Sparkling Water
September 14, 2016 10:38 AM Subscribe
Make your own LaCroix flavor.
Naturally, top flavors exhibit two trends: tasty and tasteless. Memetic mashups: Pumpkin Spice, Beyoncé, Solo Cup, Kanye, Bacon.
Naturally, top flavors exhibit two trends: tasty and tasteless. Memetic mashups: Pumpkin Spice, Beyoncé, Solo Cup, Kanye, Bacon.
I made a couple before posting: Tamarind, Chicago, Coke Zero and, #FFU, Shitpost.
posted by me3dia at 10:45 AM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by me3dia at 10:45 AM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
Sip some delicious MRA Tears.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:46 AM on September 14, 2016 [13 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:46 AM on September 14, 2016 [13 favorites]
No flavor of LaCroix anyone can come up with can be any more undrinkable than the ones that already exists, so what's the point?
posted by dortmunder at 10:48 AM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by dortmunder at 10:48 AM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'm sitting here drinking refreshe (TM) Seltzer Water. Yum yum!
(As found at Safeway, I guess. My husband does the grocery shopping.)
posted by Squeak Attack at 10:51 AM on September 14, 2016 [4 favorites]
(As found at Safeway, I guess. My husband does the grocery shopping.)
posted by Squeak Attack at 10:51 AM on September 14, 2016 [4 favorites]
Not enough room for "I don't care what you Americans say, I'm never pronouncing it that way."
posted by Space Coyote at 10:53 AM on September 14, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by Space Coyote at 10:53 AM on September 14, 2016 [5 favorites]
My favorite bubbles drink is the Trader Joe's house brand but sometimes I find refreshe or LaCroix in the fridge instead. No worries - I guzzle it all!
posted by Squeak Attack at 10:56 AM on September 14, 2016
posted by Squeak Attack at 10:56 AM on September 14, 2016
@jonmc I like flavored seltzer water because it scratches the itch for a soda, but without the sugar/artificial sweeteners.
posted by me3dia at 11:01 AM on September 14, 2016 [9 favorites]
posted by me3dia at 11:01 AM on September 14, 2016 [9 favorites]
No flavor of LaCroix anyone can come up with can be any more undrinkable than the ones that already exists, so what's the point?
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
posted by Spathe Cadet at 11:01 AM on September 14, 2016 [16 favorites]
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
posted by Spathe Cadet at 11:01 AM on September 14, 2016 [16 favorites]
[the post is first seen] oh neat, a post about flavoring your own sparkling waters
[the post is clicked upon] oh okay, it's a web thingy. "Shitpost?" "Stranger Things?" hah! I wonder what flavors these consist of
[the linked site is opened] huh all it does is let you diddle with the color palette on a La Croix can
[the entire thread is read] who the hell do these people think they are slagging on flavored sparkling waters in general and La Croix specifically
[a furious comment is drafted] maybe I don't want to dig in so hard on this
this post was a real roller coaster for me and I need a goddamn La Croix.
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:02 AM on September 14, 2016 [48 favorites]
[the post is clicked upon] oh okay, it's a web thingy. "Shitpost?" "Stranger Things?" hah! I wonder what flavors these consist of
[the linked site is opened] huh all it does is let you diddle with the color palette on a La Croix can
[the entire thread is read] who the hell do these people think they are slagging on flavored sparkling waters in general and La Croix specifically
[a furious comment is drafted] maybe I don't want to dig in so hard on this
this post was a real roller coaster for me and I need a goddamn La Croix.
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:02 AM on September 14, 2016 [48 favorites]
Sparkling water is a damned soda. AFAIC, sparkling water was the methadone that helped me finally kick my addiction to sweetened sodas.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:02 AM on September 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:02 AM on September 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
Flavored sparkling water? Just have a damned soda.
Unsweetened though! This is great marketing. I love the Windows XP style dialog.
I always wonder what the meetings are like in the Polar headquarters, where they sit around a table and wonder what's so damn special about LaCroix. "What do they have that we don't?" they ask the Consumers, like scorned lovers.
posted by dis_integration at 11:02 AM on September 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
Unsweetened though! This is great marketing. I love the Windows XP style dialog.
I always wonder what the meetings are like in the Polar headquarters, where they sit around a table and wonder what's so damn special about LaCroix. "What do they have that we don't?" they ask the Consumers, like scorned lovers.
posted by dis_integration at 11:02 AM on September 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
I am so strung out on La Croix it's not funny. Not sure why, either. It's not even that good.
posted by Bob Regular at 11:03 AM on September 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by Bob Regular at 11:03 AM on September 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
LaCroix never, Polar forever!!!
posted by anastasiav at 11:09 AM on September 14, 2016 [10 favorites]
posted by anastasiav at 11:09 AM on September 14, 2016 [10 favorites]
If La Croix is paying attention, they'll have black cans on shelf by mid-October. Although like many others, I don't drink La Croix... I'm a devotee of regional favorites HEB Sparkling Water or Topo Chico.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 11:12 AM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by lefty lucky cat at 11:12 AM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
You'll know when it's ready by the way the can bulges.
