Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2009 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Vitamin Water Goes Lo-Calhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/11/vitamin-water-goes-lo-cal/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/11/vitamin-water-goes-lo-cal/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/11/vitamin-water-goes-lo-cal/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

vitamin watersVitamin Water has been in the news lately with some contretempts over the caloric content of their brightly colored, somewhat nutritious beverages. So it's fortuitous timing that they're coming out with 10-calorie versions of several flavors. Up for the dietetic treatment are Energy (tropical citrus/yellow), XXX (acai-blueberry-pomegranate/magenta), Multi-V (lemonade/white) and Essential (orange/orange).

Can you tell the difference between the 25-calorie bottle and the 125-calorie bottle? Well, the Essential lo-cal version is, weirdly, sweeter than the original, while the Multi-V is about the same. Along with the lighter revisions. Vitamin Water has also come out with two new standard-calorie flavors: Tranquilo (tamarind-pineapple/chartreuse) and Sync (berry-cherry/lavender).
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]]>dietflavored waterFlavoredWaterglaceaulow-calorieorangesynctranquilovitaminwaterLissa Townsend Rodgers2009-03-11T12:55:00+00:00Lemon water - cut your drink budget without cutting flavorhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/11/06/lemon-water-cut-your-drink-budget-without-cutting-flavor/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/11/06/lemon-water-cut-your-drink-budget-without-cutting-flavor/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/11/06/lemon-water-cut-your-drink-budget-without-cutting-flavor/#commentsFiled under:

lemon waterI've already covered the cheap and environmentally-friendly way to indulge in your sparkling water and soda whims with a home carbonater. But what about bubble-free beverages?

Lemon-scented H20 may have ticked off some restaurant goers out there, like Slashfood's Annoying Restaurant Trends revealed, but it's still a great way to get flavor in your beverages without spending a lot of money and downing a lot of artificial flavoring and sugar.

Just fill a carafe with water, and add one slice of lemon. Almost immediately, you'll be able to taste the lemony scent to your water. The neat thing is that you can keep filling it up and having more, so one little slice of lemon can fuel many glasses. The most I've left one in my carafe is 4 days. After a day or two, the water tastes almost like lemonade -- just a sweet-flavored, lemony water, without the tart bite and sugar needed to tame it.

In a world where we need to cut back and watch our spending, something like this can save our cash for other foodie areas. Why spend $1-$5 a pop for a bottle or two to drink when you can save that cash and get that great cut of meat, fish, or other tasty ingredients?
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]]>cheap drinksCheapDrinkslemonlemon waterLemonWaterwaterMonika Bartyzel2008-11-06T11:05:00+00:00Evian by Jean Paul Gaultierhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/10/23/evian-by-jean-paul-gaultier/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/10/23/evian-by-jean-paul-gaultier/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/10/23/evian-by-jean-paul-gaultier/#commentsFiled under:


Bottled water just got even snobbier.

Enfant terrible (bad boy) of French fashion Jean Paul Gaultier has designed his own glass Evian bottles, due to be released in 2009. Secretly? I love this. They have pretty snowflakes. Other reasons:
  1. I can't afford very many Jean Paul Gaultier things, and here we have a solution for when I need to feel fancy and also need to pay rent.
  2. They are a great host's gift for when you're going to a dinner party at the home of non-drinkers.
  3. Glass bottles, so, you know, your insides don't get Saran Wrap'd.
A case of Christian Lacroix (current featured designer) Evian bottles is $118 on the website, so I expect the Gaultier bottles will be around the same price.

Seven special Evian Haute Couture Bottles will also be made, and auctioned off to benefit the Evian Water Protection Institute. Click here for more information.
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]]>bottled waterchristian lacroixeviangaultierglass bottlesjean paul gaultierJeanPaulGaultierlacroixplastic bottleswaterAnnie Scott2008-10-23T18:59:00+00:00Natural Hydration Council formed to fight back in the bottled water warshttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/09/04/natural-hydration-council-formed-to-fight-back-in-the-bottled-wa/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/09/04/natural-hydration-council-formed-to-fight-back-in-the-bottled-wa/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/09/04/natural-hydration-council-formed-to-fight-back-in-the-bottled-wa/#commentsFiled under: ,

A collection of water bottles, viewed from halfway up, all with blue caps.
There has lately been a lot of negative pressure on bottled water producers. A lot of attention is being focused on the environmental impact of the bottles and transportation, as well as the possibility of wasting a natural resource. Environmental groups and government officials alike have been working to get consumers to drink tap water from reusable containers.

