Why Americans are OBSESSED with Sparkling Water
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ส.ค. 2023
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Sparkling water has never been so big, especially in North America. What used to be a fancy drink for rich people is now everywhere. Our question is, how did this become so popular and, most importantly, why???
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For further reading, check out the sources for this video here:
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Script: Jaz Papalapoudos
Editor: Reid Valaitis
Lead Editor: Kirsten Stanley
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand
Want to work with Future Proof? Hate mail? Get in touch with the project manager, Lu: contact@befutureproof.ca
The best part about La Croix is that the founders started it because they wanted sparkling water, but found Perrier to be obnoxious and expensive. It has now become the monster it sought to slay.
So true.
No, people are the monsters. Fizzy flavored waters are just an expression of their unique creativity.
I mean LaCroix is so cheap
How is La Croix "obnoxious and expensive"?
Just lile Google original motto was “Don’t be evil” now they are the monster
As a European it is kind of fascinating for me that fizzy watter is just catching up in the US. I've been drinking it all my life and has literally replaced soft drinks for me around 6 years ago
Same 😂 I grown up with sparkling and mineral water, in Germany. All families used to have sparkling water in glass bottles in my childhood. I think it changed over the years, but probably depends on the region and generation.
Same in Portugal. Specially because I'm summer or if you felt sick, sparkling water was a must have
same in Czech.
Same in Belgium also.
Same in the Netherlands, sparkling water is called Spa rood, after the Belgium brand Spa.
The reason why the gluten-free label is important is that a lot of canned and bottled beverages are produced in the same factories or even using the same machinery as beer, which can result in traces of wheat proteins in the mix from cross-contamination. Not an issue if you're merely mildly gluten intolerant, but a huge deal if you're severely responsive or outright allergic, as some people are. The gluten-free label ensures the beverage was not produced in conditions that could result in cross-contamination.
Nah, I just checked 5 sparkling water companies and tell all say gluten free on their website. Only one company goes out of the way to put it on the bottles.
there's a difference between a clear gluten free labelling, and advertising something as 'gluten free' as if it's a selling point
@@Yetaxaso true
Which of these brands is brewed in the same facilities as beer?
Its more so that gluten can be hiding in natural and artificial flavorings. So if its a flavored water or drink unless you ask the company or they state that the product is gluten free you're taking a risk of getting glutened. This is coming from someone who has Celiac disease and has done a lot of research into the topic. People would be surprised about what contains gluten, you have to be careful about everything, medications, skincare, makeup, food, drinks, candy, chewing gum, the list could go on for a long time.
I grew up in Latin America way back when the water out of the tap wasn’t entirely potable. So for us, seltzer was actually consumed for “safety” reasons. We would order crates of glass seltzer bottles that we knew were properly sterilized and filtered. Once a week, we would exchange our spent bottles with fresh ones, sort of how milk used to be delivered in the 50’s. This service actually still exists in some countries.
Anyway, for years I struggled to drink plain flat water after moving to a tap-water safe country. Now I live in Europe where I’ve opted to invest in a water carbonator, and it’s the best thing ever. I can even get the aromatic water flavoring drops to mimic “La Croix” type flavors, which is rad.
How'd you manage to move to Europe? They usually don't allow any foreigners to live there unless they're a doctor or they marry someone. Especially if they aren't so white their skin is gray
@@ExtraThiccc it helped that one of my parents is European so I already had relevant citizenship 😂
@@ExtraThiccc Not that difficult to immigrate to Europe. I have a family member that immigrated to Europe from America and the process wasnt that difficult but she did it through marrying a European resident. Easier and less costly than immigrating into America. I know many other people who have immigrated to Europe without marriage or being a doctor. Also depends on the country because Europe is a continent.
@@brandonmckittrick2822 yeah, marriage makes it almost guaranteed. Not being married or seen as "valuable" means it's almost impossible. Even then whoever does manage to immigrate is gonna be discriminated against in every aspect of life, from finding a job or simply purchasing food. Europeans are very xenophobic and do not like foreigners
@@itshardtofindanid that would explain the rampant xenophobia in France. Anyone that isn't grey is immediately labeled an immigrant and targeted by the populace
Once upon a time, a co-worker left me their plant despite my saying it's a bad idea. At the time, drinks were free at work and I switch from pop to bubbly water. Lost 30lbs. But not the point. I'd often leave partial full cans on my desk. I gave that to the plant. The thing thrived. It even blossomed and we didn't know it could do that.
The "elite" is exploiting you and want you docile and brainwashed 👉 The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖
probably that water had some useful minerals
I always feed my plants my leftover sparkling water 😅 they are doing fine
You just made a high maintenance plant. Congratulations
Never not finished a call lol
Sparkling water has always been huge in Europe, especially France Italy Spain. My entire in-law family (French) has been drinking sparkling water on a daily basis for generations.
Saw the video on my TV and opened the app to comment exactly this. In Portugal, as well, we’ve had sparkling water since 1871 (Água das Pedras aka Water from the Stone being the oldest one), naturally carbonated spring water. The consumption of non-flavored sparkling water is super common, we drink it with a slice of lemon and you can ask for it in any café (we call it Pneu aka car tire). Flavored ones exist since 2002, but I believe most Portuguese people can’t relate with the “no one wants to drink unflavored sparkling water” said in the video.
@@PhoeNEx10Yeap. I got over flavoured sparkling water years ago. At first it was a game changer, then I get fed up and then I realised "what on earth are they putting in to it to give it this taste?" And after I looked at the label... Well, just got back to the good old pneu.
I cant really agree. I live in southern Germany and I cant remember a single occasion where i drank a non sparkling water, either at home or else where. When we visited my grandma in southern Italy nobody drank sparkling water on a regular basis, and if they do its always San Pellegrino. I had similar experiences in Spain and the Balkans
Now it's huge here in the American way. Massive amounts of flavor and options. It's always been around, but only some people drank it.