posted by pipeski at 11:16 AM on September 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by pipeski at 11:16 AM on September 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
I've been hearing ads for flavored, unsweetened seltzer water with 5% alcohol…
posted by jamjam at 11:17 AM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by jamjam at 11:17 AM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
just have a beer
posted by jonmc at 11:19 AM on September 14, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by jonmc at 11:19 AM on September 14, 2016 [5 favorites]
White Tears (thanks DirtyOldTown)
posted by Potomac Avenue at 11:20 AM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 11:20 AM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
The lime green is for the tennis ball fuzz.
posted by phunniemee at 11:21 AM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 11:21 AM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
I've been hearing ads for flavored, unsweetened seltzer water with 5% alcohol…
Yeah, honestly ... it's not bad, if you think of it as a premixed (flavored) vodka and soda. Refreshing as hell when it's hot out. And I say that as an extremely dedicated beer-drinker.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:21 AM on September 14, 2016 [5 favorites]
Yeah, honestly ... it's not bad, if you think of it as a premixed (flavored) vodka and soda. Refreshing as hell when it's hot out. And I say that as an extremely dedicated beer-drinker.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:21 AM on September 14, 2016 [5 favorites]
I'll stick to my Sodastream, thanks.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 11:25 AM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 11:25 AM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
This is my new favorite thing in the whole world.
posted by redsparkler at 11:28 AM on September 14, 2016
posted by redsparkler at 11:28 AM on September 14, 2016
just have a beer
how about a croixndy? That's half beer, half delicious refreshing La Croix.
posted by griphus at 11:30 AM on September 14, 2016 [5 favorites]
how about a croixndy? That's half beer, half delicious refreshing La Croix.
posted by griphus at 11:30 AM on September 14, 2016 [5 favorites]
just kidding i got it to work and made my favorite flavor
posted by burgerrr at 11:31 AM on September 14, 2016 [10 favorites]
posted by burgerrr at 11:31 AM on September 14, 2016 [10 favorites]
LaCroix, darling, LaCroix.
posted by xingcat at 11:31 AM on September 14, 2016 [13 favorites]
posted by xingcat at 11:31 AM on September 14, 2016 [13 favorites]
just wait 'til you hear how I pronounce it
posted by griphus at 11:36 AM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by griphus at 11:36 AM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
The name is from the Latin for "copious tears" I think. It's made from polar bears who are sad about global warming.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 11:38 AM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by lefty lucky cat at 11:38 AM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
AFAIC, sparkling water was the methadone that helped me finally kick my addiction to sweetened sodas.
My inner Kim Mitchell has me going for a LaCroix in the evenings instead of calorie-laden beer.
posted by GuyZero at 11:46 AM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
My inner Kim Mitchell has me going for a LaCroix in the evenings instead of calorie-laden beer.
posted by GuyZero at 11:46 AM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Could I get someone to take a moment and explain LaCroix? I get that it's a brand of sparkling water, but I have missed some key part of the cultural context here. Why is it a conversation topic these last few months?
Also, it's French, right, pronounced kind of "La-Cwah"? The jokes about pronunciation are hard to parse-- is there a canonical manufacturer's pronunciation that's not the expected one? Are people calling it "La Croiks"?
posted by 4th number at 11:50 AM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Also, it's French, right, pronounced kind of "La-Cwah"? The jokes about pronunciation are hard to parse-- is there a canonical manufacturer's pronunciation that's not the expected one? Are people calling it "La Croiks"?
posted by 4th number at 11:50 AM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
According to my wife, who is from the St. Croix River area in Minnesota and keeps shooting me glares when I say "La Kwah," it's "La Croy."
posted by griphus at 11:52 AM on September 14, 2016 [9 favorites]
posted by griphus at 11:52 AM on September 14, 2016 [9 favorites]
The jokes about pronunciation are hard to parse-- is there a canonical manufacturer's pronunciation that's not the expected one?
Most people I know pronounce it "La Croy," after La Crosse, the Wisconsin town it originated in. This is apparently the official pronunciation. *shrugs*
I have no idea why it's suddenly hot; I've been drinking it for years.
posted by me3dia at 11:55 AM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Most people I know pronounce it "La Croy," after La Crosse, the Wisconsin town it originated in. This is apparently the official pronunciation. *shrugs*
I have no idea why it's suddenly hot; I've been drinking it for years.
posted by me3dia at 11:55 AM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
La Croy? La Croiks? I'm declaring this a Pontypool crisis. Don't worry, Canadian troops will be arriving at your location shortly to bomb it before the contagion spreads.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:57 AM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:57 AM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
Also, it's French, right, pronounced kind of "La-Cwah"?
Like the city, "Dey-Twah."
posted by octobersurprise at 11:57 AM on September 14, 2016 [25 favorites]
Like the city, "Dey-Twah."
posted by octobersurprise at 11:57 AM on September 14, 2016 [25 favorites]
Moteur City
posted by griphus at 11:58 AM on September 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by griphus at 11:58 AM on September 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
Flavored sparkling water? Just have a damned soda.
No sugar! No calories! No gross rat-poison-tasting artificial sweetner!
just have a beer
I can't "just" have a beer! I can't drink alcohol! Pellegrino is my only friend at a table full of wine and beer drinkers!
posted by Squeak Attack at 12:00 PM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
No sugar! No calories! No gross rat-poison-tasting artificial sweetner!
just have a beer
I can't "just" have a beer! I can't drink alcohol! Pellegrino is my only friend at a table full of wine and beer drinkers!
posted by Squeak Attack at 12:00 PM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
Could I get someone to take a moment and explain LaCroix?
