The Worst Sparkling Water At Trader Joe's Is Also The Most Basic

Carbonated water was invented by a man named Joseph Priestly and almost instantly became a very popular beverage when he published the "recipe" in 1772. As you can imagine, there's been plenty of innovation and additions to carbonated water since then. There are now different types of bubbly water available, several popular brands, and flavored varieties.

Shopping for carbonated water can be oddly perplexing, though. Do you want sparkling or mineral? Are they the same thing? And what is the difference between seltzer and club soda? Cut out the confusion and start your bubbly beverage shopping at Trader Joe's. The reliable grocery chain carries a whole range of flavored and unflavored house brand sparkling waters, and we even went through the trouble of ranking every single one available at Trader Joe's to create a definitive guide. As far as we can tell, there isn't a "bad" TJ's sparkling water in the bunch. But, alas, the plain sparkling water had to fall at the bottom of our rankings. 

Compared with the more complex flavored sparkling waters, the plain just didn't deliver the same drinking experience. Our reviewer also detected a faint plasticky flavor in the plain sparkling water and reported that the bubbles were a bit too intense for them. This was true of all the sparkling waters sampled for the rankings, but the flavoring in the others helped mitigate the prickly carbonated sensation.

Carbonated water is a refreshing, low or no-sugar way to satisfy a carbonated beverage craving without indulging in syrupy sodas. It is also a key ingredient in plenty of cocktails and is a great item to have on hand. From the refreshing and delightfully simple spiced ranch water cocktail to a classic mojito, sparkling water can bring a lot to a drink in terms of flavor and sensory experience. But, if you're trying to drink less alcohol and artificially sweetened sodas, or simply sip on something a little more elevated and interesting than plain water, sparkling water may be your new drink of choice.

You can zhuzh up a sparkling water and make all kinds of delicious beverages just by adding a few extra ingredients. Top off Trader Joe's Sparkling Coconut Water with yuzu with some tangerine juice for a craveable summery mocktail. A splash of cranberry juice and a little bit of lime juice in bubbly water makes a tart and tangy drink, or add some tart cherry juice for a sleepy before-bed mocktail. Adding a squeeze of lemon and a few dashes of bitters to plain soda water is an old bartending trick for solving an upset stomach or hiccups. You could even make homemade cola or root beer with sparkling water and a little—or maybe a lot—of patience. All in all, don't zoom past the sparkling water next time you're shopping for a household beverage, you may be surprised by its versatility.