I Tried And Ranked 6 Seltzer Water Brands From Worst To Best

How some people can go hours without taking a sip of some type of beverage is beyond me because I'm a big drinker — by which I mean I always have some type of (non-alcoholic) drink on my person or nearby. Much of the time, this is something simple, like a standard bottle of water or a cup of my favorite coffee. Other times, I like to switch it up and inject some vibrant flavor into my routine. This might be a vanilla-flavored soda, a fruit smoothie, or a cup of juice. But my all-time favorite way to inject some flavor into my regular drink routine? Seltzer water. If you're like me and really enjoy this carbonated flavored water, you know that not all brands are created equally. How can you tell which are worth your hard-earned money?

Normally, I'd recommend the tedious task of trying all of the seltzer water brands available in your area. But the good news is you don't have to go on that (often disappointing) journey because I already did it for you. I tried six seltzer water brands available in my local area, and ranked them from worst to best based primarily on taste and carbonation. A great love of seltzer water and other relevant experiences helped me confidently make my placements. You can check out my full methodology at the end of this article if you're interested. Now, without further ado, let's find out which brand of seltzer water is about to be your new favorite.

Hal's New York Lime Seltzer Water turned out to be the biggest disappointment on this list — not solely because it's ranked dead last, but because it was the one I was most excited for. The unique packaging and sleek design just made me feel like this was a luxury product, and that correlated to a potentially better experience in my mind. Unfortunately, while the marketing was on point, the product creation was obviously lacking.

The best way I can explain how this seltzer water tastes is to say it tastes just like Bud Light Lime would without the hops. If you haven't had Bud Light Lime, I'll try to break that explanation down. Basically, this seltzer water has an overwhelming lime taste with a slight alcohol-type edge. I believe the extreme carbonation added to this effect, as it was so strong it actually burned my throat and made it hard to drink. Worst of all, drinking this gave me awful acid reflux for the next few hours for some reason, which had me silently cursing this product while I popped Tums.

Not only would I never willingly buy this product again, but you couldn't pay me to drink it again. Unless you crave a night where you wonder if lava somehow got into your esophagus, skip this and spring for a better-ranking seltzer water.

This ranking list is interesting because it goes straight from "absolutely terrible" to "moderately fine." Usually, there's some natural progression along the way, but here it was a clean jump. Before this taste test, I'd heard good things about the Adirondack Sparkling Seltzer Waters. And despite the lower ranking, I didn't necessarily disagree with everything I'd heard. Rather, this option turned out to be mediocre when compared side-by-side to the other brands.

When I poured this into a glass, there was a pleasant, moderately strong scent of citrus, which I appreciated. Unfortunately, this didn't translate to the taste, which was a faint lemon lime that I could barely taste, rather than the robust flavor I was expecting. The carbonation was okay, although it was a little less than I would personally like to see. Due to this light flavor and carbonation combination, this definitely wouldn't be a solid replacement for something like soda, but true seltzer water fans may like this just fine.

I wouldn't drink this alone again, but I do think it would be a good option for a mixer since there's no risk of it overwhelming other flavors. If that's what you're looking for, this could be a fine option. But, if you're looking for something to drink alone, there are much better products at the top of this list.

Schweppes is my personal favorite ginger ale brand, but I'd never tried one of its sparkling seltzer water flavors before this ranking. I had thought about it many times, however, and that had me excited to give it a shot. The outcome? This Schweppes Lemon Lime Sparkling Seltzer Water isn't amazing, but it's certainly not bad, either.

Honestly, this option from Schweppes was pretty good overall, and my only major complaint was that it was super carbonated — as in, it was so carbonated that it was a bit overwhelming. Thankfully, the bubbles weren't so overdone that they caused major acid reflux like some lower-ranking options, so it didn't end up being a significant detractor. The flavor was vaguely ginger ale-like, but lighter and with a light burst of citrus. Although this taste profile was light, it was stronger than the nearly nonexistent flavor of the Adirondack, which easily pulled this one ahead.