I think the internet obsession with La Croix mostly comes down to one of those things where it's fun to be inexplicably collectively obsessed with something. You can get some real momentum going that way. Plus the styling is very 90s Solo Jazz Cup which has itself been having a pretty good couple of years in the ol' Jungian e-consciousness.
There is no secret; it's just some perfectly fine seltzer soda that it's fun to have some fun with.
posted by cortex at 12:04 PM on September 14, 2016 [7 favorites]
I think the internet obsession with La Croix mostly comes down to one of those things where it's fun to be inexplicably collectively obsessed with something. You can get some real momentum going that way. Plus the styling is very 90s Solo Jazz Cup which has itself been having a pretty good couple of years in the ol' Jungian e-consciousness.
There is no secret; it's just some perfectly fine seltzer soda that it's fun to have some fun with.
posted by cortex at 12:04 PM on September 14, 2016 [7 favorites]
LaCroix, darling, LaCroix.
Precisely. This is their unintentional best marketing.
posted by thivaia at 12:04 PM on September 14, 2016
Precisely. This is their unintentional best marketing.
posted by thivaia at 12:04 PM on September 14, 2016
I've been hearing ads for flavored, unsweetened seltzer water with 5% alcohol…
posted by jamjam at 11:17 AM on September 14 [+] [!]
Discovered this stuff at Grand Central while waiting to board a Metro North train - then found it the next weekend (in mixed 12 packs) at my local Trader Joes. Would I drink one at home? No. As uncleozzy says its basically a pre-mixed 'vodka' soda in a can. But as a beer avoider who sometimes likes to enjoy a pre-packaged cold alcoholic beverage (say, on the beach) they are pretty awesome and I hope here to stay (also, Food and Beverage directors at sports stadia feel free to take notice . . . )
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 12:05 PM on September 14, 2016
posted by jamjam at 11:17 AM on September 14 [+] [!]
Discovered this stuff at Grand Central while waiting to board a Metro North train - then found it the next weekend (in mixed 12 packs) at my local Trader Joes. Would I drink one at home? No. As uncleozzy says its basically a pre-mixed 'vodka' soda in a can. But as a beer avoider who sometimes likes to enjoy a pre-packaged cold alcoholic beverage (say, on the beach) they are pretty awesome and I hope here to stay (also, Food and Beverage directors at sports stadia feel free to take notice . . . )
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 12:05 PM on September 14, 2016
Is this one of those things where it's ubiquitous in other parts of the country, and it's only now making a push for a full national presence?
This is the third time I've seen LaCroix on the Internet in unexpected places in as many months, and I just saw it today at Walgreens, and I've previously never in my damn life heard of this company. Boston resident, for reference.
posted by explosion at 12:09 PM on September 14, 2016
This is the third time I've seen LaCroix on the Internet in unexpected places in as many months, and I just saw it today at Walgreens, and I've previously never in my damn life heard of this company. Boston resident, for reference.
posted by explosion at 12:09 PM on September 14, 2016
All of the "Croix" places, things, etc. in MN are Croy. I recently heard people on a podcast saying La Cwaaah and I wondered if they were doing the thing where you pronounce Target "Tar-Jay" because it's so funny or if they started to say La Croix correctly and then suddenly got dry heaves. I've only very rarely heard Croiks and I'm sure some of those were trying to be funny.
I also wonder why I've been hearing so much about La Croix in the last year or so. I've noticed it to the point that I looked up whether it recently went national or something. I always assumed it was a local brand but wiki says it gained national popularity in 1990 after a Perrier recall.
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 12:16 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
I also wonder why I've been hearing so much about La Croix in the last year or so. I've noticed it to the point that I looked up whether it recently went national or something. I always assumed it was a local brand but wiki says it gained national popularity in 1990 after a Perrier recall.
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 12:16 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
I think the internet obsession with La Croix mostly comes down to one of those things where it's fun to be inexplicably collectively obsessed with something. You can get some real momentum going that way. Plus the styling is very 90s Solo Jazz Cup which has itself been having a pretty good couple of years in the ol' Jungian e-consciousness.
I'm amused by the common perception that LaCroix's popularity is some kind of hipster "isn't this sooooo random?" phenomenon. For me, it's all about practicality.
As I alluded to above, I got into drinking flavored seltzer (not specifically LaCroix) when I started watching my sugar/artificial sweetener intake a few years ago. I started by buying 1-liter bottles of seltzer, and pouring discreet amounts of fruit juice into a glassful to give it a little extra flavor.
Before long, I noticed that you could also buy pre-flavored/unsweetened seltzer in cans, which ended up being a bit easier for me to deal with than having to consume a whole bottle before it went flat. I'd buy LaCroix every so often, but usually I'd go for whatever brand was on sale; my local health-food store sells a cucumber-flavored store brand seltzer, and it's super refreshing.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:24 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'm amused by the common perception that LaCroix's popularity is some kind of hipster "isn't this sooooo random?" phenomenon. For me, it's all about practicality.
