Cirkul Water - Fruit Punch flavor
I'm trying to drink more water.
I was in Peak Suburban Mom mode one day as I headed to Bed Bath & Beyond with, of course, a coupon in hand. And there before me, as I wandered the aisles in search of a new broom and some towels, was Cirkul: a device that promises “flavored water with a twist.” The Cirkul system consists of a reusable bottle and cap, and various cartridges (each lasts for up to 6 bottles’ worth of water) that add flavor to the water. There are more than 40 flavors to choose from, and some offer benefits like vitamins, electrolytes, or a caffeine boost (I don’t need that last one). My coupon would basically cover the cost of the Cirkul, so I bought it.
Here, I must pause to note some similarities between the Cirkul flavor names and flavor “collections” available (LifeSip, FitSip, GoSip, PureSip, TeaSip, and BrewSip) and some fictional products in a novel I read, Something New Under the Sun by Alexandra Kleeman. In this book, set in a dystopian near future, most of the residents of California no longer drink water (no longer a viable option for most people), but a water-like substance called WAT-R. It’s artificially created and resembles water in many ways but is not quite the real thing. WAT-R comes in varieties like WAT-R Ready2Go, Fruit Snack Quenchers, Basic, Energy Surge, Diamante, and HyggeBurst. Without giving away too much, there are problems with WAT-R. All is not as it seems.
Fortunately, I have access to clean drinking water, for which I’m grateful. It should be enough. And yet, I crave a little something extra (clearly, I’m not alone; hence the proliferation of flavored waters and seltzers and the like). But back to Cirkul and the vitamin-enriched Fruit Punch flavor cartridge. One of the features of the Cirkul bottle is that you can choose how intensely you want your water flavored simply by turning a dial from 1 to 9. With the dial on 1, my water takes on just a slight fruity essence, similar to drinking Hint Water. I like it a lot. I dial it up to 9. There’s a noticeable difference; this thing really does work as advertised. I don’t enjoy the intense flavor at level 9. It tastes rather artificial (the flavor cartridges have no sugar, but some of them, including this one, do contain artificial sweeteners. I’m definitely going to try some of the PureSip flavors, which contain no added sweeteners). I dial it back to 1. Delicious. There’s just a hint of fruity essence, indeed reminiscent of fruit punch (like the kind you’d drink out of a box or a pouch as a kid). It’s enough to make me actually want to drink this now-flavorful beverage.
Do I find myself drinking more water using Cirkul? I do. I chug three bottles’ worth of water out of the 22-ounce sized bottle in just one afternoon/evening. This is pretty miraculous for me. I’m a little ashamed that I need “flavor cartridges” to get me to drink more water. Then again, a spoonful of sugar (or in this case, sugar-free fruit punch flavor) makes the medicine (or in this case, water) go down easier.