A Pretty Good Seltzer Review Podcast: Five Stars

It's a summer flavor with a wintry secret. What does starlight taste like? This sparkling seltzer, probably. This beverage has a bit of an identity crisis. Music by Steven O'Brien

Picture it: A sunny fall day. You're about to bite into the juiciest, crispiest, most delicious apple you've ever tasted. SIKE! You've opened a can of Fuji Apple flavored Spindrift. It's Sparkling Water AND Real Fruit. Because, allegedly, "real fruit tastes better". Music by Steven O'Brien.

Did you have fun on your Target run? You would if you picked up a case of Target's house brand Good & Gather Watermelon Lime sparkling water. It's a summer flavor in December, but we drink for the weather we want. Will drinking summer flavors help with Seasonal Affective Disorder? Probably not. There aren't any studies out there that definitively support that claim. Music by Steven O'Brien

Look, it's not a seltzer but who makes the rules around here? Me. I do. So sodas count. To celebrate Thanksgiving, Elle sips on a holiday-themed flavor. Cranberries are relevant to Thanksgiving so, again, it still counts. Thanks to listener Linda J. for the four-pack of Cranberry Fizz by Poppi. Music by Steven O'Brien.

Have you ever wondered, "Are dragons real? If so, what does their whisper taste like?" or "Yetis, do they enjoy snowmobiling?" or "Who is that Ancient Greek dude who drove his boat into the rocks because he heard hot ladies with fish bodies singing?" If so, Polar has developed some flavors of bubbly water for you to enjoy in very small amounts. We've got TINY CANS people. Does a small can belie a small flavor? Or worse, a small bulb? Only one way to find out! Sipping on Dragon Whispers, Mermaid Songs, Unicorn Kisses and Yeti Mischief whilst maintaining a sense of propriety and decorum proves challenging, but Elle has the tummy fortitude of a beautiful musk ox. Music by Steven O'Brien.

It's Lime. It's Mint. It's one shot of rum shy of an actual mojito. Is it the ingredients they add to make it taste like rock sweat? Or is it that one of the ingredients is bioengineered? Elle sips on skinny can of Lime with Mint Extract by Topo Chico and answers the question, "Is it any good?" Music by Steven O'Brien.

Okay, so it isn't really the time of year for Mango, but we drink for the weather we want here at Seltzer HQ. While the temps have dipped below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, in our hearts it is still breezy and tropical. It's mango all the way down. Music by Steven O'Brien

What even is a pink apple? Is it different than a Pink Lady Apple? Does it matter? In this episode, Elle pops the top on an unusual flavor from a long-standing classic: Polar. Did anyone at Polar Corporate name the bear? If so, why is the name not Bubbles? Music by Steven O'Brien

Not a seltzer, not a sparkling water, not a mineral water, not a sparkling American spring water with carbonation... It's sparkling hibiscus. If it bubbles, it's directly in our purview here at Seltzer HQ. The team at Ruby must have access to something beyond our planet because despite sourcing ingredients from planet earth, they claim to have awareness of extraterrestrial flavor. Music by Steven O'Brien

To continue celebrating the magnificent cherry blossoms, Elle is tasting three Black Cherry bubbly beverages. On deck is Black Cherry by Waterloo, Black Cherry by Crystal Geyser, and Black Cherry by Polar. Episode also contains a dispatch from the Bubbly Beat. Thank you to listeners on the other coast! Music by Steven O'Brien

Spring has sprung! Could it be all of the drinking for the weather we want? Probably not, but here we are. This week, Elle pops the top on Cherry Blossom by LaCroix and waxes poetic about the fleeting moment the cherry blossoms reach their peak and then fall. Seltzer springs eternal.

This week Elle sips on the zesty citrus gem from Good & Gather, Yuzu Mandarin. Full disclosure, she only looked up what a yuzu was AFTER purchasing and drinking most of the case of sparkling water. The pictures were enticing enough!

It's a classic summer flavor that brings sunshine straight to your mouth. Lemon by Spindrift is not just sparkling water, it's also real squeezed fruit. That's it, that's all that is in the can. There's no actual sunshine inside, but if you imagine for just a moment you can almost taste the sun's warm ripening rays kissing the rind of the lemons that were squeezed into this can.

Let's get tropical, everybody! This is a special tall can, a seasonal limited edition from Polar. Pineapple and Guava are a familiar and delicious flavor pairing that are essential summer flavors. Thanks to listener Christine in Los Angeles, California for this submission!

Sounds weird, tastes good. It's a spa day in a can. Let this sparkling water take you to a restorative day of self-care for the 10-15 minutes it takes you to drink it. Go for a second one, if the first go-round isn't relaxing enough for you. Elle tries (and fails) to bite down on this beverage, but it was worth a try. This episode briefly moralizes about testing long-held assumptions about your likes and dislikes, includes a short tangent about mayonnaise and Miracle Whip as well as a recipe for a delicious cucumber snack.