As I alluded to above, I got into drinking flavored seltzer (not specifically LaCroix) when I started watching my sugar/artificial sweetener intake a few years ago. I started by buying 1-liter bottles of seltzer, and pouring discreet amounts of fruit juice into a glassful to give it a little extra flavor.
Before long, I noticed that you could also buy pre-flavored/unsweetened seltzer in cans, which ended up being a bit easier for me to deal with than having to consume a whole bottle before it went flat. I'd buy LaCroix every so often, but usually I'd go for whatever brand was on sale; my local health-food store sells a cucumber-flavored store brand seltzer, and it's super refreshing.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:24 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
Is this one of those things where it's ubiquitous in other parts of the country, and it's only now making a push for a full national presence?
Dunno, but it's been super available in my part of the US for at least twenty years.
it's just some perfectly fine seltzer soda that it's fun tohave some fun with be with.
posted by octobersurprise at 12:37 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Dunno, but it's been super available in my part of the US for at least twenty years.
it's just some perfectly fine seltzer soda that it's fun to
posted by octobersurprise at 12:37 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm amused by the common perception that LaCroix's popularity is some kind of hipster "isn't this sooooo random?" phenomenon. For me, it's all about practicality.
Well, it's both, yeah? People wouldn't be buying and drinking it if it weren't perfectly good, practical stuff, so the main story is a very boring one: here's some inexpensive seltzer, end of. I buy it because I like having something around when another glass of water is boring me to tears but I shouldn't have a beer or more coffee, etc.
But there's also an undeniable secondary layer of internettish goofing on this plain, unsexy brand of utilitarian non-soda/non-beer beverage; as noted, nobody is having the same sort of fun with the functionally identical Polar seltzer, and not for some amazing slam-dunk reason. The aesthetic goofing is fun but not exactly something with a sense of inevitability; people are just running with it because it's fun to run with something that other people are also running with. And then people notice everybody treating a low-key product like a meme, and the tertiary perception of quasi-hipsterdom sets in from there, and so on.
I mean mathowie won't shut up about the stuff and I don't actually have a button to put on the end of this sentence, I just kinda like that he won't shut up about the stuff and wanted to link to that.
posted by cortex at 12:49 PM on September 14, 2016
Well, it's both, yeah? People wouldn't be buying and drinking it if it weren't perfectly good, practical stuff, so the main story is a very boring one: here's some inexpensive seltzer, end of. I buy it because I like having something around when another glass of water is boring me to tears but I shouldn't have a beer or more coffee, etc.
But there's also an undeniable secondary layer of internettish goofing on this plain, unsexy brand of utilitarian non-soda/non-beer beverage; as noted, nobody is having the same sort of fun with the functionally identical Polar seltzer, and not for some amazing slam-dunk reason. The aesthetic goofing is fun but not exactly something with a sense of inevitability; people are just running with it because it's fun to run with something that other people are also running with. And then people notice everybody treating a low-key product like a meme, and the tertiary perception of quasi-hipsterdom sets in from there, and so on.
I mean mathowie won't shut up about the stuff and I don't actually have a button to put on the end of this sentence, I just kinda like that he won't shut up about the stuff and wanted to link to that.
posted by cortex at 12:49 PM on September 14, 2016
What? Nobody's tried anything with MetaFilter Colors yet?
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:53 PM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:53 PM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
"MetaFlavor"
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:54 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:54 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
All I want for Christmas is Tangerine :( Hasn't made its way to NJ yet.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:54 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:54 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
It has suddenly become very hip, but also - sort of annoyingly - it's actually pretty good. I mean, I'd been drinking Arrowhead (which is probably named after a lake in your region if you are not in California, like Ozarka in TX/AR, it's the one with the dark red label) fizzy lemon and orange water and it's fine, my SodaStream water flavors are fine, but some of the La Croix ones are better than I would have expected based on the other brands I drink.
I have not read a breakdown of waste involved in single-serving cans versus other formats of fizzy water, though. Given the can walls I've seen created by brogrammer types on the social medias it seems like an in-office water fizzer next to the espresso machine and air hockey table would be a better bet, but not so appealingly Social Membership Brand Identifiery.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:56 PM on September 14, 2016
I have not read a breakdown of waste involved in single-serving cans versus other formats of fizzy water, though. Given the can walls I've seen created by brogrammer types on the social medias it seems like an in-office water fizzer next to the espresso machine and air hockey table would be a better bet, but not so appealingly Social Membership Brand Identifiery.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:56 PM on September 14, 2016
How to make carbonated water at home.
I have a Carbonater type system. Cost per liter is working out to around a nickle or so. MORE BUBBLE WATER!
I can also appreciate the delicious bubbly irony that I am using empty La Croix and Polar bottles.
posted by jeribus at 1:02 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have a Carbonater type system. Cost per liter is working out to around a nickle or so. MORE BUBBLE WATER!
