The Trader Joe's Sparkling Water That Shoppers Say Tastes Like Dr Pepper

To some, sparkling water may be just a passing fancy, that thing they order at a classy restaurant or the bottles they meticulously avoid at trendy juice stores and coffee shops. To others, sparkling water is a way of life. If you're one of the customers who keep cases of it tucked away in the pantry, you're not alone — at least, not when it comes to cases of Trader Joe's Black Cherry Vanilla Sparkling Water, which shoppers say tastes like Dr Pepper.

Trader Joe's has a rich history and is notorious for its unique sparkling water flavors, and the Black Cherry Vanilla has grabbed the public's attention. Shoppers on Reddit have gone so far as to say, "There is no sparkling water that compares," to the sweet, tangy flavors of this Trader Joe's drink, although our taste tester ranked the Black Cherry Vanilla Sparkling Water as number five out of Trader Joe's top 12 sparkling waters. It contains hints of vanilla beneath the potent black cherry, and other shoppers have said, "It's the closest seltzer [they have] had to Dr Pepper, or soda in general." While not everyone agrees that it's a perfect match for classic Dr Pepper, one Reddit user went on record saying that one sip is all it took for them to become "a believer."

Dr Pepper was unveiled to the wider public at the 1904 World's Fair Exposition, about 20 years after it initially began being sold. The drink is the supposed invention of Charles Alderton, a pharmacist from Waco, Texas. In its over 125-year lifetime, the exact ingredients of Dr Pepper have never been revealed. The formula is so top secret that the soda brand lists nonspecific flavors on the ingredients list so that no one could replicate the exact recipe (which is allowed by the Food and Drug Administration when added flavors don't contain major allergens). Through years of public speculation, Dr Pepper fans believe they've narrowed down what those secret ingredients might be, from fruits like blackberry, plum, and cherry to spices like amaretto, nutmeg, and vanilla.

Notice any familiar flavors? Both cherry and vanilla are rumored to be a part of the Dr Pepper secret formula, which could explain why Trader Joe's Black Cherry Vanilla Sparkling Water tastes so similar. The biggest difference, of course, is that sparkling water contains no added sugars, whereas most sodas (such as Dr Pepper) add one form of sweetener or another. Since we can't confirm the exact ingredients in a can of Dr Pepper, we'll have to try it for ourselves to determine if the internet shoppers on Reddit who so passionately shout that the Black Cherry Vanilla Sparkling Water "tastes just like Dr Pepper" are correct or not.