 Brands of Flavored Water

There are only two things that I drink on a daily basis: water and coffee. I used to be someone who drank a lot of juices and sodas but that changed over the years as I tried to get healthier and to reduce my sugar intake. These days if I want to drink something that’s a bit more flavorful than water but less intense the coffee, I’ll usually choose a bottle of flavored water. It’s fairly healthy, it’s refreshing and there are tons of choices in terms of flavors and brands. In fact, there are so many types to choose from that it can be hard to figure out what to try if you’re new to the bottled water craze.

Here’s a look at what I think are the top ten brands of flavored water.

1. Clearly Canadian. I fell in love with this brand of bottled water more than ten years ago, long before the shelves were filled with so many brands of bottled water and long before I’d given up drinking soda. I think that’s why I liked it so much at the time. It’s a carbonated flavored water beverage so it tastes a bit like soda but it’s fruitier and fresher. And I think there’s something to the fact that they’re using pure Canadian water because it really does taste clean. They’ve now launched a non-carbonated version of their water which I haven’t tried yet but am interested in testing out.

2. SoBe Life Water. SoBe is just a terrific brand. I love their juices and teas including the “lean” (diet) versions but I particularly love their life water options. They have eight flavors. The only one I’ve tried so far is pomegranate cherry which I strongly recommend. The cherry taste is really rich without tasting artificial. It’s almost like drinking juice but it’s lighter and better for you.

3. Glaceau Vitamin Water. This is one of the most popular brands of flavored water out there. Each flavor has different types of vitamins in it which are designed to do different things such as give you energy or boost your immune system. I’m not sure if those vitamins work or not but I do love the range of options that you have when choosing this brand and I like the fact that it’s a brand that seems to be readily available in most stores.

4. Hint Water. I love this brand of flavored water because it seems to be truly healthy. It doesn’t have any artificial sweeteners in it. It tastes a lot like the water that you get at the day spa which has been naturally infused with lemon or orange or cucumber. Plus they have really interesting flavors like hibiscus vanilla and mango grapefruit. And I have to admit that I’m a little in love with the fact that it’s made locally here in San Francisco and I do like to support local businesses in any way that I can.

5. Aquafina FlavorSplash. This is a brand that’s not as healthy because it does have artificial sweetners; it’s made with sucralose. However, it tastes pretty good and it’s often available at gas stations so it makes for a good drink when you’re just stopping off somewhere to grab a quick drink. Strawberry Kiwi is my favorite flavor that I’ve tried so far. They also have a new sparkling option that I’m interested in trying out.

6. Dasani Flavored Water. This drink is good for the same reason that Aquafina FlavorSplash. There are only three flavors offered that I know of (lemon, raspberry and strawberry). It’s an okay brand; it’s just not my top choice.

7. Metromint. To be honest, I have mixed feelings about Metromint. The first time that I tasted it, I didn’t like it at all. The mint taste is pretty strong and it reminded me a little bit too much of mouthwash. But I’ve tried it since and found that it can be really refreshing on a hot day in a way that plain water and fruit flavored waters isn’t. There are six different flavors including cherry mint and chocolate mint which offers some variety and helps cut the mint taste down to a more tolerable level.

8. Owater. I’ve only tried this one once so I don’t have a lot to say about it but it was good for what it was. It’s advertised as more of a sports drink than the other beverages on this list are. Their website shows that they offer three types of the water – the sports water as well as an infused water and an unsweetened water. There appear to be many different flavors including fairly normal ones like lemon-lime as well as more interesting options like coconut

9. PUR Flavored Water. Admittedly I haven’t tried this system but I think it sounds really cool. It’s a filtered water system that you install in your home (either in the faucet or just as a pitcher. Then you can push buttons to choose different flavors to add to the water. It gives you choices for flavored water in your own home.

10. Homemade Flavored Water. You don’t have to get some fancy system to make flavored water at home. You can make both carbonated and non-carbonated flavored water at home using the fruits that you like most and adding sugar as you see fit. There are tons of homemade flavored water recipes out there and I think that’s probably the best way to enjoy flavored water!