I can also appreciate the delicious bubbly irony that I am using empty La Croix and Polar bottles.
posted by jeribus at 1:02 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
The isoglosses for coke vs soda vs pop are well-represented online, but I'd love to see a map showing the distribution of fizzy vs seltzer vs sparking... because as a Texan, calling it "seltzer" just screams "Yankee" to me. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 1:07 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by lefty lucky cat at 1:07 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
I wish Pomplamoose would go full-on pamplemousse. (I don't know, maybe they have?)
posted by octobersurprise at 1:08 PM on September 14, 2016
posted by octobersurprise at 1:08 PM on September 14, 2016
I'm just here to say that as a diabetic, La Croix is wonderful to me and I'm very grateful they're around. We'll move to a sodastream eventually, I'm sure, but currently the price/ease/flavor options make La Croix top dog. There are other brands that do it fine, sure, I GUESS, but will they ever top grapefruit or apricot? I doubt it.
posted by radiosilents at 1:08 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by radiosilents at 1:08 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'd love to see a map showing the distribution of fizzy vs seltzer vs sparking
I just call it two cents plain.
posted by uncleozzy at 1:09 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
I just call it two cents plain.
posted by uncleozzy at 1:09 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
I learned about it from alcoholics and am bemused that it's almost come so far as to become the target of middlebrow thinkpiece backlash. It's on the shit list with Marie Kondo, mindfulness, and David Foster Wallace!
posted by thelonius at 1:16 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 1:16 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
This is the third time I've seen LaCroix on the Internet in unexpected places in as many months, and I just saw it today at Walgreens, and I've previously never in my damn life heard of this company. Boston resident, for reference.
It appeared in like every grocery store in DC overnight a couple years ago. And I just moved to Waltham and found it in our grocery stores there so my guess is you'll be seeing it a lot more real soon.
#teampeachpear
posted by solotoro at 1:17 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
It appeared in like every grocery store in DC overnight a couple years ago. And I just moved to Waltham and found it in our grocery stores there so my guess is you'll be seeing it a lot more real soon.
#teampeachpear
posted by solotoro at 1:17 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
I've been playing too much WoW lately.
posted by Meghamora at 1:18 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Meghamora at 1:18 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
I spent way too much time on these:
Bubbles!
Blossom!
Buttercup!
LaCroix was always something I wanted to try while I was in the US, and never managed to. I'll try it when I go back. I am grateful for the pronunciation and explanation, but my stupid brain still wants to say it LaCroiks. Stupid brain.
posted by Dimes at 1:20 PM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
Bubbles!
Blossom!
Buttercup!
LaCroix was always something I wanted to try while I was in the US, and never managed to. I'll try it when I go back. I am grateful for the pronunciation and explanation, but my stupid brain still wants to say it LaCroiks. Stupid brain.
posted by Dimes at 1:20 PM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
Camera click sound effect on the website went off as I was walking into a public restroom. That was ridiculously embarrassing.
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:32 PM on September 14, 2016 [9 favorites]
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:32 PM on September 14, 2016 [9 favorites]
I was in Walgreens yesterday and the guy in line behind me was openly mocking "the wall of LaCroix" by the entrance, so I estimate its reign to be nearly over.
Do we have intel on whether it's been profiled in the NYT style section yet?
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:33 PM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
Do we have intel on whether it's been profiled in the NYT style section yet?
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:33 PM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
Anyway, here's how GMO products should be marketed.
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:34 PM on September 14, 2016
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:34 PM on September 14, 2016
came back to add my other favorite flavor
posted by burgerrr at 1:35 PM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by burgerrr at 1:35 PM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
I was in Walgreens yesterday and the guy in line behind me was openly mocking "the wall of LaCroix"
Parents Into New Snack Now
posted by octobersurprise at 1:40 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Parents Into New Snack Now
posted by octobersurprise at 1:40 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
SURGE!
Oh God, the rumors are true. The '90s are fully back
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:41 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
Oh God, the rumors are true. The '90s are fully back
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:41 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
I tried it for the first time yesterday and still don't see the appeal. As a city dweller, the less liquid volume I have to lug into my apartment and the less recycling I have to lug out*, the happier I am. You'll pry my Sodastream from my cold, dead hands.
*Obvious exception made for beer.
posted by bendy at 1:42 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
*Obvious exception made for beer.
posted by bendy at 1:42 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
SURGE!
Oh God, the rumors are true. The '90s are fully back
I saw an ad for actual Surge at a truck stop on a road trip Labor Day Weekend. The '90s are fully back and they're on sale for 99 cents.
posted by me3dia at 1:44 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh God, the rumors are true. The '90s are fully back
I saw an ad for actual Surge at a truck stop on a road trip Labor Day Weekend. The '90s are fully back and they're on sale for 99 cents.
posted by me3dia at 1:44 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
For anyone wondering why others like it, it's just methadone for coca-cola addicts. I've known my entire life I shouldn't put sugary swill into my body but I did it daily for 30 years, and I went cold turkey in 2016, so I just replace it with La Croix. I have a big sodastream too, but the bubbles/taste aren't quite the same and I prefer a Lime can of La Croix over making my own water and squeezing a touch of lime in it.
posted by mathowie at 1:45 PM on September 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by mathowie at 1:45 PM on September 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
The isoglosses for coke vs soda vs pop are well-represented online, but I'd love to see a map showing the distribution of fizzy vs seltzer vs sparking... because as a Texan, calling it "seltzer" just screams "Yankee" to me. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Yankee in the "everything north of Nashville" sense, or the restrictive "New England" sense?