The three biggest bottled water producers in England have gotten together to form the Natural Hydration Council to fight back. One goal the Council has set for itself is "to undertake new research and communicate the facts to ensure fully informed consumer choices."

According to the article, the European bottled water market has actually grown over the last few years and is expected to stay healthy, so the Natural Hydration Council seems to be more of a preemptive strike and more of a response to what's happening in the US. What do you think of the new bottled water council?
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]]>bottled waterBottledWaterEnglandenvironmentNatural Hydration CouncilNaturalHydrationCouncilShayna Glick2008-09-04T19:31:00+00:00Fresh breath drinks from a Japanese cigarette companyhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/19/fresh-breath-drinks-from-a-japanese-cigarette-company/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/19/fresh-breath-drinks-from-a-japanese-cigarette-company/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/19/fresh-breath-drinks-from-a-japanese-cigarette-company/#commentsFiled under: ,

Advertising image of four bottles of a breath freshening water.
I think it's so strange that a tobacco company is making a supposedly breath freshening bottled water. That's what a Japanese firm is doing, though.

According to Trends in Japan, Japan Tobacco has come up with this product, which is geared for men (it actually has "for men" printed on the labeling). I guess all the cigarette smoking is causing a nation-wide masculine bad breath crisis. Hmm, I guess Japan Tobacco wants to be the solution as well as the problem.

I guess this situation is not so strange after all. Do know of any other companies with problem/solution products?
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]]>bottled waterBottledWaterfresh breathFreshBreathJapanJapan tobaccoJapanTobaccotobaccoTrends in JapanTrendsInJapanShayna Glick2008-08-19T18:33:00+00:00Is flavored water healthy?http://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/16/why-so-many-flavored-waters/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/16/why-so-many-flavored-waters/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/16/why-so-many-flavored-waters/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Vitamin waterWow, the confusion when buying water! These days, when you enter a grocery store and look on the shelf, you can view about 10 different flavored waters, each promising to be the perfect antidote to a specific ailment. There's Vitaminwater, Propel Fitness Water, Function Drinks, Sobe Life Water, Snapple Antioxident water, 24c Vitamin enhanced water, and much more.

Yesterday, I read an article from New York magazine about the entrepreneurs that started Function Drinks. And, for a brief moment, I thought that perhaps all these drinks were not bogus. Dr. Alex Hughes, one of the founders of Function Drinks, uses different dietary supplements to concoct beverages that help with a hangover, reduce stress, fight colds, improve memory, and even sustain sexual health. But, at the same time Hughes admits, "At the end of the day, we are not a pharmaceutical company. We're not trying to live up to those standards."

What's with the trend? Personally, when it comes to drinking water, I stick to non-flavored H2O that's not loaded with sugar.
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]]>flavored waterFlavoredWaterfunction drinksFunctionDrinksvitaminwaterwaterMax Shrem2008-08-16T09:02:00+00:00Orange County produces the world's most recycled waterhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/13/orange-county-produces-the-worlds-most-recycled-water/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/13/orange-county-produces-the-worlds-most-recycled-water/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/08/13/orange-county-produces-the-worlds-most-recycled-water/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Runoff from a train yardWhy are we so disgusted by the simple fact that all the drinking water on earth is recycled wastewater? Unfortunately, the natural recycling process, involving evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, does not deliver enough drinking water to the drier parts of the world. This Sunday, the New York Times Magazine had an article about Orange County's new facility where it's purifying 70 million gallons of recycled water a day.

Many people are skeptical and revolted by the idea that their drinking water is simply purified toilet water. But, if we were to analyze the general water infrastructure in the U.S., we'd realize that sewage enters all our waterways. The majority of us drink tap water that is disinfected at drinking-water plants far less sophisticated than the ones built in Orange County.

The water coming out of the Fountain Valley plant in Orange County is cleaner than many bottled waters, such as Poland Spring. However, to appease peoples' concerns about the water being unnatural and dirty, Fountain Valley puts the water back into nature (ponds, streams, lakes, etc.). Ironically, the water's purity dwindles when it goes back into the wild where it's exposed to bacteria, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural and industrial chemicals.

