What’s the best lime seltzer? 15 top-selling brands ranked

The famous line from Macbeth, chanted by spell-casting witches, is often misremembered as “Bubble, bubble toil and trouble.” (Shakespeare actually wrote “double, double.” but the former is catchier.) Why misquote the Bard in a story about sparkling water? Well, because judging them, as it turns out, did involve some of that “toil and trouble.”

First off, there’s the category itself. People are increasingly looking for healthier alternatives to soda, and they’ll probably find products on grocery shelves labeled “sparkling water,” “seltzer” and “mineral water.” There are other variables, too, with some brands adding antioxidants, vitamins, and both natural and artificial sweeteners, while others offer more minimal recipes. (We went with a big-tent approach, detailed below.)

Picking our favorites also presented challenges. People’s ideal levels of fizz and strength of flavor varied. And overall, the scores were lower than they have been in some previous taste tests we have conducted for other products. Nailing a natural lime taste — our chosen flavor, given its relative ubiquity across the category — is apparently tough business.

But we found enough consensus in our epic fizz-a-thon to name a winner — and to help shoppers decide which brands might line up with their own preferences. Here are the waters that bubbled to the top, and those that simply fell flat:

The lineup: To determine the top-selling brands, we used data from Chicago-based market research firm Circana, which gets its numbers from grocery, drug, mass-market, convenience, military and select club and dollar retailers. Circana categorizes sparkling water brands in both flavored and non-flavored products, and we combined the two lists. To keep the comparisons as close as possible, we determined that lime or lemon-lime were flavors the brands had in common, and so we purchased those. Several brands contained sweeteners, and while we considered disqualifying them, we ultimately included those as well to test how they compared to their fellow popular options.

All but one brand, Sparkling Ice, offered its drinks in cans, which we opted for. For “private label” or store brands, we selected a handful from leading national chains, giving us a total of 15 brands.

Note: While trying to source one popular brand, Topo Chico, we encountered the nationwide shortage of the brand’s mineral water that has frustrated fans. (Parent company Coca-Cola says it will be back on shelves later this year.) We substituted the company’s canned sparkling water, even though it contains mint extract in addition to lime, making it a slight outlier in our field.

The judging: We conducted a blind taste test in which eight of our colleagues tasted all 15 samples without knowing which brands were included. We poured the samples just before the judging. Tasters scored each sample on a 1-10 scale, considering carbonation and overall taste.

15. Bettergoods Sparkling Water Lime (Walmart)

Score: 21

This entrant, from Walmart’s upscale grocery line, has a lot in common with pancakes or the Earth’s shape, in the minds of conspiracy theorists — namely, it’s flat. “A dud,” proclaimed one unimpressed taster. “I see fizz but I taste flat water.” “I see bubbles in the glass but it does not taste fizzy at all,” another concurred. “Flat, bland, not appealing.” The “chemically” flavor didn’t make up for it, either. One likened it to “what comes out of the green plastic limes at the supermarket checkout.”

(Price: $5.50/eight 12-ounce cans at Walmart)

14. Bubbl’r Antioxidant Sparkling Water Lemon Lime Twist’r

Score: 26

The cloying sweetness of this sample doomed it to the bottom of the heap. It contains two zero-calorie sweeteners: erythritol, a sugar alcohol, and stevia leaf extract, and our tasters didn’t appreciate the more-is-more approach. “I’ve tasted lemonades in the South that weren’t as sweet as this,” said one. “How does it qualify as seltzer?”

Other unfavorable comparisons included “melted Italian ice” and “antibiotic medicine.”

(Price: $6.49/six 12-ounce cans at Walmart)

12. (tie) Maison Perrier Sparkling Water Forever Lime

Score: 27

Another case of too-too-much-ness, but this time, the overly aggressive factor was the citrus flavor. “Tastes like someone zested too much lime in my cup.” “Bitter,” complained another, “like the pith of a lemon.” “Tastes how a lemon candle smells.”

(Price: $9.39/eight 11.15-ounce cans at Walmart)

12. (tie) PurAqua Belle Vie Sparkling Water Lime (Aldi)

Score: 27

Two judges mentioned picking up on notes of dirt in this sample, which is an odd thing to taste in a light seltzer — as opposed to, say, a red wine, where a soupçon of earthiness wouldn’t necessarily be off-putting. “Like lemon-lime rolled around in the dirt and made my water taste like garden,” said one. Several thought it had chemical qualities, and it brought cleaning products to one taster’s mind: “Like you could use it to mop your floor.”

(Price: $4.85/twelve 12-ounce cans at Aldi)

11. Waterloo Sparkling Water Lemon-Lime

Score: 28

Several tasters thought this one leaned more “fruity” than citrus. “Bubblegum meets seltzer,” as one dubbed it. Another sussed out a “weird fake-vanilla note.” And a couple of critics noted that the unwelcome flavor seemed to linger like a rude guest at a party. “It’s coating my tongue,” complained one. But a couple enjoyed the company. “A touch of sweetness, which I enjoy,” said one.

(Price: $4.99/eight 12-ounce cans at Target)

10. Sparkling Ice Lemon Lime

Score: 33

This sucralose-sweetened, vitamin-spiked drink is America’s top-selling sparkler. But our panel, even tasters who liked it, agreed that it didn’t taste like a seltzer. A fizzy lemonade, one wondered? A lemon-lime soda such as Sprite or 7-Up, several others thought. And whatever category it belonged in, many thought it was simply too sweet either way. “Too much of the lemonade packet,” complained one.