@@alestra1021 before all these flavors came in some people here in the US also drank San Pellegrino on occasion. It's still in every grocery store I've seen. It may depend on where in the US.
Remember that "natural flavouring" does not necessarily come from the the fruit (or whatever) that it describes. It is defined by the FDA as "a substance extracted, distilled, or similarly derived from natural sources like plants (fruits, herbs, veggies, barks, roots, etc.) or animals (meat, dairy products, eggs, etc.) via a method of heating, with its primary function in food being flavoring not nutritional."
Me adding lemon juice, Brottrunk, apple cider vinegar and ginger pieces to my sparkling water: cool Food Industry story bro!
If you want to be like that flat water is your only option.
Thank you!! Gotta do the research on the brands. Natural flavor is hella sketch
You can also add your own things to infuse it you know😂
I don't know why anybody reads this and feels horrified. None of these things are dangerous? I drink all kinds of sparkling water, but I don't actually care if the grapefruit flavor comes from a blend of other related things that happens to taste intensely of grapefruit. It doesn't taste worse for knowing it might have involved an orange or a lemon or even some tree bark at some point.
I used to drink Bubly, but made a hard switch ever since pepsi took advantage of the craze by reducing the number of cans per case down to 8 while keeping the price relatively the same, which seems to have now become a trend among most brands... However, in a hilariously LaCroix move, the company has recently started selling 15-packs as if to give yet another middle finger to the industry.
I noticed that 2! 8 packs! Pffft! Keep your fizzy water..😂 didn’t know about the 15 pack… only see the big packs at like Costco… it used to cost like 3$ for a 12 pack… I did notice it made my teeth sensitive- I drank like 5 a day… lol!
it’s getting ridiculous.. I’m looking to make my own… maybe
@@x-mess I've considered that too, but guava lacroix is uniquely good. I first noticed the 15 packs at my local Meijer (grocery chain mostly in the midwest), it might have been a limited run because i haven't seen them in a while, the good ol' 12 packs still seem like a better deal and last more than 2 days (I also have a problem lol).
Bubly was my preferred choice until the 8cans per pack. I still enjoy it but the 15can lacroix is where its at
Loving this comment and totally agree with you.
I just bought a soda stream and just drink plain club soda. 🤣
..born and raised in Germany. Sparkling water at home is normal here since the 70s.
The "elite" is exploiting you and want you docile and brainwashed 👉 The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖
when I was 16 I visited Austria and my friends and I were at the grocery store looking for bottled water, and could only find sparkling water. I remember thinking it was so disgusting, we ended up finding a natural spring in town and dumping out our purchased water and filling up at the tap. Now I can't get enough of the stuff.
were u unable to read the labels to find the still water?
You wanted to buy bottled water in Austria? Austria has one of the best tasting and high quality tap water in the world 😂 you don‘t even need a natural spring, it comes out of every tap
In Germany and Austria tap water is super high quality and doesn't ever taste of chlorine like in some US cities. Thus we only buy water if we want sparkling and buying still water is a bit redundant. It exists, but is in the minority. @@yeetyeet7070
Spring water is unequivocally superior to any other water
Not being able to find still water in a supermarket in Austria or anywhere in Europe would be like going to a supermarket in the USA and not be able to find....burgers.
Casually watching this while drinking a blood orange tangerine (best flavor) Spindrift hoping you'd mention them. As usual, you did not disappoint. The few calories in a can are worth having literally no "natural flavors" added and the juice adds just the right amount of sweetness. Honestly it's the last carbonated NA beverage I'll ever need.
Got us craving the blood orange tangerine Spindrift!!!!
@@FutureProofTV Hey man, just discovered your channel and I like it!
You need to do a vid on probiotic sodas; they're the next craze in the US. Brands are popping up in health food markets and grocery stores everywhere, but on a recent trip to the UK I couldn't find them.
Olipop seems to be the king of them so far, and they've got me sold. Taste exactly like classic sweet sodas like grape and orange, but have a laundry list of bizarre ingredients that are supposed to be "good for you", with only a few grams of sugar.
Amen! pink lemonade is my favorite, blood orange tangerine and lemon are my top 3
Spindrift is the best, but pineapple🍍 clears as the best flavor. Then pink lemonade comes after.
I’ve mentioned it before, Bulgaria (where we adopted our daughter from) has so much natural mineral water sources that you can just fill up for free from public taps. Some sources are actually naturally carbonated as well.
Wild (literally)! Haha
Water is a human necessity although some water fountains were turned of because of old infrastructure, they are tested somewhat regularly and have warnings if is not good for humans consumption , in Portugal is popular when you go to luso to always bring a 5L water bottle full of water home we also have natural sparkling water called “água das pedras”.
Most our bottle water companies are owned by beer companies
Its definitely not an American thing. Matter of fact, Americans drink very small amounts of Sparkling water compared to, for example Russians.
Sparkling water is like an essential household item like bread and potatoes in EVERY household in Europe. If you're going to the store, and someone asks you to buy water, its always presumed that its sparkling water... Because regular water runs from your sink.
That's super interesting! Is the flavour-craze the same over there? Are y'all drinking Russian branded cans or is Bubly and La Croix a worldwide phenomenon? So many questions
@@FutureProofTVIn Germany, flavored sparkling water is very rare, and more like a side thing of regular water brands. Sparkling water and tap water are kinda equal here I‘d say
@@FutureProofTVhere in Finland carbonated flavoured waters exploded in sales 2021 and i also drink them during summers old people mostly drink Vichy water
Not really, some countries in Europe such as Spain, don't drink sparkling water at all
Defintely not in every household in europe, for example, I'm from Scotland (in the UK) and I know nobody who drinks sparkling water, I've only ever seen it in shops, not in someones house, if i was to ask someone to get me water at the shops, theyd buy still water not sparkling by default, and Scotland has the best tap water in the world so it's not as if we have bad water or no access to tap water etc.
