15 Waterloo Sparkling Water Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

If you, like me, frequent the sparkling water aisle at your grocery store, you have most likely seen Waterloo Sparking Waters. Founded in 2017, it is a relative newcomer to the unsweetened carbonated water scene (Perrier has been bubblin' since 1863; La Croix has been around since the Reagan administration). But it is already well-loved among the sparkling water community.

The first time I cracked open a Waterloo, the flavor I tried was a Raspberry Nectarine. I had never seen nectarine as a water flavoring, and was excited to try it. It engulfed my palate in sweet (yet not too sweet) stone fruit goodness. I then decided to embark on a journey of trying every Waterloo flavor I could get my hands on. I wanted to see how they stacked up against each other. Did Raspberry Nectarine rule the company, or did another flavor beat it out? Let's find out.

I love cherry, and limeade is great, but this Waterloo's Cherry Limeade flavor just didn't offer enough of either note — especially the cherry — to satisfy me. Presumably, you would pick up a carton of this looking for a balanced mix, where the cherry offers a slightly floral, darker, stone-fruity base and the lime a bright acidity. In this case, if your taste buds are like mine, you'd find lime the dominant note, and the charms of the cherry so muted that you can't really tell if it's cherry or another fruit. If I didn't know the name of the flavor, I might not be able to tell what fruit is in here.

That said, this didn't taste bad at all. It was, perhaps, just lighter-flavored than it needed to be. On its own it underwhelmed, but some real lime juice and berries could be the reinforcements it needs to make a lovely drink.

Lemon Italian Ice, a Waterloo collab with Guy Fieri, the Mayor of Flavortown, is one of the brand's new permanent flavors. Released originally in 2025 as a limited-time offering, I was curious how this flavor – inspired by the sweet and sour frozen treat – would perform.

This one is definitely going to have to go into mocktails for me, but only mocktails. The "sour" is there, for sure; it's not lip-puckering, but it feels imbalanced without something on the other end. I do like the zest — it's kind of nose-tickley — but, overall, I find it inspires comparison to a Sprite with its mojo taken out. The longer I sipped, though, the more complex it became, and I can see how it would shine with some sweet, tropical ingredients thrown into the mix. In the end, I decided I wouldn't buy a case of Lemon Italian Ice, but I'd take it over Cherry Limeade — it's just more interesting.

I was a little tentative about Waterloo's Summer Berry flavor because raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries can be quite tart, and tart flavors don't always hold up well in unsweetened sparkling waters in my experience. However, I think the brand did the best it could making a drinkable, flavor-forward water with these berries. It tastes exactly like what it's supposed to, and there's enough concentrated flavor there to keep it drinkable and fun. When all is said and done, though, it's just not my cup of tea (or water). It's too tart for my taste buds.

Even though I didn't love it, the reason it's not in last place is actually the can's design. There's a distinctly festive blue border with white stars ranged along it. I'm a sucker for packaging, and this one, which smacked of a Fourth of July party, added some fun to this drink's experience, landing it in 13th place.

Lemon-Lime is such a ubiquitous sparkling water variety that I was eager to see how Waterloo would handle its version — pretty well, as it turned out. Although all the brand's cans contain just carbonated purified water and natural flavors, Lemon-Lime somehow reads as especially refreshing and the perfect drink for a hot summer day. It's not too heavy on the lemon, which is great, as I was a little worried it would be too sour. There's a zest to the lime, too, an exciting effect that keeps the flavor from tasting like a faded Sprite.

But despite how well the brand executed this flavor, it's basic. I'd only purchase this to use for mixed drinks. There are just so many other interesting flavors from the brand that I would buy before this one, bumping it down in the rankings. If you're specifically a fan of unsweetened Lemon-Lime water, however, do give it a go.

I anticipated Waterloo's Guava Berry flavor to be tropical and underscored by a light dose of berry tartness. In reality, the drink is heavier on the bright strawberry and raspberry notes than the guava. This is not a bad beverage, but it is just not quite deeply flavored enough for me. The tartness overpowered the other flavors in here.

Like many other flavors I tried in this ranking, this Waterloo flavor would be great in a mocktail, where its lightness and tartness could be balanced by a sweet, citrusy element like marmalade, along with real pink guava, which tastes like a pear crossed with a strawberry. And, as a bonus, pink guava is a fruit surprisingly high in protein. Who knew? Guava berry is also an interesting flavor you do not see very often in the sparkling water world, raising its place up a bit in the ranking.

