Bonnie: My thirst-quenching beverage of choice is sparkling water (aka seltzer or carbonated water made using my can’t-live-without Soda Club sparkling-water maker). Second, I’d choose that bubbly water with an added splash of juice — a drink that was the “soda” in our home as Bryan and Eric were growing up.
After that plain water, or now — recommended by the boys — Hint Premium Essence Water. I like that Hint has no sugar, no sweeteners (I can’t stand the aftertaste of artificial sweeteners!) and — since nothing’s been added — zero calories.
This water is available with just a hint of ten different flavors. And I like it even better after I 
add carbonation to it! I do that by chilling the flavored water in one of the reusable carbonating bottles from my seltzer-making machine.
Bryan: Imagine you’ve just finished off a bottle of juice, and then refilled the bottle with cold, crisp water. Take a sip. What do you taste? A hint of that juice flavor, just a bit of something to give your water a different sense of satisfaction. To me, water is the most satisfying beverage on its own, but I’m a water drinker (well, that and coffee and wine). It’s not that I’m avoiding calories or always hydrating, it’s just that water is refreshing to me, and almost everything else is far too sweet because of that.
That being said, even a water drinker likes some flavor once in a while. I’ve become a big fan of a squeeze of lemon, a bit of acidity to give the water a bite. Problem is, keeping lemons around is a bit tiresome; they rot, especially when you’re taking small slices constantly and wrapping them up. I swapped that laborious system for a small bottle of lemon juice on my fridge door; add to that the occasional bottle of lemonade, and I have all the “flavoring” I thought I needed for my water. But what about mangoes, he dreamed?
If you’re saying to yourself that all of that sounds quite odd, this particular product might not be for you; but if you’re the type of person who likes just a bit of subtle flavor added to your water, the type of person who dilutes iced tea or lemonade to make it better, then Hint water is right up your alley.
The idea behind Hint is rather simple: water, complimented with a small essence of natural flavor. Hint has no sugar and no sweeteners. So, where exactly does the flavor come from?
The word “flavored” has taken on such a bad connotation in our modern food culture. Unfortunately, the prevalence of artificial flavors means that the word “flavored” makes some of us cringe. We all have to remember, sometimes it just means flavor. Hint water is flavored with natural fruit, vegetable and herb extracts.
This water is quite different. Think of it more like an infused water, a calorie-free juice with the flavor of fruit but none of its sugar (and sadly, as no calories, no nutritional value either, but hey, let’s not get greedy with our water).
Company founder Kara Goldin notes her main motivation was her children. What can be forgotten when trying to give kids a healthy beverage is that too much juice is not good either. Though certainly a superior alternative to sodas or sugary mixes, natural juices also contain high amounts of natural sugars and calories. Kara developed Hint as an alternative to juice, with a hint of sweetness, but none of the sugar. Hint’s philosophy is summed up in their slogan: “Drink Water, Not Sugar.”
All of Hint’s flavors are natural, many even organically grown. The current selection of waters includes: Cucumber, Raspberry-Lime, Blackberry, Honeydew-Hibiscus, Mango-Grapefruit, Pomegranate-Tangerine, Watermelon, Lime, Strawberry-Kiwi and Pear. We drink Hint.
Eric: It’s great to finally see a flavored water in the beverage aisle that doesn’t contain absurd amounts of sugar, chemicals and sweeteners. Sure there might be one or two others out there, but none with the similar (subtle) taste of Hint water.
I’m an avid water drinker, but I also passionately drink sparkling water and juice, a combination that replaced soda during my childhood (thank you, nutritionist mother). For me, Hint water falls smack in the middle of those two options — a subtle-flavored, nonsparkling water that is as refreshing as it delicious.
The company creed, “Drink Water, Not Sugar,” is a mantra that I hope future generations will adopt, but for the time being, try a hint of flavor in an otherwise saturated world.
Hint water is available in the Bite of the Best shop
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Please be careful of “other natural flavors” in Hint water. My daughter tried the strawberry kiwi and after only a few sips broke out in a rash, felt her chest tighten and felt her tongue become “fuzzy”. I called Hint, Inc. and could not get any clear answers as to what “other natural flavors” consisted of. My daughter is not allergic to strawberries or kiwi.
We now squeeze fresh fruits into our fresh water and feel good about knowing that what we are drinking really and truly is natural.
I do not like this product at all. I thought plain water was bad until I got this. If you’re think that the water has the taste of the various fruits it’s named after, you would be wrong. For instance watermelon tastes like watermelon would taste if all the natural sugar were removed from it. To me it has a bitter taste. Won’t be buying anymore.