Because if the former, this Midwestern data point can attest that 'seltzer' sounds like a mid-century socialite's mixer and 'fizzy drink' sounds jocular. I'd say 'carbonated drink' over 'sparkling water', but between those three I go with 'sparkling'.
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:48 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
Yankee in the "everything north of Nashville" sense, or the restrictive "New England" sense?
Because if the former, this Midwestern data point can attest that 'seltzer' sounds like a mid-century socialite's mixer and 'fizzy drink' sounds jocular. I'd say 'carbonated drink' over 'sparkling water', but between those three I go with 'sparkling'.
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:48 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
The popularity of sparkling water can also be attributed to the rise in popularity of diets that eschew any artificial sweeteners (paleo, keto, et cetera). One of the biggest lamentations of these diets, for new adherents? OH NOES, no sodas allowed. Only boring water and unsweetened tea and OH SHIT WAIT THEY MAKE FIZZY WATER SODA WITH NO FAKE SUGAR?!?!?!
It satiates a specific craving, and allows people to feel like they're indulging in healthy behavior because it's water. (Not saying it's UNhealthy, just saying that's an actual reason i've heard someone give for drinking it.)
posted by palomar at 1:48 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
It satiates a specific craving, and allows people to feel like they're indulging in healthy behavior because it's water. (Not saying it's UNhealthy, just saying that's an actual reason i've heard someone give for drinking it.)
posted by palomar at 1:48 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
This whole thing reminds me of when PBR and later Bustelo became popular - they are both brands that have been around forever and had their own loyal followings, but got picked up a group I'm going to call "white hipsters" for lack of a better term and have thus acquired a certain cultural cache.
Like PBR and Bustelo, La Croix is popular because it's cheap and pretty good for the price. Also like these two brands, I suspect part of the reason it got picked up by white hipsters is because of its label design, which does indeed feel very current in a retro sort of way.
Personally, I've been trying to figure out why I like La Croix so much better than some of the other sparkling water brands I used to drink more frequently. Partially, I think it's the wide variety of flavors (coconut and passionfruit are my favorites), but also, it's a lot more carbonated than many other sparkling water brands, which is nice for those of us weaning ourselves off soda. It's got a good burn to it. FWIW, the other one I like for this reason is Safeway's store brand, Refreshe.
posted by lunasol at 1:49 PM on September 14, 2016
Like PBR and Bustelo, La Croix is popular because it's cheap and pretty good for the price. Also like these two brands, I suspect part of the reason it got picked up by white hipsters is because of its label design, which does indeed feel very current in a retro sort of way.
Personally, I've been trying to figure out why I like La Croix so much better than some of the other sparkling water brands I used to drink more frequently. Partially, I think it's the wide variety of flavors (coconut and passionfruit are my favorites), but also, it's a lot more carbonated than many other sparkling water brands, which is nice for those of us weaning ourselves off soda. It's got a good burn to it. FWIW, the other one I like for this reason is Safeway's store brand, Refreshe.
posted by lunasol at 1:49 PM on September 14, 2016
Also, fuck LaCroix. Talking Rain Peach Nectarine 4EVA. Or Target's Simply Balanced sparkling water in Ginger Peach or Tropical Cherry.
posted by palomar at 1:51 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by palomar at 1:51 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
Safeway's store brand, Refreshe.
Pronoucned "Re-froy"
posted by griphus at 1:58 PM on September 14, 2016 [22 favorites]
Pronoucned "Re-froy"
posted by griphus at 1:58 PM on September 14, 2016 [22 favorites]
Pronounced "Chun-tee" [according to my 3 year old]
posted by blairsyprofane at 2:06 PM on September 14, 2016
posted by blairsyprofane at 2:06 PM on September 14, 2016
What is it? What do you smell?
posted by jason_steakums at 2:25 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 2:25 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
I had a box of the taller skinnier cans at my desk and the packaging made it look super fruity to my boss, so I gave him a can. He is known in our office as someone who can be easily bribed with food. His face contorted and he tried to hide it, but I could tell it was not for him. I told him he didn't have to pretend to like it, I wouldn't feel bad. Then I offered him some sweetener and he was able finish it.
posted by soelo at 2:28 PM on September 14, 2016
posted by soelo at 2:28 PM on September 14, 2016
Close to the homeland of La Croix, we also have Klarbrunn from Watertown, WI.
I thought that Mendota Springs was regional, but Coca-Cola owns the trademark. Is it widely known outside the midwest?
posted by soelo at 2:35 PM on September 14, 2016
I thought that Mendota Springs was regional, but Coca-Cola owns the trademark. Is it widely known outside the midwest?
posted by soelo at 2:35 PM on September 14, 2016
I drink a lot of flavored seltzer, and I think I'm unique in the sense that I don't care too much about the brand. I've had the fancy Italian sparkling water from Whole Foods (the mint flavor is excellent in mojitos, by the way), to the cheapest of the cheap from Publix, with their 2-3 flavors, depending on what's in stock.
In fact, I drink just about every kind of seltzer except for La Croix. Sure, it comes in convenient cans, but that's still relatively pricey when compared to the 1 L bottles (especially when Earth Fare puts Polar on a BOGO sale at least once a month around here).
