Waterloo Cranberry And Spiced Apple Sparkling Water Review: It's Like Thanksgiving In A Glass

Waterloo Sparkling Water understands that consumers love a seasonal, limited-time-only offering. This is why the brand has reintroduced two of its most popular sparkling water flavors just in time for your holiday gatherings and festive tailgating. Its Cranberry and Spiced Apple infusions feature bold tastes developed by resident flavor artists who spend up to nine months curating 30 to 50 variations on a theme before settling on the fullest artistic expression of a recipe.

Like all Waterloo Sparkling Water varieties, these offerings are made from Non-GMO Project Verified natural flavors and purified carbonated water. They are designed for maximum "sessionability," a term used by its flavor artists to describe a product that is refreshing, enjoyable, and easy to drink throughout the day.

Having previously sampled many of the other Waterloo Sparkling Water varieties, we were eager to try these seasonal specials. We assessed them on aroma, carbonation, taste, and overall experience to determine the best fall flavors.

It would be hard to imagine Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce. Indeed, cranberry is synonymous with fall, which is why this was a natural fit for development as a seasonal, limited-time-only offering by Waterloo Sparkling Water. The key was to capture the tartness and poppability of cranberries without losing the refreshing, crispy characteristic of these sparkling waters.

Upon the initial aroma when we opened the can, we didn't immediately detect the cranberry notes. The carbonation, which is quite fizzy, somewhat overwhelms your senses. As we allowed the carbonation to settle down, the tartness and faint berry-forward notes began to come through. The flavor of this sparkling water is very mild, with hints of tannins and delicate sweetness coating your tongue.

As with some other Waterloo Sparkling Water flavors we have experienced, this one shines after sitting for a while. Once the carbonation has mostly disappeared, the full aroma and taste of cranberry begins to emerge without the cloying sweetness typically associated with the jelly-like stuff you buy in a can. This variety would be great to serve alongside your Thanksgiving turkey or as an ingredient in an autumnal mocktail, like a sangria or a spritzer.

The Waterloo Spiced Apple sparkling water had us at first sniff. If you have ever sampled a piping hot glass of spiced cider, you will know what this sparkling water smells like. The moment you pop the can open, the sweetness of crisp apple punctuated by cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and a hint of vanilla fill your nostrils and find their way straight to your heart.

While the taste is not as accentuated as the smell, it is redolent of these ingredients, yet not sweet at all. If the in-house flavor artists were trying to attempt to recreate a mood, they succeeded. As the carbonation begins to fizzle out, the flavors only intensify.

We could certainly see drinking this paired with your favorite pie at Thanksgiving or using it in an old-fashioned ice cream soda instead of plain seltzer. The apple and spices paired with chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream would be a delicious surprise for your tastebuds.

Like all Waterloo Sparkling Water varieties, the Cranberry and Spiced Apple offerings have zero calories, are sugar-free, caffeine-free, and contain no artificial flavorings or sweeteners. Flavors are obtained from natural oils, extracts, and essences from the fruit featured in a recipe before being paired with spices and other naturally sourced flavorings. This way, they can ensure each can is certified Vegan, Kosher, Gluten-free, Non-GMO, and Whole 30 Approved.

The water used in Waterloo Sparkling Water recipes is obtained regionally to minimize carbon footprint. The goal is to keep the distance from the point of origin to the customer to less than 500 miles per can. This water then undergoes a complex filtration process to remove contamination from fluoride, sodium, and more.

This ultra-filtered water is subsequently flavored and carbonated to the optimal PH balance and bubbliness for each recipe. Waterloo Sparkling Water varieties are lower in acid than classic soft drinks or juices, making it a better option for those seeking to minimize acid intake. The cans used by Waterloo Sparkling Water are also BPA-free.

Finding the limited-time-only Cranberry or Spiced Apple varieties of Waterloo Sparkling Water shouldn't be challenging. The brand indicates a two-fold increase in advanced commitment from 30% more retailers of the flavors from previous annual sales. Nationwide retailers who have committed to carrying the products include Whole Foods, Target, Walmart, HEB, Central Market, Natural Grocers, Sprouts, select Safeway Albertsons divisions, Hy-Vee, Schnucks, Cub Foods and Fresh Thyme, and more.

Before purchasing, be sure you have plenty of storage space for these fizzy waters. Waterloo Sparkling Water recommends storing its beverages in cooler temperatures because its products are carbonated more vigorously than other sparkling water varieties. Anything above 85 degrees Fahrenheit is contraindicated.

Prices may vary by location and retailer. You will want to stock up on these flavors quickly; once supply runs out, you won't get a chance to purchase again until next year.

By now, it is no secret that we are big fans of Waterloo Sparkling Water and its limited-time-only autumnal potables, Cranberry and Spiced Apple. We enjoyed them both, but if we had to choose, our favorite would be the Spiced Apple. This flavor screams nostalgia and childhood to us in a way that makes us almost believe in Santa Claus again.

If you are particularly cheeky like us, you might want to tap into your inner flavor artist and combine the two. We had two cans at once, so we decided to pour a glass of half Cranberry and half Apple Spice. It was like a full Thanksgiving meal in one delectable concoction. The sweetness and spice of the apples helped tame the tartness and tannins of the cranberries to create a complex blend that Willy Wonka himself might dream up if he were developing an autumnal candy offering.

The bottom line is, run, don't walk. These riveting refreshments will be gone before you know it, and you won't want to miss out on sampling them. You won't be disappointed.