I thought I had already tried this one, but no, that was tangerine! My parents clearly have a type. Like the tandʒo, this was pretty good. Like an orange seltzer ought to taste like. Not too artificial/candy vibe; refreshing. Made me miss the ocean.
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10
Many of my family members are now fully into the La Croix life due to their own health problems/alcoholism/special diets etc, which is fun for me because they're like 15 years behind the trend... but really really into it. (Some genetic similarity when it comes to Obsession, perhaps.) And thus I get to try a new flavor when visiting! Bully for me!
This one is pretty good. I don't know if I'd pinpoint it as tango (read: tan-jo) and not orange or mandarin, but definitely in that zone. And since I can't have fresh oranges anymore, one of my greatest joys, it's a nice reminder of the good times. It does make my throat kinda tight actually, but I think that's just seltzer? Anyway, tastes good. Seltzer still is a "meh" drink though. Luckily I'll be back in God's country soon (my house).
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10
Move over, Wine & Food Pairing, it's time for Spindrift Soda and Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor Pairing. Almost as elegant and emotionally evocative!! I didn't think I'd like this because I don't really like grape soda, and I definitely don't like grape juice, but somehow this is the best of all worlds. (Or maybe I just miss wine). It's concord grape, so it's fully in that jam space, but it's also got a little apple juice to sweeten the deal, and it's in a can so that's fun. It has a flavor but isn't too sweet. It's a cute purple can. Orchestral music is in my top 3 genres. So, what's not to like really.
Overall
Cost: 5/10 [1.50$ish, which is absurd]
Taste: 7/10
Anything for a cold drink in these times... even if this one purports to be a Shirley Temple yet contains more pomegranate and apple juice than cherry and lime juice. I want more cherry and less g-dang pom! Anyway, it's kind of a strange gingery cherry pommo flavor. I don't hate it, of course, especially given the bountiful 51 calos and 10 sugars (it's almost electrolytic, if you squint), but like... it could be so much better (see: raspberry lime spindrift, which isn't even a soda but is 5x more delicious). So, boo. At least there is a bit of a lime aftertaste, and it is a nice drink in a can. I'll feel better once my house is under 100 degrees.
Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 6/10
Another spindrift soda offering -- this time, the ingredos are: fizzy water, strawberry puree, apple juice, vanilla extract, and strawberry extract. Starting to see a pattern! It tastes like the things it is, and I do like super-wet strawberry juice, so it's pleasant. Someone online said that it's kind of strawberry-yogurt flavored, and I can definitely see that. More yogurt than shortcake (the old name of this flavor), so changing the name to an ingredient description was a wise move. We love transparency!!
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10
Beautiful stuff, can art wise. The ingredients on this are pretty interesting: water, apple juice, lemon juice, lime juice - fine, gotta make it sweet - ginger juice - naturally; and I like that they call it juice - and lime extract. What is the difference between lime extract and lime juice?????? Well, the juice is natural, and the extract is bits of lime suspended in alcohol or other chemical mysteries. I see. I see. Anyway, they could probably axe that, because this is a little too limey (although that's the spindrift way). The ginger flavor is PRETTY good, although it's no Fevertree. Better than a Sprite or something, better than a soda-ginger-ale, but not ginger beer level. But, only 34 calos, so I guess that's the tradeoff? It's a little sweet for me but not terrible; definitely too lemon/limey though. Still a fun drink, just nothing to write blogs about.
Overall
Cost: 5/10 [2$]
Taste: 6/10
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10
Me for the last 15 years: I'm in my "drinks" phase.
OK, but, Spindrifts are great. They taste a million times better than the artificially (or "naturally" but essentially artificially) flavored seltzers (la croix, bubly, waterloo), they're way healthier than a juice or a soda (this is 4 calos), they have no alc or caf, and they have cute little names like "nojito". It also makes me think of the 2010s song "Nolita", which I can't remember who sang. Hm. Anyway, if I'm ever a recovering alcoholic, I'll be mainlining these forever. As it stands they are a fun little treat. This has lime and mint, so I was avoiding it previously because mint in a water sounds gross, and then because lime is citrus and contraindicated for migraine. But now we're imbibing moderately, and the exciting mojito flavored canned sparkling juice is pretty great. Way better than mint tea. A pleasant surprise. The flavor is mainly lime. The colors are my favorite and I love stupid blends (word-wise). If I lived closer to my job I'd be bringing these in for events all the time. If I ever get hired permanently, I'm gonna turn all the studos into Spindrifters. You'll see! (Well, you almost certainly won't, but IF I DID, you would see!)
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10
Finally facing my waterloo...
This flavor is, as expected, not my favorite. It doesn't taste like medicine, or even really artificial/chemical (in a bad way), but it does taste exactly like those cute little strawberry wrapper hard candies, except not sweet and not a candy and instead a slightly bitter fizzy water. So that's...not my favorite. But it's OK. Something to drink, anyway.
Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 5/10
I wisely saved the worst for last with this flavor. As expected, it tastes like those candy peach rings, which is a weird flavor I don't like. Also tastes very similar to the peach waterloo, but slightly sweeter/more intense. The funny thing is, this is actual peach juice - not artificial like the waterloo (and I assume the peach candies), so although it tastes not at all like peaches to me, it IS peaches. Another instance of foolishness by yours truly, I guess! Anyway, if you like that flavor, you'll love this. I just miss the nice lime one. Or even the cherry at this point. No allergy issues though.