No, not BUBLÉ. BUBLY. These sips don't lie. On this episode, Elle sips on Cherry by Bubly. The can is so friendly that you can't help but smile while you enjoy the effervescent experience of this sparkling water. Pop the "heyo" tab open and dive into cheerful cherry refreshment. Steven O'Brien plays our theme song.

Who's the star of summer? Strawberry, that's who. We are still drinking for the weather we want with this summery flavor. Elle shares her useless but interesting skill for memorizing advertising jingles from 90s commercials. Steven O'Brien plays us out.

Relax bubbleheads, you're on Island Time. Pull up with your sunblock and snackle box, we are getting beachy. The perfect essence of beach plum for my fellow beach bums and bubble buds who drink for the weather they want. There's a picture of a beach plum on the can, but does this sparkling water also taste like clouds, ocean and sand? Guest reviews from Chrystie and Josh from PA. Thank you to Steven O'Brien for our music.

It's not technically a seltzer, this one is 92% sparkling water with 8% real squeezed fruit. On this episode we learn a little bit about what a blood orange is, confirm that it does not contain blood, and realize that perhaps Elle has Citrus Taste Blindness. Spindrift makes a very bold claim about real fruit tasting better, but better than what? That's just, like, your opinion man. Steven O'Brien plays us out.

Elle's ability to commit to things is pretty shaky but somehow, despite her lower impulses, she was able to hold on to a limited edition summer flavor to review during the dregs of a Philadelphia winter. Drink for the weather you want with Summer Berry by Waterloo. Take a sip and step back in time and space to a 4th of July parade in Small Town America. The local baseball champions are waving from their float as they make their way down the main drag, the volunteer firefighters are receiving their well-deserved appreciation from the community, and you... You're sitting on your aluminum beach chair in someone's tree lawn sipping on a Summer Berry Sparking Water and everything is Pretty Good. Thank you to Steven O'Brien for the music.

Drink for the season you want! Elle pops the top on Peach by Waterloo. While GOOD peaches are only in season for a short time in the area around Seltzer HQ, this peach-flavored Sparkling Water is a nice summery sip in the dregs of winter. As always, Steven O'Brien plays us out.

Elle is back with a crisp and effervescent flavor to share: Orange Dry by Polar. It's technically not a seltzer, it's a Sparkling Beverage. Is it technically the diamond of Polar's bubbly beverage lineup? Sure, you could call it that. Thank you to Boss Crowley for making Polar sparkle and thank you to Steven O'Brien for the music!

After a short, but totally understandable hiatus, your Beverage Studies Thought Leader is back with a multi-flavor episode. On this episode, Elle pops the top on Ginger Lime Mule by Polar, but only after taking a refresher (and refreshing!) sip of Lime Ginger by Nixie. It's good to get curious and compare flavors. Also featured on this episode is Ginger by Wegman's with a twist of lime. All three flavors have a place in your seltzer rotation for different occasions. Also in this episode, we learn about the risks and downsides involved in ambitiously drinking more than one seltzer in less than 20 minutes. Thank you Steven O'Brien for the music!

This week Elle sips on a listener-submitted flavor, Lime Ginger by Nixie. Thank you to fizzy friends Lauren and A in NY! Generally, we try not to choose favorites or compare/contrast, but we should address the elephant in the room: How does Lime Ginger compare to Ginger Lime Mule? Is one more gingery than the other?

THESE CANS! On this episode, Elle drinks an unusual soda flavor from a very unique can. This flavor was a listener submission from dear friend Gi in NJ. The joy of getting a surprise package of bubbly bevvies from a bubbly babe is... well it's pretty good. While not technically a seltzer or sparkling water, this is still a carbonated treat and definitely counts. It comes in a tiny can, but maybe that's not the worst thing. Peach by QDOL: Is it any good? Let's find out. Music by Steven O'Brien.

It's a SELTZERADE, y'all!!! On this week's episode, Elle sips on a can of Tart Cherry Limeade by Polar. Polar uses precision carbonation strategies to get those beautiful bubs just right. Features the first dispatch from our Head Global Youth Correspondent, Jojo in PA. Music by Steven O'Brien.

This week, Elle sips on a Refreshingly American Sparkling Spring Water. This gorgeous can called for a gorgeous sip setting. By the number of lime illustrations on the can, a consumer may get the impression that this is heavy on the lime. It's really not! On The Bubbly Beat, listener Andrew in NY checks in about his fave flave. Music by Steven O'Brien.

On this episode, Elle drinks a flavor inspired by a suggestion from a friend. What's more summery than pineapple? Maybe a few things, but nothing comes immediately to mind. It's fun! It's tropical! Thank you to listener Alicia in PA for the suggestion.

Elle, beverage thought leader and bubblehead, is back to taste Watermelon Mint by Nixie. It's pretty good! Thank you to listeners and friends Lauren and A in Long Island for the suggestion.

Welcome to the first episode A Pretty Good Seltzer Review Podcast: Five Stars. On this episode, Elle drinks a familiar fizzy flavor and tells you if it's any good. On this episode, she drinks Pamplemousse by La Croix. It's pretty good!