Should Fountain Valley care if people view their water recycling process as natural?
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]]>drinking waterDrinkingWaterwaterMax Shrem2008-08-13T12:04:00+00:00Bottled water proving too expensive a habit to keep in economic tough timeshttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/06/20/bottled-water-proving-to-expensive-a-habit-to-keep-in-economic-t/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/06/20/bottled-water-proving-to-expensive-a-habit-to-keep-in-economic-t/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/06/20/bottled-water-proving-to-expensive-a-habit-to-keep-in-economic-t/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Up close, kind of blurry image of two bottles of water.
There is a book that came out recently about our obsession with bottled water called Botllemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It. In it, the author talks about our reliance on bottled water and how tap water is generally as pure or more pure than bottled water.

Americans are getting away from bottled water, but it isn't because of this new book. Apparently bottled water is just too expensive, and in an economic downturn it's one of those luxury items that gets cut. This report from CNN.com interviews several people who have switched to tap water as well as a few calculations of how much you can save by cutting out bottled water.

The report also briefly mentions the environmental aspect of this trend. Refusing to buy bottled water helps cut down on the plastic bottles, which we've been told for years is what we need to do. Are you cutting back or cutting out bottled water for economic reasons?
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]]>bottled waterBottledWaterCNNtap waterTapWaterwaterShayna Glick2008-06-20T17:05:00+00:00It's so much better to make your own carbonated drinkshttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/06/04/its-so-much-better-to-make-your-own-carbonated-drinks/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/06/04/its-so-much-better-to-make-your-own-carbonated-drinks/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/06/04/its-so-much-better-to-make-your-own-carbonated-drinks/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

soda jetThese days, there's all sorts of talk about the environment, about eating fresh and local. However, there's not a lot of talk about what we drink. Cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles -- we go through these at a huge rate. But we don't need to -- at least, not totally. We might not be able to quickly whip up our own beer or wine at home, but we can make all of those tasty carbonated beverages.

As soon as I heard about the Soda Club over at The Kitchn in February, I wanted one. Sparkling water at my finger tips? Without having to pay a buck a bottle? It seemed to good to be true. Then, a good friend of mine got me one for my birthday last month. I don't know how I ever went without it, and I really don't know why everyone isn't doing this.

It requires no electricity -- just a CO2 carbonator. You attach a bottle of water, push the magic button a few times, and there's some fizzy seltzer. You can also put in flavoring for flavored water, or a number of other syrups to make your own soda/pop. I've tried the root beer and lemon lime varieties so far, and I was completely happy with them. There's no walking to the store. I just walk over to my kitchen, pop on a bottle of cold water, and seconds later, I have the perfectly fizzed drink.

Continue reading It's so much better to make your own carbonated drinks

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]]>carbonated waterCarbonatedWaterenvironmental tipsEnvironmentalTipsmake your own sodaMakeYourOwnSodasodaMonika Bartyzel2008-06-04T00:00:00+00:00Why do we like ice?http://www.slashfood.com/2008/04/04/why-do-we-like-ice/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/04/04/why-do-we-like-ice/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/04/04/why-do-we-like-ice/#commentsFiled under: ,

ice waterI'm always cold. My mom worries that this is do to some circulatory problem. I think this it is due to me being a woman.

I have often wondered why ice comes in every drink I order. In the winter I've typically just come in from the outdoors and I'm freezing. The last thing I want is ice. In the summer, air conditioning is often so strong that I'm freezing indoors and again I don't want ice.

I'll tell you when I want ice - when it's hot! I like ice when I'm working or playing outside and sweating.

Mark Twain was quoted as saying, "The only distinguishing characteristic of the American character I've been able to discover is a fondness for ice water."

Do you like ice? Why do you think Americans like their ice so much?

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]]>iceice cubeIceCubewaterStefani Pollack2008-04-04T18:00:00+00:00The Tap Project for clean drinking waterhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/18/the-tap-project-for-clean-drinking-water/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/18/the-tap-project-for-clean-drinking-water/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/18/the-tap-project-for-clean-drinking-water/#commentsFiled under: , ,

A glass of water on a restaurant table.I had heard about this project and completely forgot about it until I was looking at some other food blogs tonight. I'm glad I was reminded though, because the Tap Project is worth remembering and supporting.

If you plan on dining out this week, until March 22, look for a restaurant that's supporting this project. Participating restaurants will collect a $1 donation for each glass of water ordered. All the money goes to UNICEF, the United Nations group which works to help children. The collected donations will be going toward getting clean drinking water for children in disadvantaged areas around the world.

If you're not sure where participating restaurants are you can always donate directly to the drive. Hopefully you can have a nice evening out this week and help make the world a little better at the same time.