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10
How did pamplemousse get to be pamplemousse when all the other flavors are in English? Anyway, this is pretty similar to the lemon one. It's good. It's not great. It's La Croix. The little "Innocent!" tagline on the front is insidious. No wonder everyone has an eating disorder.
Overall
Cost: 10/10 (free)
Taste: 6/10
I've had about 3 of these in the last week thanks to the catering at my new job. It's not as good as the free Homefree cookies at my last gig (here we've got no packaged food at all, only pastries... hummus... beyond meat... etc) but it is something and I am grateful for it! These are probably strictly better than the janky waterloo seltzers I get in my veg box, but they're also expensive. I guess they're still trendy though, because all the cool young people were drinking them (and me).
Overall
Cost: 10/10
Taste: 6/10
We have ourselves a winner, cap'n! I like this much more than the other two Ciaos I chowed, probably because it tastes like a popsicle. Not a good popsicle, necessarily, kinda like a green pop-ice (otter pop for the cali pallys). Good, bright, sweet-seeming lime flavor (and salt). Not too bitter like the orange or artificial(ish) like the cherry. Also, it is my favorite color, green. I could slam these, but I won't, because I'm an adult.
Overall
Cost: 5/10 [6.75 >:(]
Taste: 7/10
Ciao! Now we're getting somewhere. As promised, I got after another flavor, and this is a much better one than the cherry. It smells like sweet, sweet candy. It tastes like orangina! Or like some good quality orange juice, watered down and fizzed up (which I guess is exactly what it is). Still a bit fear-and-itch-inducing, but I drank all the cherry ones with no major ill effects, so it's probably just a touch of the old psychosomatism. They made a good move with this line. I'll hit up the lime ones next week if all goes well! Ciao!
Overall
Cost: 6/10 [1$ per can]
Taste: 6/10
Ciao! I am happy to see this product line, because I've always liked the normal San Pellegrino ethos, but found them to be too sweet. Now they're following the Spindrift model of "put just a little bit of actual juice in there", which is a great model. I decided to try out a fun drink because it's a Heat Wave and my house is, of course, 100+ degrees. However, I forgot that now I have OAS and Real Fruit makes me itchy. Surely fruit concentrate is like, heated at some point, and therefore shouldn't make me itchy? (I have an allergist appointment in August and will inquire about this, so stay tuned.) Anyway, maybe it's just the heat!? My physical form really stinks.
But this drink only stinks a little bit. The cherry is "sweet cherry", and for the first time I think I can distinguish between sweet and tart cherry, and I can say that sweet cherry is the medicine one. You'd think medicine would be tart, but no no. This is full on medicinal (whereas the tart one's juice was kinda like cranberry, which was good). But it's also a little bit sweet and got that orange/lemon undertone that all the SanPelis have, which makes it more palatable. However, cherry is not the move, unless it's paired with lime. They shoulda done lime. I will try another flavor later since I think I am mostly not that itchy and not dead in any case. Ciao!
Overall
Cost: 5/10 [6.50 for 6]
Taste: 6/10
Happy 14th! It's Friday, so it actually is a happy 14th, as these things go. And this flavor was a pleasant surprise: I dislike most cherry flavoring, but you add in some lime and I guess it magically becomes ungross. Waterloo seltzers are far from my favorite seltzers, though they are all "OK", but this is my favorite waterloo flavor so far. It smells like cherry limeade (the non-0-cal version) and tastes like, hmm. It tastes like a very fizzy, slightly acidic, vaguely fruity drink. But inhale deep enough and you'll get to where you're meant to go.
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10
A little over halfway into my 4-month brain diet experiment and I've already tried a wee choco in a cookie, nearly died of vommin', and a week later thought "well, maybe we can introduce something else though?". All of my other beloved vices are even more closed off to me, so in the spirit of harm reduction(??) I am letting citric acid back into the game (of consumption). So far so good! And allowing citric acid opens up so many more drinks and sweets, two lovely categories of substance. I have a lot of good memories enjoying spindrifts with friends (etc) in the summer of '23. I never tried this (citrus-and-raspberry free!) flavor, though -- perhaps it is new? It tastes a lot like the mango one, although it is peach and not mango. A mildly sweet, mildly dank fruit puree. I like it a lot. I will drink these much more than the joyless peppermint teas I have been recently treating like the nectar of the gods due to lack of options.
Overall
Cost: 6/10 [6$ for an 8 pack]
Taste: 7/10
This was the only single serve sparkling water at my grocery store, would you believe it? The flavored ones have taken over! I was looking for Perrier or Topo Chico, but this is actually completely fine and maybe even better than those would have been. Anyway, I don't particularly like fizzy drinks, but I am so listless with my current drink selection that adding this to juices has really livened up my life. It has a great fizz and no real flavor to speak of. And it has a nice screwtop so you can even use it more than once. It's a 24oz bottle, so it's a decent size. Paying for water always seemed weird to me, but then again, maybe you can think of it as paying for the fancy glass bottle.
Overall
Cost: 5/10 [2.50]
Taste: 6/10
This has a strong "peach ring candy" smell and I guess taste. It's not sweet, but it's also not really artificial (and the only ingredo is "natural flavors", whatever that is), so I think I like it, but I'm not totally sure! It's a strong flavor but I don't really like peach rings? Then again, who really likes any sugar free seltzers?! I'm not sure even if I prefer it to the blackberry lemonade flavor. I think I like that one more, but it's pretty close. Cute can!
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10