I thought flavoured fizzy water had “always” been around. As a kid in 70s/80s Australia, a glass of sparkling ’mineral water’ infused with fruit flavours (mostly orange/ mango and lemon or lemon/lime and not loaded with sugar) was the ‘kids’ drink when the adults were guzzling wine…
Well, in Portugal flavoured sparkling water and not appeared in the 90's but we always flavoured our sparkling water with lemon or whatever
It's been around since the 90's. He's only giving the internet version. This is how I know he never had to go grocery shopping for his family when he was young.
It sure has in the US. Now we have an entire aisle devoted to it in my grocery store. More flavors than soda. It's just very popular now.
It has been around forever. I grew up in the 2000-2010s and my mom was addicted to the stuff (topo Chico mainly) my whole life
Notice how the video title says "Americans"
In Italy when you order water at a restaurant or a store, you'll always be asked if you want it still or sparkling. Even water fountains often have the still/sparkling option. It's just as normal as still water. Not with flavours though.
Rome has public bottle refilling stations that let you choose between plain and carbonated, there's one in front of the Colosseum metro exit. It's really awesome.
I saw this on a show on Netflix. That was pretty amazing what Italy does for its citizens. I would LOVE fresh sparkling water on tap in random spots in my city.
*tonic water* has a trace of quinine and lots of sugar, to give its signature bitter and sweet taste.
It is a softdrink/coke/soda all of it's own, not a plain sparkling or seltzer water and mostly used as a mixer with gin to make a G&T.
I thought sparkling water was just sparkling water without any flavor but maybe that's just me
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ we gotta make everything taste like a fruit loop apparently
The "elite" is exploiting you and want you docile and brainwashed 👉 The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖
Until I read your comment I though he misspelled germans in a very strange way in the title of the video, because we are addicted to sparkling water (with out flavour) here
@@FutureProofTV Funny story, there's a Canadian company (Outcast foods) that makes vegan fruit loop flavoured protein powder, and it's actually so good! It's like drinking the milk leftover from the cereal, but it's actually real fruit powder. But I was very skeptical when it came out. A lot of things have some pretty weird flavour options now.
So im not the only one lol
As someone from Italy where we drink sparkling water almost every other day and don't have the association with it being "fancy"... it's just carbonated water. You can literally get it from public water dispensers for free. Why must Americans always be like this.
Nice to meet a fellow European here! Have you heard about Liquid Death, which is bottled in Austria, my country, and then shipped to America? Lmao
why must europeans always be like "why must americans always be like this"
As an American, I'm pretty sure the only people who think carbonated water is fancy are people who don't drink it. No one calls soda fancy for having bubbles
No offense but if I were to drink from a public water fountain expecting still water and getting blasted with a fizzy spicy water by surprise I would be hella pissed lmao. All carbonated water tastes like metal to me
I don't know anyone who claims sparkling water is fancy, personally. Although, if it is sparkling water with added prebiotics, then it is fancy. Even though, most times, it is just a drop of apple cider vinegar. But those prebiotic fancy waters cost $36 or 33 euros (for 12 pack). Not sure how much that is for a European, but for America, you can get a 24-box (or 36-pack if on sale) of soda for $9 or $12.
Not sure if anyone else has pointed this out, but the sparkling = natural comment is incorrect.
Perrier (and many like it) are not naturally carbonated - they add the carbonation in.
Tip 1: You can tell by the order of the words on the bottle:
'Sparkling Natural Water' = the water is natural, we added the sparkle.
'Natural Sparkling Water' = the water is naturally sparkling.
There are very few brands that have natural carbonation, Pedras from Portugal is one of them.
Tip 2: the bubbles are usually much smaller in natural than added carbonation.
I never knew this. Thank you for taking the time to share. 😊
Limoncello La Croix is my personal fave. It's not as harsh as their normal lemon. And honestly I don't think we've 'just drunk water' for centuries,. There's a reason things like small beer, grog, and rum have existed for millennia. I only drink pure water when I feel dehydrated. Then and only then does my brain go "Oh yeah...that's the good stuff."
Try orange La Croix my favorite
I'm glad the Americans are catching on. It's so common here in Europe, that virtually every household has sparkling. Flavoured ones are not as commonly bought as the plain sparkling though, but I think it's catching on.
Edit: Oh that's how you pronounce _La Croix_ lol
That's not how you pronounce it.
@@Marduk710 Well, naturally, I'd pronounce it the French way since I studied French growing up. But I guess, in this case, it's a brand name and if that's what the brand is called, then that's what it's called. First time I laid eyes on that brand, the French pronunciation came to mind. "La croy" sounds jarring ngl
@@alistairt7544 Exact, je peine a croire que quelqu'un la dirait autrement wsh
@@Marduk710 The French language is so.... French! All those words with silent letters! 🤣🤣🤣
@@drewt1717 Yeah, sometimes it can feel stupid, but I think it gives the language a lot of personality.
My wife and I are those weird people that will drink plain club soda (we even buy the low sodium version 😅). We initially bought it as mix for gin and sodas and then just started drinking it because it was around and never stopped. We also buy flavoured soda waters because they can be a nice change of pace when you want something fun and refreshing in the evening but don't want pop or alcohol.
We're also people that just drink a lot of tap water. It's just nice to have a bit of a texture change between bottles of tap water.
Most people would stop drinking tap water if they saw the inside of the pipes which bring the tap water.
