 FlavH2O’s “aerated flavored waters” are crystal-clear, with delicious natural flavoring. Photography by Claire Freierman.
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KAREN HOCHMAN is Editorial Director of THE NIBBLE.
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July 2008
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FlavH2O Aerated Flavored Water
A Natural Soda By Any Other Name Would Taste As Sweet
CAPSULE REPORT: A tasty, fun new line of fruit-flavored sodas—that calls itself “aerated flavored water”—begs to be tried. Light and refreshing, and only 80 calories per can, they can be drunk straight or used as mixers. This is Page 1 of a two-page article. Click on the black links below to visit Page 2.
We’re going to start out by saying that the FlavH2O people are not going to like that we are calling their product soda. They have cleverly tried to convince you that it is “aerated flavored water.” But then, so are Coke, Seven Up and flavored club soda. FlavH2O is sweetened. So, sorry to blow the illusion, guys, but anyone who takes a sip will think “soda,” not “aerated flavored water.” And some people who buy it, thinking it a competitor to Vitamin Water, may not be happy.
The good news is, it’s a great soda, light and refreshing in style. With natural flavors and a “dry” sugar profile, each 12-ounce can has just 80 calories instead of the approximately 140 calories of a regular can of soda. It’s flavored with fructose (called levulose here—it seems this company wants to keep confusing you as long as it can. They also use the term “essence” instead of “flavor” to describe their flavor ingredients [“peach essence,” for example]).
The levulose/fructose is combined with acesulfame potassium (Ace-K, also used in Pepsi One), which keeps the calorie count down. Fructose is often recommended for people with diabetes because it does not raise blood glucose levels like sucrose (regular table sugar). Whatever the formula, the sweetness tastes wonderfully natural.
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The see-through cans are one of the novelties of FlavH2O. |
And how about that can? A fun innovation, it combines a see-through plastic body with a traditional aluminum flip-top. We’re not sure how one would recycle it—you can’t exactly separate the parts and toss the top in the metal recycling, the body in the plastic bin. With more Americans going green, FlavH2O may have to tackle that.
What about the “aeration?”
Aerated water is distilled water to which purified air is added, to improve the flavor. Carbonated water is plain water into which carbon dioxide gas has been dissolved to create effervescence (bubbles). However, the terms are often used interchangeably. While there aren’t a lot of bubbles to be observed, they are most definitely felt on the palate, although FlavH2O has far less effervescence than major soft drink brands, which tend to go heavy on the carbonation to cover up some of the artificial flavors. There’s even less effervescence than in natural sodas like GuS and sparkling juices like Fizzy Lizzy. The fizziness is more of what is known as pétillant in French.
Continue To Page 2: The Flavors of FlavH2O
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