(Price: $1.25/17-ounce bottle at Jewel-Osco)

9. Bubly Sparkling Water Lime

Score: 34

The sparkler from this PepsiCo-owned brand just didn’t sparkle. This entrant didn’t offend anyone particularly, but the consensus was that it lacked oomph. “Boring, blank, tastes like regular water,” was one sample comment. “Doesn’t seem to have any distinguishing characteristics,” concurred another. One taster suggested that there just wasn’t any there there: “Not a lot of flavor and not a lot of fizz.”

(Price: $4.29/eight 12-ounce cans at Meijer)

6. (tie) Trader Joe’s Sparkling Water Lime

Score: 39

Another not-so-flashy water, with lower carbonation seeming to be its primary characteristic. One deemed it “a softer seltzer (not my favorite)” while others thought it was a touch flat. A couple of tasters, though, didn’t mind the lack of boldness. “Light lime flavor. Clean and crisp,” said one. Another suggested it might function as an unflavored seltzer: “a decent ‘plain.’”

(Price: $3.79/eight 12-ounce cans at Trader Joe’s)

6. (tie) La Croix Sparkling Water Lime

Score: 39

I had suspected that this brand, which has a cultlike following, might win over the panel, but instead it fell in the middle of the pack. A couple people liked the “decent” level of fizz, but the wan flavor didn’t impress. “Ultimately flavorless,” according to one. This was another sample that didn’t make anyone mad. “I wouldn’t spit it out if it was served at a dinner party,” was the tepid sorta-praise from one. “Middle of the road,” thought another.

(Price: $4.39/eight 12-ounce cans at Target)

6. (tie) Good & Gather Sparkling Water Lime (Target)

Score: 39

This entrant proved divisive, with a number of tasters giving it relatively high marks, praising the “good fizz level” — “good carbonation, you can feel it on the palate” — and “natural” flavors. “A basic ‘drinking at the park’ seltzer,” as one called it. But its scores were brought down by a couple of panelists, who dinged it for its lime notes, which they deemed “medicinal,” tinny” and “artificial.”

(Price: $4.59/eight 12-ounce cans at Target)

5. Polar Premium Seltzer Lime

Score: 40

This grocery staple drew another mixed bag of opinions. A couple of tasters found it to be particularly packed with fizz, with one noticing that the spheres seemed to have a finer texture than others, offering appealing “tiny crisp bubbles.” But another found it too “packed” with effervescence. Some people liked that it merely “hinted” at citrus flavor, but two tasters complained of a bitter aftertaste.

(Price: $5.69/eight 12-ounce cans at Target)

4. Topo Chico Sabores Flavored Sparkling Water Lime with Mint Extract

Score: 41

We knew this one would be a slight outlier, with its touch of mint (and like a few others, it contained a smidge of actual juice in addition to the citrus flavoring), but we still included it, knowing the brand has its fierce devotees who might wonder how their favorite would stack up against the competition. The herbal addition was welcomed by several tasters, most of whom didn’t specifically identify its provenance, but rather noticed a “unique” note or something that brought to mind lemon zinger tea or a tropical drink. Several called it “pleasant,” but a couple thought the addition of juice made it a bit sour.

(Price: $7.99/eight 12-ounce cans at Target)

3. 365 Sparkling Water Lime (Whole Foods)

Score: 43

Tasters thought this store brand could serve as a reliable go-to, with just enough bubble and taste. “Simple. Crisp, but enough spark to be fun,” according to one fan. “Dependable,” said another. Tasters were split on the lime, and the sample got comments that included “doesn’t taste artificial” and “more artificial than the others.” But enough people liked it well enough to push it into the top tier: “Wouldn’t raise any red flags if I was served this.”

(Price: $5.29/twelve 12-ounce cans at Whole Foods)

2. Spindrift Sparkling Water Lime

Score: 46

This was another entrant that contained a touch of lime juice, and most of our panel concurred that it lent a fresh, natural juiciness to this quaff. “Not sweet, just tastes like it should,” said one. “I taste the real juice,” appreciated another. “Could be nice on a summer day,” said another fan. As with other samples where the juice was a dividing line, a couple thought it went too far: “the seltzer equivalent of pickle brine.” But more of them appreciated the “nice, puckery” addition.

(Price: $5.98/eight 12-ounce cans at Walmart)

1. Sanpellegrino Ciao! Lime

Score: 51

This brand is best known for its mineral water that comes in those recognizable tall, green bottles. But fizz lovers shouldn’t sleep on its newer lime sparkling water, yet another in our lineup that incorporates a bit of juice. (A couple tasters suspected this was Spindrift.) No one identified the “pinch of Sicilian salt” the company touts, but the addition might have provided a subtle boost that our tasters liked. People appreciated the natural, “fresh-squeezed” flavor that seemed to get the tart-but-not-too-acidic balance just right. “The sourness isn’t for everyone but I liked it,” said one. “Moves closer to kombucha,” noted another who also awarded it high marks.

Overall, it impressed most tasters. Said one: “I love the juiciness; it tastes natural and the bubbles are subtle but nice.”

(Price: $6.39/six 11.15-ounce cans at Target)

• Daily Herald staff contributed local availability and prices.