Official Product Review: Sparkling ICE Water

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Water is obviously important. Without it, we'd truly be dead. We suck it down to stay hydrated, bathe in it and grow our food with it. But truth be told, at least when it's a beverage, water can be very boring. I get sick of it and I'm sure you do, too. As a result, I am constantly looking for creative (and equally hydrating) replacements. Don't get me wrong, you can never really top water. Nor can you truly replace it. However, you can switch it out on occasion—but you have to be careful. Many alternatives (think pop, certain sports drinks) are nothing more than sugar and calorie bombs. But there are options out there. You just have to read labels. And when the folks at TalkingRain Beverage Company sent me a few bottles of Sparkling ICE Naturally Flavored Sparkling Water, I did just that.

Sparkling ICE is a zero-calorie beverage that "combines fresh mountain spring water, natural fruit juices and six essential vitamins and antioxidants." While the list of ingredients is short, it does contain a few red flags that require some explanation:

1) Sucralose. I'm honestly not a fan of anything but sugar because certain substitutes affect my stomach in a way that doesn't feel too hot. That might not be the case for you so I can't completely X the product because of it.

2) Maltodextrin. It's kinda like a corn syrup, defined across the Internet as a "caloric sweetener."

3) Mannitol. A sugar alcohol, so yet another sweetener.

But how does it taste? Sparkling ICE comes in six different flavors: Black Raspberry, Kiwi Strawberry, Lemon Lime, Orange Mango, Pink Grapefruit and Pomegranate Berry.

Had they given me a bottle of the Pomegranate Berry, I would have gone into that one head first, but they didn't so I opted for the Black Raspberry . Now, I don't drink sweet beverages that often, so I found this drink to be incredibly sweet. Like, Cherry Pepsi and Vitamin Water sweet. It surely was a tasty treat. Keyword: Treat. I'm not sure that I would recommend this beverage as a post-workout form of hydration, but if your hankerin' for a pop—especially if you want a fruity Faygo—pick this instead.

Every bottle has "just the right amount of bubbles," but without a lot of the excess gunk and calories found in pop. It's all the fizz without most of the fuzz. There's green tea extract, plus vitamins and antioxidants—although I'm not sure how abundant the vitamins and antioxidants actually are, but every last bit counts.

Check Costco, Sam's Club, Jewel, Walgreens and more if you're interested. You can also order a few bottles off Sparkling ICE Naturally Flavored Sparkling Water. Cost? Pretty comparable to similar beverages on the shelves, well...at least when you buy it right off those market shelves.

Question: If you've ever had Sparkling ICE water, I want to know what you think. Also, if you had every bottle right in front of you, what flavor would you choose?

Note: I was not compensated for this review, but was given what you see above to write this review. rest assured, all opinions are my own as they always are.