The best sparkling water is refreshing and full of flavor, even though it isn’t sweet like soda. Seriously, human beings are expected to drink something like a half gallon of water every day and, frankly, it would be a real slog to remain alive if at least some of that water didn’t contain bubbles and taste like black cherries or limes. It’s not for everyone, but for plenty of people, the best seltzer is a revelation, a way to spice up an otherwise mundane existential mandate. Drinking the best seltzer is the best way to stay hydrated.
Over the course of two taste tests—not to mention many other brand-specific taste tests we’ve performed during the past several months—we tasted a lot of brands and a lot of flavors of sparkling water. Did we taste every flavor every brand makes? No. But we tasted a lot of them, worked through our feelings, and then put together this ranking of the best sparkling water you can buy. Happy belching!
- Polar Original
Polar obviously has a vast lineup of flavors—I’m partial to Cranberry-Lime, myself—but here’s something beautiful, perfect, and understated about an ice-cold can of plain Polar seltzer. In the absence of any flavoring—natural, artificial, or otherwise—Polar has an incredibly clean, crisp, and refreshing taste, making it a perfect blank slate as a cocktail base or to drink on its own, sans spirits. Nice, big bubbles make it easy to drink, so if still water never quite feels like it quenches your thirst (my mom claims this is the case for her), you can really pound these to stay hydrated. If you like plain seltzer, this is the best seltzer to the last drop.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- 365 Ginger Sparkling Water
A few years ago, it became a meme to try to describe the mildness of the fruit flavor in LaCroix sparkling waters. A strawberry with low battery. The concept of grape. You get the point. This ginger sparkling water from 365 is kind of like the meme, but in a good way. This can contains a whisper of ginger flavor, but it would really hit the spot if you had an upset stomach. We all grew up drinking sugary-ass ginger ale when we felt ill. In hindsight, that is insane. With a can of this, you get the stomach-settling flavor of ginger, soothing carbonation, and zero sugar so you don’t just make matters worse down there. Honestly, when we first tried this I didn’t love it, but it became the flavor I returned to the most.
Credit: Liv Averett / Whole Foods
- Lime LaCroix
When we set out to find the best LaCroix flavor late last year, Lime was the clear favorite, in part because it’s such a crowd pleaser. You know who’s part of that crowd? Ja bois Rhett & Link, who also put this in the top spot when they did their LaCroix flavors Gut Check. To me, this tastes like a good seltzer with a squeeze of real lime juice. It’s bright and refreshing and also happens to pair very nicely with liquor—it’s versatile and we love that. While we don’t think LaCroix makes the best sparkling water you can buy, Lime LaCroix deserves a spot on this list.
Read the full ranking of the best LaCroix flavors
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Grapefruit
Much like LaCoix, Bubly comes in a lot of flavors. And Sporked editor-in-chief Justine Sterling tried them all. The best Bubly flavor? That would be Grapefruit—a little boring, but definitely true! She loved the aroma and the taste: “It doesn’t taste fake and it doesn’t taste sweet. It just tastes like a seltzer water with a generous squeeze of grapefruit juice.” When a sparkling water brand really nails a fruit flavor, it’s a beautiful thing. If you’ve been wasting your time crushing LaCroix Pamplemousse, you should try this instead.
Read the full ranking of the best Bubly flavors
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Good & Gather Pear & Hibiscus Caffeinated Sparkling Water
It was only a matter of time until sparkling water started offering us the jolt of caffeine we’d typically get from a can of soda. My colleague Jordan Myrick tasted a bunch of caffeinated sparkling water, and this Good & Gather flavor was the best of the best. “This caffeinated seltzer is fragrant, light, and bubbly,” Jordan wrote. “I don’t typically drink seltzer and I would drink this.” Oh and it packs 35 mg of caffeine, same as a can of Coke!
Read the full ranking of the best caffeinated sparkling water
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Sanzo Yuzu
I truly can’t stress enough how much I love Sanzo sparkling water. It’s like Spindrift’s cool older cousin—it’s made with real fruit juice, but all the fruit flavors are more interesting. Their Yuzu variety tastes so much like a lemon lime soda (but, again, more interesting). If you are a person who dislikes seltzer—cough *Jordan* cough—you will be super into this! It’s so bright and refreshing, and it’s made with both yuzu juice and lemon juice. And I love Sanzo’s nice, subtle bubbles, which make it super drinkable. I swear this settled my stomach after a long day of taste testing. This is the best sparkling water for soda lovers, but people who are into sparkling water will dig it, too.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Waterloo Peach
When I go to someone’s house and they offer me a sparkling water and I discover it’s Waterloo, I am pumped. In our initial taste test, we obviously didn’t try every flavor of every brand, but everyone thought Waterloo Peach was leaps and bounds above a lot of the fruit flavored offerings we tasted (Black Cherry is a close second, in my book). Even sparkling water skeptic, Jordan, couldn’t resist it. “I wanted to hate it but it’s good,” they said. “It’s more like peach rings [gummy candy] than actual peach.” That’s what Waterloo nails: perceived sweetness. It tastes like candy but doesn’t have sugar. Science rules.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Sanzo Calamansi
I’ve never had anything quite like Sanzo Calamansi. It’s super tart. It tastes like the rind of fresh citrus. I’ll admit that I’m not super familiar with the flavor profile of calamansi (a yellow-fleshed citrus fruit that’s popular in the Philippines), but Jordan assured me this is spot on. And, again, Sanzo is highly gulpable—no sharp little bubbles that make it hard to drink. This is the best sparkling water if you want something different.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Spindrift Lime
I’ve consumed a lot of sparkling water (like, for business and for pleasure) and it just doesn’t get better than Spindrift. Real fruit juice makes this the Cadillac of seltzer. It’s fresh. It’s refreshing. It’s high quality. And of all the Spindrift flavors, Lime is literally perfect. “It tastes like high-quality key lime juice in very good bubbly water,” I wrote in my ranking of the best Spindrift flavors. “It’s tart and bright and perfect for so many things—drink it alone, spike it with literally any liquor (vodka, tequila, whiskey), or add a splash of it to pretty much any beverage for a little effervescence and punch of citrus flavor.” Spindrift is the best sparkling water and I stand by that (belching, naturally).
Read the full ranking of the best Spindrift flavors
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
Best Plain
Best Subtle
Best LaCroix
Best Bubly
Best Caffeinated
Best for Soda Lovers
Best Waterloo
Best Unique
Best of the Best
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