@@NTJediThey're the same pipes that carry your fancy bottles/processed water. Get over yourself lmao
@@NTJedimost people would realise that is just normal and keep on drinking.
If not, they need to get educated and in touch with reality.... Just that.
@@JustysFrank wrong... those are very different pipes and methods. If you drinking bottled tap water then you're an epic sucker.
@@NTJedimy tap water from the lake district disagrees with you
This little differences between the US and the EU are always baffling to me! In Italy and other European countries there are two kinds of water, normal and sparkling (there is a third version that is something in between the two but to me tastes like a bottle of sparkling water left open for a week).
So at the restaurant or supermarket you always find two options, and they are in plastic or glass bottles, not in cans like beer and coke 😂
Sparkling water wasn’t common in the US.Still tap water was.I drink sparkling water at restaurants,at home I’m drinking tap,its free.
It's been in our grocery stores before I was born and I'm 41. It's just more popular now in the US. We have an entire aisle with tons of flavors devoted to it in our grocery stores now. There are so many flavors. I'm drinking one right now that's "Limoncello."
I've never seen somebody describe medium water the way I do. Thank you, I completely agree. I will never understand how people can drink that stuff 😂
My husband calls it "glitter water." And because he's Mr. All or Nothing, he was drinking up to 5 cans a day at one point. But it got to be pretty cost prohibitive, as well as physically uncomfortable (because gas). So now we have about a case just sitting in our fridge, and after reading these comments, I will now use it to water my plants. LOL.
That's awesome... you're both awesome.. 🤣 thank you for sharing. ❤️👍
Sorry to say this but watering your plants with it is just an awful waste of money and resources.
Those cans have to go somewhere
@@TheAllMightyGodofCod that's quite the "kingdomist"(?) attitude.. you don't think plants are worth it? 😅
@@drewt1717 are you expecting a serious answer or are you just trolling?
@@TheAllMightyGodofCod both. "😅" was meant to convey that the response was posted with levity (a light-hearted joke, as it were). But there was also an undertone of pointing out that the can would most likely be recycled, and it's contents would not be entirely wasted because they would be contributing a positive effect to the health of the plant in question. Thus, I was genuinely curious why you perceive the use of the can already in the fridge to water a plant before going into the recycle bin as enough of a "waste" to merit a public objection. And the only thing that came to mind in the moment was "maybe they are prejudiced against plants". Which I assumed was a laughable conclusion, so I posted the response as a joke.
Apologies for not being clear enough at first: hope this clears up the confusion. Cheers!
As someone who almost entirely drinks water, aside from a glass lemonade from time to time, I always find these drink episodes funny especially when it comes down to some form of "why don't people just drink water?". Granted, I'm Canadian and the water that comes out of my tap is very drinkable, and also covered by my rent. So how much water I consume does not impact my spending, whereas virtually every other option comes with a cost, of course. I don't really care for sodapop whatsoever anymore, I do some juices, but eh, I get what I need from water, and the odd glass of something else is just for the odd time when I want a flavourful kick. My true weakness, my kryptonite is the original Monster flavour in the black and green can. That stuff, to me, is my addiction. I was drinking 4-8 a day of them for some fifteen years. I have recently cut them out completely. If it's the sort of day where I need caffeine, I just skip the drinks and now buy bottles of caffeine pills from Walmart and just take one. I find it smoother on the up and the down, with no crash that comes along with any caffeinated beverage.
For someone who mainly drank water, having 4-8 highly flavored and caffeinated drinks is pretty crazy. I mainly drink water too and one monster would be the most I could consume comfortably in a day. And I consider myself to have a somewhat high caffeine tolerance. Drinking two black coffees a day is the norm for me.
@@xfiringsquadx yeah, I'm surprised at how much I was able to tolerate drinking that much energy drinks. They also make me tired by the end of the can, so I'm probably just messed up lmao.
I love the original Monster flavour, but never drank more than one a day, 4-8 is insane dude check your kidneys
Even buying bottled water barely costs anything. I drink 3-4L of water a day and it maybe costs a dollar
@@2010Failbrids you're buying a gallon of water for a dollar? Lucky, in terms of cost, a shame in the sense of general process. Overall globally, water, when you consider quantity and the fact that it is critical for existence makes water arguably the most expensive food commodity, considering the things that people usually list as the most expensive aren't actually critical to live, to wash, to cook and clean, and so on.
Finally a Future Proof that specifically calls me out! I drink less of it these days and more just straight water because I'm lucky enough to have good quality well-water but I love sparkling water every now and then. As a kid who grew up in the 90s drinking soda like most of us, eventually I learned that stuff was horrible and my tastebuds grew up. I still crave the carbonation though and sparkling water/seltzer satisfies that craving. As a side note, I have Spindrift where I am and while I think it tastes fine, it is generally $2-3 USD more than any other brand on the shelf in my local grocery stores, generally having less cans in the pack than other brands as well. I guess that's the price you pay for that "squeezed fruit" benefit!
I was not a fan at first but I drank soo much soda so I had to cut it off and my health improved alot. I started drinking sparkling water and to get that feel and it’s been a very healthy medium. Personally I drink liquid death because I like that they are in cans. Also I’m not a fan of the flavors a lot have been adding
I want to try liquid death but I don't want to feel like I'm just buying into the hype. I started drinking sparkling water for the same reason as you. That said, have you tried many others and can you honestly say that liquid death is really better than others? My personal experience is topo chico has an amazing flavor and carbonation compared to other competitors so that's my "go-to".
@@xfiringsquadx honestly I like it the best but I haven’t tried them all. It’s available for me and I also don’t like using plastic bottles so I like their idea and I guess the brand is kinda fun but that’s it. I don’t go out my way to recommend them. It just fits my taste.
@@NIVIANA I see. I prefer cans too for several reasons so I think that warrants me checking it out. Appreciate you sharing.
