For those who like their sparkling water with a little kick but aren’t into the traditional caffeinated beverages, caffeinated sparkling water is the trend to keep up with, and several brands are offering their take on it. While some folks are intentional about choosing between synthetic and natural caffeine options, for many, the touch of sparkling caffeinated water is an easy pick (move over energy drinks, morning cup of Joe, black tea, and vibrant cup of matcha). However, not every brand knows how to get it right. When Chowhound set out to discover which of the caffeinated sparkling waters out there is truly worth the buy, our discovery put one beverage at the bottom of the list: Sparkling Ice caffeinated water is not worth your precious pennies.
With modern lifestyles being centered around being in ‘go mode’, caffeine is at the heart of American livelihood (so much so that the nation keeps tabs on which are the best instant coffee brands to stay stocked up on for on-demand caffeine kicks). Unfortunately for Sparkling Ice, disappointing caffeinated drinks don’t stand a chance on the tastebuds (or the morning commute). The issue with the Sparkling Ice’s caffeinated water is that it overcompensates with the sweetness. Not only is the sweetness completely overdone, but it also tastes artificial, likely down to the ingredient sucralose. In the rankings, three flavors from the brand were tested –Strawberry Citrus, Watermelon Lemonade, and Tropical Punch — and they were all far too sugary. If you’re not a sweet-toothed person, these caffeinated sparkling drinks will likely give you a kiddie-like sugar rush instead of a measured boost in energy. Sparking Ice has a reputation for being zero-sugar and having bold flavors, but compared to other ranked brands, they didn’t impress.
Some of the other issues with caffeinated Sparkling Ice
If you’re into more artificially sweet drinks, then you may enjoy the taste of these caffeinated beverages. Some reviewers have mentioned that upon first opening the can, the scent alone is overpowering with some of Sparkling Ice’s caffeinated waters such as the Tropical Punch. However, if you’re here for a noticeable caffeine kick, then you may want to skip these drinks entirely. The focus on unmistakably out-there flavor profiles perhaps overrides the caffeine element. Some find that the caffeine kick doesn’t seem super present in comparison to other caffeinated waters. It also tastes more like a flavorful sparkling soda than it does a caffeinated sparkling water, which means that those on the hunt for an actual seltzer would want to pass on this beverage.
As far as the rankings go, Sparkling Ice performed the worst for reasons that hard-core caffeinated water lovers should note. The top ranked caffeinated sparkling water beverages got the flavor balance correct as well as being the right amount of carbonation (the perfect sizzling sound as soon as you open it says everything). The sweet spot is a refreshing caffeinated water that tastes miles better than flavorless water and successfully gives you that coveted boost without the sugar crash. Sparkling Ice missed this mark and nothing about the fancy flavors could distract from the excessive sweetness that lingers on the tongue.