[Via Serious Eats]
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]]>tap projectTapProjectunicefwaterShayna Glick2008-03-18T14:01:00+00:00Tip of the Day: How to make clear ice cubeshttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/17/tip-of-the-day-how-to-make-clear-ice-cubes/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/17/tip-of-the-day-how-to-make-clear-ice-cubes/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/17/tip-of-the-day-how-to-make-clear-ice-cubes/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Looking for a way to make your ice cubes crystal clear instead of cloudy?

Continue reading Tip of the Day: How to make clear ice cubes

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]]>clear ice cubesclear watercold waterhot waterice cubeBob Sassone2008-03-17T15:33:00+00:00Green Daily asks (and answers), what's in our water?http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/29/green-daily-asks-and-answers-whats-in-our-water/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/29/green-daily-asks-and-answers-whats-in-our-water/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/29/green-daily-asks-and-answers-whats-in-our-water/#commentsFiled under: ,

a man drinking a glass of dirty water
If the posts that Ellen and I wrote earlier this week about the International Berkeley Water Competition got you thinking about the quality and taste of your own local water, then our friends over at Green Daily have a whole bunch of stuff for you to read. They have put together a feature that tries to answer the question, "What's in our water?" They explore what's safe, what's not and what you can do about. If these are questions that have been plaguing you, head over and give their piece a scan. I'm certain that you'll find it enlightening.
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]]>green dailyinternational berkeley water competitionqualitywaterwhat's in our waterMarisa McClellan2008-02-29T17:33:00+00:00L.A. and B.C. tie for tastiest tap water titlehttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/26/l-a-and-b-c-tie-for-tastiest-tap-water-title/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/26/l-a-and-b-c-tie-for-tastiest-tap-water-title/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/26/l-a-and-b-c-tie-for-tastiest-tap-water-title/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Yesterday, Marisa told you about the 2008 Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting this past week (what - you didn't attend?), Los Angeles and Clearbrook, British Columbia beat out 120 other entries, including ones from Macedonia and the Philippines, for the title.

Here's a closer look at the competition: the 10 judges based their selections on five criteria: taste, smell, texture, aftertaste, and clarity. They downed water from three categories: municipal, bottled, and the newest, purified.

In case you were wondering, the bottled water winner was Tumai Water from Martinsburg, West Virginia, the purified water winner was from Federalsburg, Maryland, and the carbonated bottled water winner flowed all the way from Emsdetten, Deutschland.

All of this begs the question: if you're tasting water, is it necessary to cleanse your palette between sips?

And we're wondering: how's your tap water?

View Poll

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]]>BCBerkeley SpringsBerkeleySpringsbottledH2OL.A.tap waterTapWaterEllen Slattery2008-02-26T16:00:00+00:00Where is the most tasty tap water?http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/25/where-is-the-most-tasty-tap-water/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/25/where-is-the-most-tasty-tap-water/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/25/where-is-the-most-tasty-tap-water/#commentsFiled under:

water glass with straw and lemonWhen you think about moving to a new city, you might take into account the school districts, the job market, the home prices and the property taxes. But do you spend time thinking about how the tap water tastes? Probably not. However, thanks to the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting, you can now factor in the taste of a municipality's tap water in your move decisions.

This last Saturday, the panel of independent judges tasted water samples from 120 sources and determined that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves Los Angeles, and the town of Clearbrook, British Columbia tied for first place in the tap water category.

For those of you in Los Angeles, do you think your tap water is award worthy? For the rest of you, how does your tap water stack up?

[via CNN.com]
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]]>Berkeley SpringsInternational Water tastinglos angelesqualitytap waterTapWatertasteMarisa McClellan2008-02-25T12:00:00+00:00These bottles are not plastic bottleshttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/01/20/these-bottles-are-not-plastic-bottles/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/01/20/these-bottles-are-not-plastic-bottles/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/01/20/these-bottles-are-not-plastic-bottles/#commentsFiled under: ,

seletti glass plastic bottles
Now that we've seen the paper cup that isn't a paper cup in order to reduce waste, how about plastic bottles that aren't plastic bottles? Italian design house Seletti has created glass water bottles made to look like the plastic water bottles we use then dump. Because they're glass, I doubt they're meant for us to throw into our backpacks and take with us, so they don't necessarily help us reduce our waste of portable plastic bottled water, but at a holding capacity of 1 liter each, they're great for serving water or other beverages at the table or bar.