@@xfiringsquadxliquid death is pretty good tbh. Also never decide not to do something because of other people. You will live happier, even if it is hard sometimes.
I used to drink this carbonated water everyday cause it was free at work. It made me bloated and gassy. It would cause random feelings of as if someone poked me inside and felt like a mini quick blip of heart burn. I stop drinking it and all of those issues magically went away.
The ending 😂 Everyone I know and their mom, literally, loves sparkling water here in California and during my work events, that’s all my boss serves. I still can’t get behind it and prefer regular water or soda. Too tart for me and I hate burping like a demon 😂
I do wonder how ppl drink sparkling drinks that they need to burp so hard lmao just take short breaks in-between and don't chug a whole can
The "elite" is exploiting you and want you docile and brainwashed 👉 The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖
Sparkling water just tastes nasty to me. I'm also in CA (not by choice) and ppl look at me weird when I decline a LaCroix. It tastes like TV static. Give me flat water or soda if you must
@@nicolethompson2399a lot of people dont understand that California is absolutely nothing like the rest of the US. They go to other places and be rude as hell thinking everyone else needs to change, when in reality, theyre the ones visiting.
Anyway. As someone who lives in east asia now, im glad those californians havent taken over this country too and theres plenty of both options.
@@readjordan2257 wow... you went all the way to Asia to avoid Californians? Sounds like you had a horrible time there.
Ditch the cans and plastic bottles-get a water filter. I was obsessed with La Croix and Bubly for a couple years, but grew ever more alarmed by the ridiculous number of cans I was going through. So, I bought a Zero Water carafe and now I keep it full in my refrigerator. It tastes better than tap water, and chilled, it’s almost as satisfying as La Croix and it’s way cheaper.
Same but It feels like you could just recycle.
You're assuming everyone is buying it for the flavour. Some of us buy it for the texture
@@Technobitz I did recycle, but the transport of all that water in cans on semi trucks burning diesel fuel is very wasteful and increases your carbon footprint. While aluminum cans are recycled at a higher rate than plastic bottles, a lot of stuff you put in your recycling bin still ends up in the landfill or being burned.
The "elite" is exploiting you and want you docile and brainwashed 👉 The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖
We've got a video on water filters coming out soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that 👀👀👀
We’re a spindrift family! I feel better drinking it because it’s just real fruit juice being added. Maybe a video on what natural flavors are? Because what are they?
I used to drink spindrift exclusively until I had moldy sludge at the bottom of one of my cans 🤮🤢
There's something about topo chico specifically that makes me love it. I think it's the trace minerals and high carbonation. I think it has a little higher sodium content too giving it a very slight saltiness.
I'm trying to figure out how Topo Chico didn't even get mentioned. That's all anyone drinks in Texas.
Topo Chico!!! Can't believe we missed out on talking about this one 🤦♂🤦♂
I was expecting to see Topo Chico mentioned
Same here. That one is super fizzy it hurts 😂 but that’s my drink of choice now.
It tastes like rocks but in a good way. lol
Looking at the American flavoured sparkling water thing from Europe that’s the thing that’s always confused me most: it’s just soda. Like, I like mineral water, but when you put all these flavours in, that’s not water. That’s pop. Which is fine, but it’s not that new
Not really. The thing that makes soda is all the sugar, syrup, colours, and additives they add in.
Sparkling water has no syrup and is sugar free.
You guys don't put lemon in your sparkling water? You just drink that shit plain?
When Europeans give you The Look.
I grew up on sparkling water, drinking cola or lemonade was something special, a treat.
But I also noticed by travelling to Japan many years that they also much more recently started drink it more and get the flavors, it made me very happy. I still prefer mine plain.
(note: san pellegrino, Perrier and Bru are still fancy brands uwu)
I don’t know why you referred to sparkling water as “bourgeois”. I grew up in lowly Brooklyn NY in the 50’s and we had the Seltzer man delivering those old school glass refillable seltzer squirt bottles for .15 cents. Great for a seltzer fight. And we flavored it with chocolate or cherry syrup.
Sparkling water helped me stop drinking alcohol all together.
My drinks of choice were very light, zero sugar seltzers.
So the transition to seltzer water from alcoholic seltzers was pretty easy.
My favorite so far is AHA peach honey, it’s so good.
My biggest problem with carbonated water is the environmental impact. It’s not really much different than soda in this regard, but the amount of cans and bottles we throw away is astronomical, all for some carbonation. Maybe I have a different viewpoint, coming from working in retail and seeing the pallets upon pallets of this stuff.
you can get "soda makers" that use regular cups
You don't recycle them???
They taste pretty bad personally but if you ever need to get a demon burp out they do the trick
In Europe we mostly just drink plain sparkling water. We mix a lot of things with it. Like Apple Juice + Sparkling Water. This hits so hard on hot summer days.
The "elite" is exploiting you and want you docile and brainwashed 👉 The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖
@@phepheboi Schorle
My grandma's favourite drink was always room temperature club soda. Never knew how she did it.
I was a shelf stocker in a grocery store in 1979 when sparkling water became a thing. Perrier had always been available, but it had a very very small market. If memory serves LaCroix came along and made the change in the market, but that might just be in my area.
At any rate I was very resentful at the increase in my work load. Hauling soda pop around in the summer was bad enough, but now all of a sudden I'm doing sparkling water too. Bah.
Would you mind looking into dilute drinks? We don't really have the powdered stuff in the UK, but it's the same deal, get concentrated flavour, add water. I always assumed they were more healthy than pop, but never really looked into it.
Wait, when an American talks about Sparkling Water, they mean Sweetened Sparkling Water!?
