Review: Guy Fieri's Flavortown And Waterloo Sparkling Water's Limited-Time Flavors Are Like A Vacation In A Can

When it comes to sparkling water brands, Waterloo Sparkling Water consistently performs well in head-to-head matchups. The brand's success can be attributed to its attention to detail when it comes to what it calls its "flavor artistry." This technique involves meticulous testing and crafting of each beverage variety to produce the ideal taste, aroma, and carbonation level, for a mouthfeel that is simultaneously refreshing and novel.

Its latest one-of-a-kind collaboration is with Guy Fieri, Mayor of Flavortown. These distinctive drinks are available nationwide at select retailers for a limited-time-only and come in three flavors — Lemon Italian Ice, Huckleberry Cobbler, and Spiced Mango Sorbet. Each one is intended to capture the tastes and experiences of Fieri's favorite personal adventures at destinations both nationally and internationally.

Having previously ranked all of Waterloo Sparkling Water flavors and reviewed its limited-time-only Thanksgiving in a glass offerings, I am no stranger to this brand. As a chef, I am a big fan of the subtle, yet complex flavors it consistently develops with every new variety it puts out. For this reason, I was quite enthusiastic to get the chance to sample these new travel-inspired sparkling water varieties. I sniffed, poured, and sipped my way through each can to assess how well each captured the essence of the time, place, and ambiance that the flavor purports to capture. Read on to find out if this new partnership is a match made in heaven or a complete dud.

The first flavor I sampled from this new line of beverages was Lemon Italian Ice. This drink is based on the summer vacations Fieri enjoyed along the boardwalk of the New Jersey shoreline, where he and his family would indulge in a refreshing cup of sweet, yet tart, lemon-flavored Italian ice.

Waterloo's flavor artists had a difficult task with this particular beverage, as it requires a delicate balance between the sour notes of lemon with the sweetness characteristic of a classic Italian ice. This is no small feat, especially since one of the hallmarks of this brand is that its sparkling water is not sugary, but rather flavored with natural essences.

From the moment I popped open the can, the refreshing aroma of lemon juice and zest made itself known. It was bright and eye-opening, with an intense fizz that matched this verve. The flavor of this drink is quite clean and crisp, with a subtlety that is well-balanced and nuanced. While there wasn't an overt sweetness, the idea of sugar was there, which may sound bizarre, but was quite impressive. I also appreciated the fact that the lemon wasn't too sour or biting, which can often occur with lemon drinks, especially ones that are made with artificial flavors. Overall, I'd say this one was a win, and I'd rank it in second place among the new offerings in this collection.

The Huckleberry Cobbler was the second variety I sampled from this collaboration. This drink is inspired by the flavors of the Pacific Northwest. A classic huckleberry pie or cobbler is known for its rich, buttery crust, notes of cinnamon, and the notable sweet and tart flavor profile of this fruit.

For a beverage to capture these notes is a tall order, and one that required 40 tries for the flavor artists at Waterloo to finally master. Though this was my least favorite beverage of the trio, it was delightful. Its aroma was quite jammy and rife with almost grape-like essence. Its effervescence was off the charts, lingering for hours after I opened the can. While this carbonation may have seemed excessive, it was a good balance with the tartness of this drink. It helped to mitigate some of that pucker and provide a buffer for the tongue to be able to absorb that tang.

The taste of this drink was berry-forward, yet mild. While it did hint at those sweet notes, these were less evident to my palate than they were in the Lemon Italian Ice beverage. I also felt as though the butteriness and spice could have been slightly more potent. That said, this was a refreshing drink that did hit the spot and I was impressed with the attention to detail that went into its carbonation level, which I think made the drink as good as it was.

The drink I was most anticipating trying from the Waterloo Sparkling Water and Guy Fieri's Flavortown collection was the Spiced Mango Sorbet flavor. I admit that I am a mango aficionado and I was likely biased from the get-go to love this one. That said, despite my expectations, this drink even surprised me.

The flavors of Mexico were the impetus behind this beverage. This "culinary wonder" is reminiscent of a unique dessert, known as the Mangonada, which generally contains mangoes, lime juice, chamoy sauce, and, occasionally, Tajin seasoning. This unique combination is simultaneously sweet and spicy, with a hint of brightness from the citrus and a dash of salt on the back end. It took the flavor artists at Waterloo 65 rounds of taste-testing to execute this one, and boy did they deliver.

The aroma of this drink was unctuous, like cutting into a fresh, ripe mango. Its carbonation level was a bit more mellow, which helped the fruit and seasonings blend more effectively and shine more brightly. Flavor-wise, this drink was almost juicy and pulpy. The notes of spice and salt peered through ever so delicately, with a sweetness that lingered on the tongue in a surprising way. Though I would have appreciated a more notable spicy-sweet chamoy punch, this drink knocked it out of the park for me, landing at the top of this trio in terms of taste and execution.

To say I enjoyed this new collaboration from Waterloo Sparkling Water and Guy Fieri's Flavortown would be an understatement. Again, I have previously enjoyed most of Waterloo's sparkling water creations and find them in a class of their own. Often when brands develop this type of mash-up I am left underwhelmed. This is not one of those cases.

These flavors are not only well thought out, they deliver on the experience that the drink has the consumer imagining. That's not something that is easy to capture. Food and drink can play a huge part in how we remember things, especially something like a favorite family vacation. These drinks speak to that sense of nostalgia, but with a twist. They offer the idea of the flavor and experience without it being heavy-handed.

I also wanted to specifically call out the attention to carbonation in these beverages, as this is a company that makes a point about how it develops this carefully and mindfully. The bubbles are as much a part of the flavor experience as the aroma and taste are. Since the carbonation is so important, you may want to pay extra attention to how you store these sparkling water varieties. Keeping them in the coldest part of the refrigerator can help to minimize carbonation loss, which will ensure you get the best experience every time you take a sip.