The Grape Waterloo was a pleasant surprise. I typically don't love grape-flavored beverages or treats, and yet I truly enjoyed this water, which was why it broke the top 10. It's a simple flavor, with no other fruits in it to add complexity, which is why it didn't rank any higher. The amount of grape flavor is perfect; my mouth didn't feel like it was waiting for a flavor that would never come, as it did with the Guava Berry.

If I may be so bold, it almost tastes like a traditional grape soda before the sugar is added and gave me major childhood nostalgia for the days when I ran around with a purple tongue and a wild-haired Barbie doll. There's no sour aftertaste, either, which could be a danger with a flavor like this. Grape finds itself in the No. 10 position solely because other flavors outshone it. But if you love grape-flavored anything, give this one a go.

Strawberry Waterloo is, for me, in the same league as the Grape variety. It's a traditional, fruity, reliable flavor that should please anyone with even the slightest penchant for its delicate, yet bright, notes. Strawberry has the advantage of being a tad more appealing to me as a flavor; thus, it sits here a notch ahead of Grape.

The strawberry notes are spot-on, and with the sweetness levels of the real fruit itself being so varied, my taste buds didn't detect anything missing with this flavor. It would be easy for Strawberry Waterloo to pull too sour in the aftertaste, but it avoids this fate, leaving only a subtle, juicy brightness. Ultimately, it's nothing but pleasant, but there are other flavors that are more beguiling that I would overlook this one in the grocery store unless I had a particular drink recipe in mind that required it.

I was stoked about trying Melon Medley, another flavor Waterloo released in early 2026. I'm a big fan of cantaloupe and honeydew, and the can depicts a wedge of both of these. There's also watermelon flavor in here, which makes everything taste juicy and summery. There isn't cantaloupe's cousin, the Galia melon, but it wasn't needed. This combination of flavors worked very well.

It seems to me that most beverages that include watermelon do so to excess — but not this one. Cantaloupe is its dominant note, making it pleasant and distinct. For its first few seconds on my tongue, I thought it tasted too naked without sweeteners, but then the honeydew kicked in, and the sweetness was found. I appreciated the dedication to the medley concept and how all three fruit flavors in here had their moments to shine. The only reason it didn't break the top five was because I found it too subtle. I wished, with all these fun flavors, it popped more.

Before this comparative taste test, I'd had Ruby Red Tangerine Waterloo before and deemed it phenomenal. But when compared to so many other Waterloo flavors, this tart and sweet(ish) fusion found itself right in the middle of my ranking. First off, the flavor is definitely as advertised: The ruby red and tangerine both come out on the palate and offer their charms in equal measure. If the idea of all that citrus minus sweetener makes you worry about it leaning sour, worry not. The flavor manages to balance itself nicely. Waterloo's ability to pull off that citrusy "zing" really shines through in this can.

However, this particular blend of fruits needs a sweet element to make it feel complete, which was why it came in seventh place. I can see it working really well in a cocktail, though — you could make a refreshing spritz with a sweet hibiscus infusion and Ruby Red Tangerine Waterloo. Still, if someone offers me a can of this, I'm going for it, and if it were the only flavor left in the grocery store, I'd snag it.

In my humble opinion, if there is a perfect fruit in this world (and I'm not counting avocados here, which are, indeed, a flawless species), it's peaches. Nothing is better than a good peach. But part of a peach's appeal is its eye roll-worthy sweetness. I wondered how an unsweetened water could even begin to approximate the charms of this almighty stone fruit. To my delight, Waterloo's Peach flavor managed to do so, even with my high standards.

In my notes, I noted this was a giggle of a drink. Upon reflection, I think that's the perfect way to describe the Peach flavor. It's light and refreshing and generously steeped in peach flavoring. If I had to choose a Waterloo to chug after bringing in groceries in 100-degree weather, it would be this one. The only reason it's in sixth place is because the remaining five flavors wowed me a bit more.

While the thought of actual blackberry lemonade is enticing, neither the prospect of blackberries nor lemonade in an unsweet sparkling water sounded promising to me. I expected this Waterloo flavor to sit somewhere near Summer Berry in the ranking, with notes regarding "too sour" and "needs a sweet element" backing up its placement. I cracked open the can, poured some into my cup, and took a whiff — and that's where things got really interesting. The drink had an aroma I can only describe as exciting — a little tart, yes, but not at all the instant no-thank-you I was prepared for.