It's probably a matter of "Pepsi/Coke available everywhere" and drinkable tap water - starting from early on. In our Kindergardens and up to certain classes in school, water is the only allowed drink. So our kids are pretty much used to drink tap water. And so are the adults. And our grandparents, and our grandgrandparents. Our 16yo usually still drinks mostly tap water, even in restaurants, very rarely any type of soft drink. I think that's valid for pretty much of Europe. Plus a health benefit: less Diabetes, less obesity.
It keeps me from wanting drinks with absurd amounts of sugar, so I love it. I usually just drink it when I'm at home when I want something a little more interesting than regular water.
Hi, Levi! Club soda and plain seltzer are different. Also, the Perrier fiends were around in the 70s. Wine and coca leaf extract were mixed before seltzer, syrup, cola and coca leaf extract.
I'd love to see a video on sparkling wine vs. champagne. Climate change is supposed to upend the wine industry soon. Let's have your take on it. Thanks.
I first came to the US in the early 1990s, and it was quite curious that there were very few sparkling/mineral waters on the market. Practically no "real" heavily-mineralized waters that I was used to (1% salt content or more). Strangely, it seemed that the market just did not exist.
There are some like San Peligreno. Often times they are pricey though.
In Germany, most sparkling water is natural spring water.
It definetely tastes better than tab water and has way higher standarts than "normal" water.
So when I buy "Sprudel" it's not just tab water with carbondioxide but fresh clean water from a natural filtered spring that contains natural minerals.
#prost 🥂
I saw that thumbnail and I laughed. That is the exact brand I drink in several different flavors lol. I am on a carnivore diet, given up sugar, and it's the one little treat I give myself. Myself. And that brand is awesome. Even my parakeet likes it. He jumped in my glass and had a bath in the coconut flavor. No sugar so he wasn't sticky!
Yeah... I keep a 25 lb CO2 tank in my house so I can make 2L at a time of fizzy water... Generally mix it with a splash of fruit juice.... Oh yes, and don't forget the Vodka.
My parents drank no name club soda when I was a kid in the early 90s which was always cheap and sold as a mixer or something and I feel like now it’s so expensive for no need at all
SO expensive! Like... It's still just water??
@@FutureProofTV I think part of it could be like…people have realized how horrible soda is for you and how environmentally devastating and just a rip off it is to buy bottled water so they’re trying to push this flavoured bubbly stuff so hard. My knock off soda stream seems like the way to go since I’m really into the stuff but idk
I find actual club sodas to still be pretty cheap. I think I pay 4.50CAD or there abouts for a case of 12 can of store brand. I don't bother with the branded stuff
Europeans have loved mineral and sparkling water for at least a couple centuries for it's health benefits, there are always old sanatoriums near springs
FYI the cans don't have aluminum-on-water contact, there is a plastic liner that leeches BPA into the water.
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I think it’s gross.
wah wah
Carbonated (the artificial way) water is extremely common here in Italy. There are even gradients: lightly carbonated, carbonated, heavily carbonated. It is very common.
Many people have been switching to Sodastream-like devices, though. Tap water is in average decent and people tire of having to carry litres after litres of bottles. Sodastream and the likes are obvious solutions to this problem.
As for flavourings, they are beginning to pop up right now. Most are sold as external tablets that need to be added to the water. I've tried them, they're not bad, but you need to pay attention to the ingredients.
hey, sparkling water helped me with my highly addictive soda habit, mostly highly caffeinated sodas like Pepsi Max with 120mg of caffeine per 20 oz. bottle i drank 3 to 4 a day at one point. now i'm highly hydrated rather then highly strung out
On the gluten free point: Some flavored beverages actually can contain gluten in their caramel colorant or their malt flavoring. So it's not as absurd to label a drink gluten free as you'd think.
All examples talked about are gluten free.
for me, nothing compares to regular water
Dude, I‘m from a country where people have been drinking sparkling water ever since I can remember. We didn’t differentiate. My grandma spoke of „Seltzerwasser“, because that’s what she grew up with, we spoke of „mineral water“ and „carbonic acid“, but the main differentiator of importance for us was „classic“ (for very fizzy water), „medium“ (for a balanced amount of fizz) and „still“ (for no fizziness aka plain old water). Recently they introduced a new category between still and medium, but those three where the ones I grew up with. So yeah, people don’t really care how their water gets sparkly, what counts is HOW SPARKLY it is. I personally prefer medium. And I own a SodaStream because yes, I am a proud sparkling water addict.
FYI about the thirst receptors: I have grown up with sparkling water, and I drink about 1 1/2 to 2 litres of water a day. Sometimes even 3. But I feel like it’s more satisfying than plain non-sparkling water.
And I don’t care about flavour in my water, I truly prefer it non-flavoured.
I don't drink it very much now, but I started drinking seltzer water(La Croix and bubly) around the time I was first going on a low-carb diet. I've always drunk a lot of regular water, but I also drank a lot of sodas as well, and a large part of it was the mouth feel. So I kept the regular water, and replaced my sodas with flavored seltzer water, and it helped a lot at keeping my soda urges to a minimum. I found that I hate the citrus flavors, though - the first can or 2 would taste like orange or lemon, but by the 3rd can it just started tasting like alka-seltzer, which is pretty gross. I liked flavors like apple and strawberry the best.
Now I drink mostly regular water with the occasional tea, coffee, milk, or almond milk in there. But mostly just water. I just don't crave the fizz like I used to.
I'm not obsessed but ADDICTED to sparkling water. ( Holds head down in shame).😮💨
It's a real thing 😅
As a European, what's to be ashamed of it?! lol Americans are so silly with having interests to something "new", wherein it has been a common thing in other parts of the world. Sparkling or fizzy water is so common here in Europe that it's basically part of your grocery trip like getting eggs and milk. Fizzy water is delicious!