But the beau, who has noticed that I go through a whole lot of seltzer, also noticed that Costco got in a mixed-flavor 24 pack of La Croix in. And brought it home. So, I suppose I'm about to find out how I feel about La Croix here shortly.
posted by PearlRose at 2:43 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
In fact, I drink just about every kind of seltzer except for La Croix. Sure, it comes in convenient cans, but that's still relatively pricey when compared to the 1 L bottles (especially when Earth Fare puts Polar on a BOGO sale at least once a month around here).
But the beau, who has noticed that I go through a whole lot of seltzer, also noticed that Costco got in a mixed-flavor 24 pack of La Croix in. And brought it home. So, I suppose I'm about to find out how I feel about La Croix here shortly.
posted by PearlRose at 2:43 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
But the beau, who has noticed that I go through a whole lot of seltzer, also noticed that Costco got in a mixed-flavor 24 pack of La Croix in.
i have been waiting for this news all my life
posted by burgerrr at 2:50 PM on September 14, 2016 [9 favorites]
i have been waiting for this news all my life
posted by burgerrr at 2:50 PM on September 14, 2016 [9 favorites]
oh god they don't sell it at california costcos today is ruined
posted by burgerrr at 2:51 PM on September 14, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by burgerrr at 2:51 PM on September 14, 2016 [4 favorites]
I looked at the popular flavors before I read the comments and all the ones I laughed at (yes, OUT LOUD!) I come to find were made by Metafilter. Bless you, every one! Not sure why it took me so long to join up.
posted by evelvenin at 3:05 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by evelvenin at 3:05 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
To replace my regular Diet Coke, I drank a lot of La Croix when I was recently pregnant. But my husband brought me a Diet Coke when I was recovering in the hospital, knowing how much I'd wanted one, and I haven't looked back. I don't know what I'm going to do with all the La Croix that's still in the refrigerator.
posted by liet at 3:33 PM on September 14, 2016
posted by liet at 3:33 PM on September 14, 2016
oneswellfoop: "What? Nobody's tried anything with MetaFilter Colors yet?"
Tastes like beans.
posted by namewithoutwords at 3:37 PM on September 14, 2016 [5 favorites]
Tastes like beans.
posted by namewithoutwords at 3:37 PM on September 14, 2016 [5 favorites]
LaCroix never, Polar forever!!!
Hey, Polar fans: has anyone else noticed the cans of Orange Vanilla are perpetually understocked?
posted by zamboni at 3:38 PM on September 14, 2016
Hey, Polar fans: has anyone else noticed the cans of Orange Vanilla are perpetually understocked?
posted by zamboni at 3:38 PM on September 14, 2016
I just realized I've been reading uncleozzy as "un-cleozzy" all these years.
posted by EarBucket at 3:51 PM on September 14, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by EarBucket at 3:51 PM on September 14, 2016 [4 favorites]
oh god they don't sell it at california costcos today is ruined
I am so sorry to dash all your hopes and dreams. But hey, I tried one, and it was delicious!
posted by PearlRose at 4:40 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
I am so sorry to dash all your hopes and dreams. But hey, I tried one, and it was delicious!
posted by PearlRose at 4:40 PM on September 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
Tastes like beans.
With portobello mushrooms, pancakes, (plo) chops, taters and HAMBURGERS made from Mystery Meat (probably flame-broiled). Sorry, no spoons but it's all served on a professional white background. (reference)
But seriously, LaCroix is the New Pepsi Blue
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:44 PM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
With portobello mushrooms, pancakes, (plo) chops, taters and HAMBURGERS made from Mystery Meat (probably flame-broiled). Sorry, no spoons but it's all served on a professional white background. (reference)
But seriously, LaCroix is the New Pepsi Blue
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:44 PM on September 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
Acacia for the giraffe in your life!
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 5:10 PM on September 14, 2016
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 5:10 PM on September 14, 2016
http://mylacroix.com/acacia-flowers/57d9e7a5699be705c1f2113f
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 5:13 PM on September 14, 2016
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 5:13 PM on September 14, 2016
I buy the Trader Joe's liter bottles because i haven't yet invested in something more than a seltzer bottle (which uses the disposable co2 canisters at a buck a pop), and i can't drink just one can.
To my memory, LaCroix has been a Midwest (at least Ohio and Iowa) brand for decades, but only recently have I seen it in Northern California.
posted by straw at 5:45 PM on September 14, 2016
To my memory, LaCroix has been a Midwest (at least Ohio and Iowa) brand for decades, but only recently have I seen it in Northern California.
posted by straw at 5:45 PM on September 14, 2016
I always wonder what the meetings are like in the Polar headquarters, where they sit around a table and wonder what's so damn special about LaCroix. "What do they have that we don't?" they ask the Consumers, like scorned lovers.
Does LaCroix bottle Unicorn Kisses?
No?
Advantage Polar.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:03 PM on September 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
Does LaCroix bottle Unicorn Kisses?
No?
Advantage Polar.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:03 PM on September 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
Selzer or Club soda are something I buy lots of because sugared sodas really ARE bad for you, and aspartame under all it's cute aliases is nearly instant serious horrible migraine. A small amount of hoity-toity fancy syrup as a treat lavender, or huckleberry or even some balsamic vinegar or a small amount of sweetened coffee are some additions. Mr. Roquette has lost weight, and I have stabilized my weight. Sure we sometimes bring home some sodas, but he's come to prefer seltzer with or without flavoring.
