Blackberry
Imitation: 7/10
Flavour: 6/10
I’m not a fan of blackberry flavouring in food because I’d much rather have blackcurrant having grown up with Ribena, but that’s not the point here. Blackberry isn’t sweet enough to make this a zero-sweetener replacement for pop. It’s probably best for old people who still remember using the phone of the same name during the peak of their careers.
Cherry
Imitation: 5/10
Flavour: 1/10
I’ve never enjoyed eating cherries due to its pit and stem. What I’ve enjoyed even less are those sugar-glazed cherries on top of cupcakes. I think Americans only like them for their red hue, not actually for the flavour. One though the can claims to use natural flavour, I still can’t help but feel that this is artificial.
Strawberry
Imitation: 7/10
Flavour: 8/10
I could smell the strawberry scent escaping the can as soon as I opened it. Any strawberry-flavoured product without the texture of strawberry immediately feels artificial for how sweet it naturally is, but makes an excellent water flavouring.
Raspberry
Imitation: 10/10
Flavour: 10/10
It actually tastes like freshly-washed raspberries that came straight out of the refrigerator. Bubly nailed this one on the head.
Grapefruit
Imitation: 8/10
Flavour: 9/10
Grapefruit is watery and light enough to be in a drink, but the lack of citrus aromas takes away from the experience. The fizziness, though, matches the sensation of juices flowing out of the fruit fibres as one bites into it.
Orange
Imitation: 2/10
Flavour: 1/10
It tastes like orange in the sense that hospital chicken soup tastes like chicken. It has the faintest of orange scents to help it lay legal claim to the flavour and the rest is just water. I would’ve thought that orange would’ve been an easy flavour to get right. After all, Gatorade does a fantastic job.
Lime
Imitation: 7/10
Flavour: 10/10
It’s refreshing, it’s light and it reminds me of delicious and healthy Vietnamese food. Of all the citrus flavours, this is probably the most apt application for sparkling water. Heck, even restaurants put little cut-up lime quarters in beer and water.
Watermelon
Imitation: 3/10
Flavour: 3/10
Is it really necessary to have watermelon-flavoured water? The fruit’s name already includes water and consists mostly of liquid, it’s an easy 10 out of 10 to just buy and consume a watermelon from the same supermarket from which you buy Bubly. I’m just glad they haven’t made coconut water-flavoured Bubly yet.
Pineapple
Imitation: 10/10
Flavour: 7/10
It’s very close to what pineapple juice that pooled at the bottom of a box of cut pineapples tastes like—slimly sweet and mostly sticky. No, the drink isn’t sticky, but the flavour are feels it. I’m not sure it’s the best choice for a zero-calorie bubbly drink, given that pineapple has a reputation for coming in cans of sugary goop.
Peach
Imitation: 6/10
Flavour: 10/10
It’s easily one of the best Bubly flavours even though real peaches don’t consistently taste that sweet. If its claim of only using natural flavouring is true, then it’s a miracle that it reminds me of Haribo.
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