People in the the midwest look at me like a demon for preferring unflavored sparkling water of lacroix
Edit: made it further into the video and it seems you agree with them 😢
Hahahaha that was just a joke, regular sparkles in the water is just fine by us 😅
I also drink plain fizzy water. I don't want the flavours most of the time, just the fizz
I went to Europe for a few weeks summer of 2005, and when you asked for bottled water the question was always 'still or sparkling'. First day I noticed that a girl asked for sparkling with a smile, and the vendor just GAVE it to her. Being on a budget, I figured I could play that game! I started drinking sparkling water, and most of the time paid for it, but not always! Came back with a nostalgic taste for the stuff, and started seeking it out here in the US when I got home. First I bought it in 1.5 Liter bottles in the 'world market' section of the grocery. But now it's everywhere, and my guilty pleasure. I try and keep it down to two cans a day, though.
I mostly drink water, I find that anything flavoured just doesnt quench my thirst, or even makes me even more thirsty, specially bitter drinks like beer make me crave water immediately afterwards.
At this point, I'm convinced most of what we're paying for is just the cans.
I swear it is not just America.We have gone to Germany once when I was 16 to see my grandparents and they were drinking sparkling water instead of water all the time. I have sensitive stomach with gastroesophageal reflux so I have never drank the sparkling water. It has no health benefits and it feels weird to drink it all the time, but Germans either drank liters of beer or sparkling water for some reason. Water is beautiful and tasty sparkles and bubbles only mask its taste so I still to this day I do not understand reason.
Note:They were drinking flavourless seltzers which is just plain stupid. Again in my country we drink mineral water time to time but not as as a water source but like a drink, so I can never imagine how it can replace my water usage since I never feel quenched when I finish one due to high mineral rate in them
This is old hat to a survivor of the disco era of c.1974-1983. That's when I learned to appreciate Perrier, club soda, and seltzer. Could have started there.
In the UK, they used to sell apple flavoured Perrier. I guess not enough people bought it - I haven't been able to get my hands on it for years now. I miss it.
I honestly think sparking water has saved my life. Instead of drinking beer or soda I drink sparkling water.
Honestly, I started drinking sparkling water after I quit drinking alcohol. It helped.
Truly I do not understand how this channel doesn't have millions of subscribers. Fantastic work as always!
Maybe one day! Thanks for being here!
The only way for me to drink water straight up is if it is completely filtered, remineralized, and gone through reverse osmosis not because I'm fancy but because there's crap in the water as is that isn't good for you and most of the water selections out there are not filtered to this degree and if they are it's overpriced. I personally pay mid-tier system at home and that has made it that much easier to consume it as I drink a ton for working out, like by the gallon.
Evian was very trendy (and expensive) in the late 70s and before. (And Perrier, as you mentioned.) IMO the bottled water thing started to really take off as an alternative to diet soda. Before your touting of sparkling water there was designer water like Poland Spring. Water that tastes like baking soda aka sparking or mineral water has been a big deal in Europe for a long time.
I don’t drink soda, but I love the “scrubbing bubbles” sensation of sparkling mineral water. Topo chico is my favorite, and I go through about 1 flat of Kirkland sparkling water / month.
For flavours, Spindrift is delightful, but I don’t find my favorite flavours much. So Sanpellegeino’s aranciata rosssa (blood orange) or limonata is my go-to if it’s around.
I have never heard of La croix before. When we refer to carbonated water in the Netherlands, most people tend to say 'Spa red, please' (after the brand Spa, and red referring to the red colour of the bottle). Or just 'water with bubbles'
I got to visit France in high school (French class!) and was introduced to sparkling water *there.* Because it was offered. It took some getting used to, because the flavor was a bit different, but once I did, still water just was not the same. Fast forward to nowadays, and the choice of fizzy water we have here in the United States is amazing. I drink it regularly. It motivates me to hydrate, and helps calm my sweet tooth without actually being sweet. (Artificial sweeteners are not pleasant. Better to have no sweetener at all.) Also, it tastes better than the well water, which has gotten into some sulfur lately.
it doesnt help with constipation. lots of people are dehydrated and that contributes to constipation. so drinking any kind of water is obviously going to help.
also if youre getting thirsty multiple times per day, it means youre not drinking nearly enough water as you should. carbonated or not, more water is better than none
Sparkling water is disgusting. I almost vomited when someone referred to normal water as "flat water" and sparkling water as "water", as if it was the standard. There are few things I detest as much or with as much pure vitriol as sparkling water. If you want fizz, drink soda. If you want water, drink water. Why would you drink something that tastes worse than both of the alternatives??? I COULD SCREAM ABOUT THIS ALL DAY.
But also, great video Levi.
Sparkling water has been available as long as I can remember here in the UK.
All of the supermarkets carry their own brands of flavoured sparkling waters, but most do contain sweeteners and artificial flavours.
The push for more natural flavoured sparkling water came to the UK much later than the US, but a few brands have popped up. I would be happy, but unlike La Croix, brands here in the UK, such as Dash, for example, are marketed as lifestyle brands and carry a premium.
Dash do some good stuff. They are a certified B Corp. They use a lot of “wonky” fruit that would otherwise go unsold. But does all of that justify the price tag?
I have spent enough time in the US and Canada to fall in love with La Croix. It’s delicious, cheap and readily available. I wish it was the same here in the UK.
I actually went on a bit of a (the artist formerly known as) Twitter rant a few months back comparing US pricing to UK pricing. The difference between the two is utterly insane.
I find soda water easier to drink than flat water. I used to get just plain whenever I could and once flavors started showing up without sugar that was the best. I still buy unflavored (la croix is usually the best deal here cause you can buy it in larger packs) from time to time but I circulate depending on sales and where I'm getting my groceries.
Talking Rain was great in the 2000's but my local stores stopped carrying it. I wonder if they rebranded to become LaCroix.
