Flavored Unsweetened Seltzer

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  • #817444

    trickycoolj
    Participant

    I’ve been obsessively drinking those pallets of Talking Rain from Costco lately. The unsweetened ones with lime, mandarin, and peach. Same with black cherry Schweppes from the cafeteria at my work. I recently got Invisalign (clear braces) so I can’t drink anything but water with them in 22 hours a day so flavored seltzers/club soda is a little more fun to drink to break it up. After a little internet sleuthing I found out this is a huge thing in New England when I stumbled on Polar Seltzer and the billion unsweetened flavors they make. Sounds awesome! I swear I’ve seen it somewhere oddball, like maybe Whole Foods or PCC or World Market? Has anyone seen it in the PNW? I know St Croix makes a few flavors that Talking Rain doesn’t make. I’d consider one of those Sodastream machines if I could figure out how to make flavors without heavy duty syrups or juices to avoid cavities and stains on my invisalign. But sometimes it’s just easier to get ready made soda.

    #824270

    JanS
    Participant

    If you get a sodastream, just make the seltzer, then add unsweetened lime or lemon juice. I love my sodastream. I can have bubbly anytime I want, with just tap water…

    #824271

    miws
    Participant

    tricky, Sodastream also offers “essences”:

    https://www.sodastreamusa.com/flavor-essences-c110.aspx

    I have not tried them yet, but maybe Jan, or JoB have?

    Not sure if they would suit your needs, but another possible option.

    Mike

    #824272

    kayo
    Participant

    Sodastream is definitely the way to go! We have the Penguin version which has glass bottles and we get our refills at Bartells. Then I add fresh squeezed juices, cucumber slices, or oils for flavor. Very much worth the investment!

    #824273

    kayo
    Participant

    The essences are pretty good.

    #824274

    trickycoolj
    Participant

    Hmm sounds like Sodastream really is the way to go! I’ll have to keep my eyes open for deals.

    Because of my Invisalign I have to avoid juices. It’s a clear tray form fit to my teeth so I don’t want acidic or sweet juices trapped against my teeth. But I think either the official essences or food grade essential oils might be the way to go!

    Edit: ok google tells me it’s not good to ingest essential oils but maybe cooking extracts/flavorings would be useful!

    #824275

    AJP
    Participant

    Safeway has their store brand seltzers, and they have some different flavors, like grapefruit, triple berry, and mandarin orange. And they are cheap!

    #824276

    trickycoolj
    Participant

    Checked out my old neighborhood Safeway visiting friends in Greenlake last night. Found tons of flavors from Arrowhead, Canada Dry, Refreshe, and Dasani has even gotten in the seltzer game. Not a huge fan of Refreshe, I’ve bought it in the past but it has pretty big bubbles and often tastes like canned California tap water (yuk). I guess I’ve been spoiled by all the nice ones I drink visiting family in Germany. Geroldsteiner is fantastic post workouts or hang over :)

    #824277

    pattilea
    Participant

    trickycoolj,

    I also wore those, my Dentist just said to use a straw when drinking coffee or seltzer. And rinse your mouth often!

    #824278

    Kimberley
    Participant

    If only Clearly Canadian/Canadian Clear were still around.

    #824279

    trickycoolj
    Participant

    Pattilea – I tried a beer through a straw not too long ago, it wasn’t too bad but I had a stomach full of foam LOL! I’m getting more brave with what I try and thankfully getting the hang of the cleaning routine. I have 35 trays so I’ll be at this for a while! Just waiting for the forum post about the weird girl with the electric toothbrush in a local restaurant bathroom!

    Kimberly – Safeway brand makes a Clearly Canadian knock off. Never liked those since they are sweet despite being zero calorie. I dislike sweet seltzers since I grew up drinking plain seltzer with my German relatives.

    #824280

    clark5080
    Participant

    How does the soda stream work out cost wise vs talking rain from Costco which is what I currently drink?

    #824281

    JoB
    Participant

    i can’t give you an answer as to the cost ration of the soda stream vs talking rain from costco because i didn’t buy talking rain…

    but it worked out well for me until i gave it away… i found that i liked plain tap water with a splash of juice just as well. hubby calls it my homeopathic cocktail.

    i always used a small amount of fruit juice to flavor mine.

    #824282

    JTB
    Participant

    DIY. Bring some water to a boil, add some fresh rosemary, cover the pot, turn off the heat and let it steep for 15-20 minutes. Use that extract and fresh lemon juice in whatever proportions you like to make strong lemonade or lightly flavored water. Rosemary has potent anti-inflammatory effects. Taking a page from JoB comment about homeopathy, rosemary is often mentioned in discussions about hormesis in which agents have a beneficial effect at very low concentrations that declines or can even become harmful in higher amounts.

    #824283

    RarelyEver
    Participant

    I grew up in Germany, and sparkling water is ubiquitous. The brand in my hometown is Ottilienquelle. Can’t find that here anywhere, unfortunately, but Metro Market has Gerolsteiner, which is also wonderful. I’d buy it more often if it only wasn’t so pricey. :(

    That said, I have a Sodastream, too, and I love it. I always buy fresh lemons and just add some of the juice, and it’s so delicious, refreshing, and delivers my vitamin C for the day. Sometimes I get the cherry juice at Trader Joe’s and add a little of that as well – also delish! :)

    #824284

    trickycoolj
    Participant

    I think the Talking Rain works out to around 66-85 cents per liter assuming $8-10 for the 24 pack at Costco. I can’t remember the exact price.

    I stumbled on an interesting idea on some food blogs last night, soda water and bitters! With the craft cocktail movement lately you can get some really interesting cocktail bitters and a dash in a glass of soda shouldn’t add any more alcohol content than a dash of vanilla extract would. I have a bottle of Angostura bitters so I’m thinking of giving it a try!

    #824285

    JoB
    Participant

    let me know how that turns out.. sounds like something hubby would like

    #824286

    JanS
    Participant

    if you could use a little sugar or honey in your drink, seltzer water plus a tablespoon or two of raspberry vinegar, and some honey over ice is very refreshing..sounds strange, but it’s really good…

    #824287

    trickycoolj
    Participant

    A dash of bitters was very good!

    Oddly enough, Clearly Canadian and New York Seltzer are poised for a comeback. But the Safeway knockoff of Clearly Canadian had aspartame in it when I checked last weekend to make sure it was the “sweetened” variety. http://www.grubstreet.com/2015/05/90s-soft-drinks-are-making-a-comeback.html

    #824288

    kayo
    Participant

    One of the biggest reasons we use a Sodastream is reducing our household waste. The Penguin model we have uses glass bottles. The CO2 refills last us 2-3 months typically and cost $14.99 at Bartell’s. We probably charge at least 1-2 1 liter bottles a day, but often two bottles (and if we have guests we charge several). I also like that we get freshly carbonated water compared to water that will go flat fairly quickly if you don’t drink it all in one go. Waste is huge for me though. Before we had a Sodastream, we probably went through at least 3-4 two liter plastic bottles of Talking Rain a week that then had to be recycled. Not to mention the shipping costs of all those heavy bottles both to the store and carting it home. Food for thought…

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