I wouldn't go out of my way to buy this again, but I would probably drink it if offered to me by someone else. Despite not being a terrible option, I strongly recommend choosing one of the top three options — the top one is particularly amazing.

If you've read anything I've written, you'll know that I have an ongoing love-hate relationship with Bowl and Basket, which is ShopRite's private label brand. I think ShopRite makes the worst store-bought hamburger buns I've ever had, but it's also the maker of several frozen snacks I insist everyone try. As for this Bowl and Basket Lime Seltzer? I was pleasantly surprised at how good this turned out when compared to some of its other products.

A light but refreshing citrus scent emerged as I poured my drink — since I value the smell of my foods and drinks so much, this was a big boon. Unlike the Adirondack seltzer, the smell of this one wasn't a lie. If anything, the moderate lime flavor profile with faint hints of sweetness and nicely balanced carbonation was stronger (and better) than the scent made me believe. Since it's a private store label, this is also a good budget option if you're looking to save money.

I might purchase the Bowl and Basket Seltzer water again because I'm interested in trying other flavors, although I'll likely be sticking with my top brand option most of the time. If someone else offered this to me, I would definitely drink it again, and I think this is a great choice if you're looking for a decent, budget-friendly seltzer.

I'd heard so many good things about the Vintage brand seltzer waters before undertaking this ranking, both online and in person, so I was happy to have the opportunity to give it a shot. Even better, the Vintage Lemon Lime Seltzer managed to live up to my expectations — so much so that it was nearly a tie for first place on this ranking list. The only reason this one ranked second instead is pure personal preference, as I preferred the small kick of tanginess offered in our top choice, which is missing in this option.

The one thing I will say upfront here is that if you're looking for a soda replacement (which was the original reason I switched to seltzers), this Vintage option is your best choice. This has a great lemon lime flavor that's very similar to 7UP, but a little lighter. There's a somewhat heavy carbonation that borders on being too much without actually crossing that line, and yet somehow this still feels very balanced. I wouldn't go so far as to say this tasted sugary, but it does have a distinct sweet tone throughout.

I would definitely buy this again, although I prefer the top option slightly more. If you're looking for something very soda-like, you should choose this. But, if you're looking for something that's obviously seltzer water and amazing, choose the top-ranked brand instead.

Polar was one of the few brands on this list that I'd had before this ranking, although I hadn't had its lemon flavor. Its black cherry flavor, however, is something I regularly keep in my refrigerator, and I'd also tried the mandarin and lime flavor with great results. So, it came as no big surprise to me that the Polar Premium Lemon Seltzer also turned out to be good.

Despite having zero sugar, this had a light sweetness that pairs well with the equally light lemon flavor. A small kick of tanginess greeted my taste buds as soon as I took the first sip, and I thought this was a nice feature that the other brands didn't have — it added a layer of taste complexity that made me want to drink more. The carbonation was strong, but not overdone, and it balanced well with the flavor profile.

I'll definitely be purchasing this brand and this specific flavor again. I highly recommend you add this to your next grocery list so you can see how fantastic it is for yourself. And, if you're not a fan of lemon specifically, Polar has over a dozen other flavors you can try instead, so you're sure to find something you enjoy.

I chose all available seltzer water brands at my local ShopRite in Vineland, New Jersey, for inclusion in this list. To make the fairest assessment, I only chose variations of lemon, lime, and lemon-lime flavors. This flavor option was chosen since it was the only one shared across all available brands, and it worked out well since this is also one of my favorite flavors. Each option was judged primarily based on taste and carbonation, although scent was considered to a lesser degree. Only brands marketed as "seltzer" were included, so there's no La Croix or sparkling water here. 

To make my assessments, I relied predominantly on a great love of seltzer water. My food industry background and prior work creating rankings for Daily Meal also contributed. This includes similar drink-based articles, including this ranking of popular Capri Sun flavors and this ranking of bottled smoothie brands. Although personal preference played a role in this ranking, I aimed to be as unbiased about product quality as possible.