It’s no secret that water is good for you. It is essential for life, and we can’t survive without it. But we can all agree that the flavor — or lack of — can get boring. Who wants to drink water when so many more flavorful beverage options exist? When I open my fridge, I’m going to reach for a soda or a juice, not water. This usually leads to me being extremely dehydrated by the end of the day. Thankfully, Cirkul is helping me make drinking water a more delicious experience. Cirkul is a water bottle that allows you to reap all the benefits of drinking water, while still tasting the sweet flavors you would get from other beverages. You can add a range of flavors to your water, using a dial to adjust how strong you want it to taste. As someone who gets bored of drinking water and always enjoys a flavorful beverage, it’s no surprise that the Cirkul water bottle is my new go-to for satisfying that craving for a sweet drink.
How does the Cirkul water bottle work?
The Cirkul bottle’s magic comes from its nozzle. Each sip cartridge is attached to a sip nozzle that twists on to the bottle. Using the dial on the cartridge, you can choose a flavor level from one to nine. One sip cartridge is the equivalent of six 20 oz. flavored beverages — so it’s a lot of flavor. There’s over 100 flavors to choose from, and all of them are sugar free, zero calories, and have no artificial flavors or coloring. To taste the flavor, you need to tilt the bottle so that the water inside reaches the cartridge. Simply take a sip, and you’ll taste whatever flavor cartridge you have inserted.
What flavors does Cirkul have?
Cirkul has over 100 flavors, with different lines offering different benefits. The GoSip flavors have caffeine in them, making them both hydrating and energizing. I tried the Strawberry Watermelon and Black Cherry sip cartridge flavors, which both taste like fruity slushies. The FitSip flavors are packed with electrolytes, adding even more hydration (and flavor) to your water. The Mixed Berry flavor has hints of strawberry and blueberries, but personally, it was a bit too sweet for me, even when I lowered the flavor dial. The Island Punch cartridge is the perfect mix of cherry, orange, banana, lemon, and other tropical flavors — it tastes just like Kool Aid.
The Inflow Energy flavors have a range of healthy components, from antioxidants to B vitamins. It also has caffeine, giving you that extra energy boost along with the health benefits. My favorite flavor was the Watermelon Inflow Energy, because it tasted just like a Sour Patch Watermelon, but with so many health benefits. The Hydrate Lifesip flavors are meant to hydrate the body while still being flavorful, like the Fruit Punch flavor, which tastes like a sugary, fruity juice drink — think Capri Sun.
What was my experience with the Cirkul bottle like?
It was really easy to use the Cirkul bottle. The cartridges simply screwed on to the top of the bottle, and then it was ready to drink. I found that all of the flavors I tried were really strong, even when using the first level on the dial. A downside of this is that even when I turned to the setting that was not supposed to let any flavor in, I could still taste hints of the cartridge. Sometimes, I wanted to just drink water from the bottle, like after eating a meal, but I could still taste the fruity flavors. The bottle is also not insulated, so my cold water did not stay cold for more than an hour, and any ice I added to it melted pretty quickly.
Despite these downsides, I really enjoyed the caffeinated cartridges. There were some days where a coffee didn’t necessarily sound appealing to me, but I still needed a source of caffeine. The caffeine Cirkul cartridges, like the Inflow Energy flavors, gave me that boost of energy, while also hydrating me. It was really useful when I had my 8 a.m. class and didn’t have time to go buy a coffee: instead, I just filled up my Cirkul with water and popped in the Watermelon Inflow Energy cartridge. The cartridges also don’t run out super fast, especially if you’re using it on the third or fourth setting — they lasted about five fill-ups before the flavor started to fade. If you’re drinking the bottle on a higher setting, it might only last two fill-ups.
Who is the Cirkul bottle for?
The Cirkul bottle is perfect for people who don’t usually grab water for their choice of beverage, despite how important it is for your health. If you’re someone who consumes a lot of sugary drinks, whether that’s soda or energy beverages, the Cirkul is an equally tasty replacement that actually benefits your health. Even though it doesn’t keep your water as cold as a Stanley or Hydro Flask does, it adds an addicting flavor that keeps you wanting to drink more water. I found myself finishing up to five refills of the bottle in a day, which is uncommon for me. I finished the FitSip Island Punch flavor in one day — a testament to how truly tasty the cartridges are.
In the future, I want to try some of Cirkul’s non-fruity flavors, like the Caramel and Vanilla Iced Coffee cartridges. I won’t be using Cirkul as my primary water bottle, as I found that my Owala is better at keeping my water cold, but I will definitely be using it for when I want that sweet fix without all the extra added sugar.