I've been drinking seltzer for nearly 40 years at this point. The best thing about the increase in popularity is obviously the expanded ease in finding the stuff, and variety of flavors. Being a native Floridian, the choices were definitely far more slim in the 80s, and I always envied those in the northeast and out west, typically ahead of the south when it comes to hipper, healthier stuff. The biggest brands all have some flavors I like, but the regional producers are often the best way to go, overall. Syfo, out of south FL is great, and probably one of the most natural. They'll probably never spread nationally, which may be for the best. Polar, which I think originated in the northeast has spread pretty wide, and I think is one of the better choices. Waterloo pretty much rules the southwest, in my book, and I try to stock up a bit when a big regional grocery chain does the BOGO thing fairly regularly. One brand that I see LESS frequently all the time, but I think deserved a HUGE nod in this video, is Canada Dry. I feel like back in the mid to late 20th century, it was one of the few available, on a fairly widespread basis. Actual store brands are hit and miss, mostly miss.
Club soda and tonic water - you can keep that rat piss, both mostly serving as mixers. Club soda has the added salts, and tonic has gross quinine, again both geared toward tossing booze in with the stuff.
I live in Germany, one of the largest consumers of sparkling water, but the concept of Seltzers with taste, but no sugar, was new to me. I think they're amazing and I wish we had more of these options here.
Life hack: you can build a soda stream (setzer charger) out of a 5/10/20 lb co2 gas bottle (purchase at a local welding supply), recycle any bottle to carbonate anything you want at any pressure you want. A co2 bottle is a very useful tool as well holding a constant pressure of 1200 psi it can be used for a variety of things from running air tools, to filling tires, many people use them for offroad racing. ❤
I work in a distribution warehouse. Sparkling water is something we sell. We have Perrier, La Croix, Adirondack (or something) and some others I can't remember. I have tried probably every flavor of sparkling water made by La Croix and Adirondack. They're absolutely abysmal (so is Perrier, BTW). The only time we get to try these things is when somebody drops a case, and it can't be sold anymore (happens more frequently than you might think). It's no lie to say sparkling water, along with diet sodas, take weeks to disappear when they're in the fridges. Meanwhile, any non-diet soda or juice is gone in a day or two.
In brasil we can't drink tap water so everyone has to buy bottled water and sparkling is the same price so we choose based on preference
never really understood people who drink it like it's a regular soda. in portugal these drinks are considered borderline medicinal.
if you're feeling indisposed, had a really big meal and are feeling super full, you drink one. my mom would drink them after big heavy meals to make herself burp so she'd feel less full. i never really cared for the taste, but maybe the ones we have here are different from the ones in america
We use ginger soda in the same way in the US.
I was obsessed with seltzer before it was cool, thank you very much. Unflavored is my favorite, and sometimes I add fresh squeezed lemon juice 😊
My dad always drank sparkling water growing up but he mixed it with mango juice or cranberry juice. I hated the taste of sparkling water growing up and still do, I prefer just regular water
When you stop drinking soda you realize you don't miss the syrup as much as the carbonation...
I became addictes to sparkling water when I became sick. I couldn't drink water without severe pain. So my brain remembered my dad has a soda machine, so I went over to it and made myself a sparkling water. The fizzy water to my surprise helped sooth my throat better than the cough drops were. With the plus of helping me hydrate. So I refuses to stop drinking the water that entire day, dont even know how much I drank.
It was a bad cold okay?
was it a cold or was it covid?
@@mujjuman It was before the big Covid scare, so unfortunately, I don't know.
I've been hooked on sparkling water ever since spending a year in Germany in the early 2000s. I was taken back when I first got there and you literally couldn't find flat water unless you asked for it. Honestly I love plain unflavored sparkling water. There were a couple brands available but it wasn't cheap here when I first got back so I bought a SodaStream and just made my own.
I’m from Wisconsin and Illinois so my family and grandma was drinking La Croix back in the 90’s, I remember my grandmother, before her passing in 2009, drinking it ALL the time.
My family and I used sparkling water to quit our soda and energy drink addictions- Now we’ve managed to cut out sparkling water and only do regular water or juice if we’re feeling wild that day lol
I got a little addicted to regular mountain dew over the past year or two unfortunately. 2-4 cans daily on a work day (vending machine). Trying to kick that habit with various flavors of la croix. It's pretty funny that I'm now drinking la croix as a drink, when I was a child we had a case of lemon la croix sitting in the pantry for stomach issues.
I have a water bill. So I won't buy bottled water as long as I have an already existing water route to my house. My friends think I'm gross for drinking my tap water but they never realize they shower in it. They brush their teeth with it and they don't buy bottled water for their pets.
I own a Berkey. My pets get filtered water with me and we use a carbon filtered shower head. I took my brother a gallon of filtered water (who only drinks bottled) and he wouldn't drink it, calling it the most tasteless water he has ever had. I only give my plants unfiltered water.
Most bottled water is only tap water so I will never understand buying bottles to fill up my garbage with. I guess folks just like additives.
Back in the 90s I worked for a strange grocery store and we sold some weird giant liter glass bottle of Le Kwaw (no one know how to say it in south Texas). We thought it was pretty schmancy though.
I like the idea of making the iconic design, making it a pop culture staple. Similar to what Solo did with the Jazz cup and Arizona Tea did with their tea cans.
Clearly Canadian wasn't for Canada only and it was more like a soda because it was FULL of sugar. It was delicious as hell but it was essentially a clear soda, along with New York Seltzer.
As someone who can't drink fizzy stuff (my body hates carbonation for some reason), the amount of fizzy drinks people drink is astonishing to me, who's never had any and has done just fine drinking normal water! La Croix, Bubbly, and the rest are everywhere though.