I'm not that fond of La Croix, I'll get it on some of Safeway is out of big boxes of plain Refreshe seltzer. The main problem I have with La Croix is how hard it is to find plain. I boycott Nestlé as much as I can. I used to like Pellegrino Mandarin or lemon before they sold out. Used to drink plain Radenska when I lived in Sarajevo.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 7:06 PM on September 14, 2016
I'm not that fond of La Croix, I'll get it on some of Safeway is out of big boxes of plain Refreshe seltzer. The main problem I have with La Croix is how hard it is to find plain. I boycott Nestlé as much as I can. I used to like Pellegrino Mandarin or lemon before they sold out. Used to drink plain Radenska when I lived in Sarajevo.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 7:06 PM on September 14, 2016
I finally gave in last month and joined Costco (that rotisserie chicken thread was what finally did it!), but was so disappointed to see that they didn't carry La Croix. So I bought a case of San Pellegrino, which used to be my seltzer drug of choice, but just doesn't have those same aggressive bubbles.
So now I'm going to have to go to Costco tomorrow and see if they've stocked La Croix. And buy a rotisserie chicken for dinner, of course.
posted by lunasol at 7:31 PM on September 14, 2016
So now I'm going to have to go to Costco tomorrow and see if they've stocked La Croix. And buy a rotisserie chicken for dinner, of course.
posted by lunasol at 7:31 PM on September 14, 2016
I prefer a Lime can of La Croix over making my own water and squeezing a touch of lime in it.
Really, there's nothing better first thing in the morning than a Lime La Croix while you sit on the can (not the La Croix can, the business can.)
posted by octobersurprise at 7:32 PM on September 14, 2016
Really, there's nothing better first thing in the morning than a Lime La Croix while you sit on the can (not the La Croix can, the business can.)
posted by octobersurprise at 7:32 PM on September 14, 2016
This might go part of the way to explaining the why of LaCroix now.
Repeat as needed.
posted by mistersquid at 10:13 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Repeat as needed.
posted by mistersquid at 10:13 PM on September 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
I was actually going to post a question on Ask Metafilter about this: LaCroix has been really "hip" here for a while now, but I've noticed some people (mostly obnoxious, contrarian types) becoming very, very snooty over sparkling water recently.
See, it use to be that LaCroix was an identifier that you were "in" on this cool, silly, semi-ironic thing, but now the backlash has begun. LaCroix is suddenly really lame and other brands such as Safeway's Refreshe are the cool, hip thing to like. Someone I know posted on Facebook something like this, basically saying that this OTHER brand of sparkling was cooler, and that LaCroix was bad.
So I was curious if there was a rule on this, like how much time has to pass before a once-hip/cool/trendy thing gets backlash, and the backlash is the cool thing to do? Because it seems to me that it isn't necessarily that it isn't cool anymore, it's just a lot cooler to present yourself as if you know what you're talking about whereas everyone else are just sheeple.
posted by gucci mane at 12:46 AM on September 15, 2016
See, it use to be that LaCroix was an identifier that you were "in" on this cool, silly, semi-ironic thing, but now the backlash has begun. LaCroix is suddenly really lame and other brands such as Safeway's Refreshe are the cool, hip thing to like. Someone I know posted on Facebook something like this, basically saying that this OTHER brand of sparkling was cooler, and that LaCroix was bad.
So I was curious if there was a rule on this, like how much time has to pass before a once-hip/cool/trendy thing gets backlash, and the backlash is the cool thing to do? Because it seems to me that it isn't necessarily that it isn't cool anymore, it's just a lot cooler to present yourself as if you know what you're talking about whereas everyone else are just sheeple.
posted by gucci mane at 12:46 AM on September 15, 2016
I'm seeing a different reaction among my friends who are serious La Croix fans. They decry that the new flavors are too sweet, and too different, and cling stubbornly to the original five La Croix flavors that they'll drink, and they will drink only that.
We don't have any Safeways around here, and the sparkling seltzer selection is pretty terrible, honestly. There's Polar, and Trader Joe's selections, and I think maybe Aquafina had something? There are ...not a whole lot of store brands. Maybe that explains why they get so attached to their flavor of choice.
posted by PearlRose at 6:19 AM on September 15, 2016
We don't have any Safeways around here, and the sparkling seltzer selection is pretty terrible, honestly. There's Polar, and Trader Joe's selections, and I think maybe Aquafina had something? There are ...not a whole lot of store brands. Maybe that explains why they get so attached to their flavor of choice.
posted by PearlRose at 6:19 AM on September 15, 2016
Self-appointed and way too smug explainers-in-chief vox.com recently took up this question of why LaCroix is on 🔥🔥🔥🔥 right now.
posted by dis_integration at 7:09 AM on September 15, 2016
posted by dis_integration at 7:09 AM on September 15, 2016
Camera click sound effect on the website went off as I was walking into a public restroom. That was ridiculously embarrassing.
This year, I saw a guy using a laptop at a stand-up urinal. So you're good by that measure.
posted by zippy at 7:31 AM on September 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
This year, I saw a guy using a laptop at a stand-up urinal. So you're good by that measure.
posted by zippy at 7:31 AM on September 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
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