Available from Lekker Home for $38 a bottle. Comes in four different designs.
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]]>bottled waterglassplasticwater bottlesSarah J. Gim2008-01-20T12:58:00+00:00Chocolatemint water from Metromint, coming soonhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/01/03/chocolatemint-water-from-metromint-coming-soon/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/01/03/chocolatemint-water-from-metromint-coming-soon/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/01/03/chocolatemint-water-from-metromint-coming-soon/#commentsFiled under: ,

chocolatemint water from Metromint
I have always been a sucker for anything mint flavored. I go through phases where I drink mint tea by the gallon. I always have mint gum in my bag. And I am capable of eating mint chocolate chip ice cream by the carton (and on many occasions, I have). When I first came across a display of Metromint at my local gourmet grocery store, I immediately pick up a bottle to go with the panini I was buying for lunch. It was perfect with the sandwich, refreshing and cool, with a significant tingle of mint.

The good folks at Metromint have recently added Chocolatemint to the three flavors they already had available (Spearmint, Lemonmint and Orangemint). According to Josh Spear, this water is delicious and leaves you with the taste of chocolate long after the water is gone (and for far fewer calories). Chocolatemint should be in stores in time for Valentine's Day.

[via Josh Spear]
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]]>chocolateChocolatemintflavored watersJosh SpearMetromintmintmint waterMarisa McClellan2008-01-03T18:14:00+00:00Bottled water recalled by Metrominthttp://www.slashfood.com/2007/12/06/bottled-water-recalled-by-metromint/http://www.slashfood.com/2007/12/06/bottled-water-recalled-by-metromint/http://www.slashfood.com/2007/12/06/bottled-water-recalled-by-metromint/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Metromint waterWell, we've had a lot of food recalls in the past several month, of solid foods, so here's a recall of something in liquid form.

Soma has recalled their 16.9 oz bottles of Metromint water because of the possibility they contain Bacillus cereus, which can cause food poisoning. The water comes in several "mint" flavors, including Spearmint, Peppermint, Orangemint, and Lemonmint.

Here's info on the recall, including sell by dates and other things to look for on the labels.

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]]>food recallmetromint recallmetromint watersomaBob Sassone2007-12-06T15:39:00+00:00Gatorade inventor dead at 80http://www.slashfood.com/2007/11/27/gatorade-inventor-dead-at-80/http://www.slashfood.com/2007/11/27/gatorade-inventor-dead-at-80/http://www.slashfood.com/2007/11/27/gatorade-inventor-dead-at-80/#commentsFiled under: , ,

GatoradeThe man who invented Gatorade (and arguably the entire sports drink market) died earlier today of kidney failure.

Dr. Robert Cade invented the drink in 1965 at The University of Florida. I didn't even know that this was actually a product invented at the school to help the football players (that's where the "Gator" in the name comes from) until that commercial a few years ago that explained how Gatorade came about. It all began with the question, "Doctor, why don't football players wee-wee after a game?"

I don't use sports drinks when I exercise. I'm a water guy, and it's incredible that this drink had so much impact on the performance of top-level athletes. Which probably explains why I'm not a top level athlete (one of many reasons...).

Cade was 80.

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]]>gatoraderobert cadesports drinksuniversity of floridaBob Sassone2007-11-27T16:39:00+00:00Taste Test: Tasmanian Rain Bottled Waterhttp://www.slashfood.com/2007/08/29/taste-test-tasmanian-rain-bottled-water/http://www.slashfood.com/2007/08/29/taste-test-tasmanian-rain-bottled-water/http://www.slashfood.com/2007/08/29/taste-test-tasmanian-rain-bottled-water/#commentsFiled under: , ,

tasmanian rain water
I always feel weird about "taste testing" bottled waters because to me, all water tastes like...water. Sure there are subtle variations that are borne out of where the water originates, if it was bottled at the source, and even the type of packaging it's in, but to me, these are normally undetectable.

What I'm trying to say is you should most definitely take my "review" here with a trace amount of sodium.

I wasn't sure how to feel about Tasmanian Rain because it's touted as bottled rain water. Where I live, if you drink rain water, you'll probably erode the lining of your intestines (I live in Los Angeles). However, the Tasmanian Rain water is collected in Tasmania Australia, "The Edge of the World," where the air is the purest in world. Thats' quite a claim, but the promise is that the air has been scientifically proven to be the purest in the world because it crosses three oceans by the winds of the Antarctic and never touches the ground before it's collected.

Hey, if the Tasmanian Devil has that much energy, the water there must be good!

Continue reading Taste Test: Tasmanian Rain Bottled Water

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]]>australiabottled watertasmaniatasmanian rainTasmanianRainSarah J. Gim2007-08-29T21:45:00+00:00