If you could bottle and sell the flavor of "zooming across a Slip 'N Slide on your stomach as a little kid," Blackberry Lemonade would be it. Put simply, it tastes like nostalgia. I think it's the lemonade component that drives that feeling home. The blackberry is subtle, but thankfully it's there, and it adds a much-needed sweetness to the drink. I loved it, hence it breaking my top five, but the higher-ranked flavors wowed me more and were more potent.

Tropical Fruit Waterloo comes from the same nostalgic flavor fountain as Blackberry Lemonade: It smells like Tahitian Treat, an intensely sweet fruit punch I occasionally drank as a child. One would be unwise to expect the deluge of sweetness that vintage beverage provided, but the full, rich aroma of this Waterloo certainly made promises.

Upon sipping Tropical Fruit, I said aloud, "Oh holy Nike, this is filled with flavor." I had no idea such a tongue-enveloping taste was possible in a zero-calorie, unsweetened water. No, it's not Tahitian Treat, but, seriously, I'd prefer this anyway.

This is another one of those that could go so wrong without a sweet element, but it manages to come off perfectly. I can see even a little kid liking this (don't hold me to that). The only quibble I have is that there's a mango on the can, but I really only tasted the zippy pineapple and blood orange. If I could taste more mango, it'd be a couple of spots higher in the ranking. Still, this begs for a mashup with a blood orange crush cocktail recipe.

Black Cherry was one of the last flavors I tested, and after remembering how little cherry I picked up on my palate with Cherry Limeade (the last-place contender, lest you've forgotten), I suspected this can might disappoint. I don't know what it is about cherry beverages, but, with the exception of Cherry Diet Coke, I'm usually left thinking, "More cherry, please." The same thing happened when I tasted and ranked Olipop flavors and found the Cherry Cola lacking.

Not this time. What I was left thinking was, "More sips, please." If you feel like me about cherry bevs, this stands a high chance of being an unsweetened sparkling water you'll love. The black cherry flavor is full-on, and it's one of those Waterloo sparkling waters that tricks your taste buds into thinking there must be a little sugar in there. It was comparable in enjoyment to Tropical Fruit and Blackberry Lemonade, but it bested them for being a bold voice in the generally timid cherry-soda crowd. The top two flavors beat it out by a small margin because of their fruit combination uniqueness.

Banana Berry Bliss is the third February 2026 release from Waterloo and the best of the trio. This one reminded me, in the best way possible, of Tropicana Twister (back when it came in little glass bottles and was juice – not soda). Think "intense." When I opened the can, the banana aroma was immediately there in the room with me. When I poured it into the cup, I knew this water would be special.

On my palate, Banana Berry Bliss lived up to its name — it was blissfully yummy. Banana was the most prominent note, but strawberry did come out the longer I sipped. There's also an image of an orange on the label, a flavor I didn't quite pick up until I closed my eyes and got super-mindful; it's there — it's just quietly humming, while the banana and strawberry are belting out opera. Even better, the more I drank it, the more it almost gave fruity "bubblegum" on the aftertaste, and that's the mixologist's kiss right there. It just missed the mark by a hair in the uniqueness department, and the top flavor was truly something I'd never tried before and that you can only find from Waterloo.

Here it is: The reigning champion of all Waterloo flavors. Despite the commendable efforts of its compatriots, Raspberry Nectarine could not be bested. Every general compliment I awarded the other flavors can be extended to this gem of a water, with one exception: It doesn't remind me of anything I drank in my childhood. While nostalgia was a positive factor throughout this ranking, and many of the drinks reminded me of days past, I found Raspberry Nectarine unique, which was impressive. I've tried a lot of sparkling water flavors in my day, and it takes a lot to wow me with a flavor I've never tasted before. This one does just that.

It's a sophisticated, yet approachable, flavor. With berry and stone fruit notes in perfect harmony, this Raspberry Nectarine tastes like laying in a field of green grass, blinking up at a cornflower blue sky — it's saturated, semi-sweet, pastoral. If my poetry isn't doing the job, maybe this will: My housemate, who vocally detests unsweetened flavored sparkling waters, tried this and said, "Wow. This is really good." Told you. So, whether guzzled as-is or in a fruity martini with citrus bitters, you can't go wrong with the contents of this can.

I sampled each Waterloo flavor straight from the fridge so that it was as cold as possible, and I poured it into a wide cup to get the best tasting experience — aroma included. Each contender was ranked on how well it represented its flavor (for instance, does "Strawberry" really taste like strawberry?), since consumers presumably buy specific flavors hoping for that taste.

With Waterloo being unsweetened, it was also important that each flavor taste pleasant and balanced without a sweet element. The flavors that felt lacking or imbalanced ranked lower.