Cirkul Plastic Bottle and Flavor Sip REVIEW
I’ve never been a big water drinker. I know that it’s the best way to hydrate and I also understand how important good hydration is for proper health and wellness. The problem is that I find most water to be boring and flat. I’ve tried different flavor enhancement options, but feel that sometimes you have to add way too much in order to really get a good flavor with the water. Because of that, I usually default to drinking soda or sugary sports drinks. Fortunately for me (and everyone else that has this issue), the founders of Cirkul felt the exact same way as I did and they created their flavor cartridge/bottle combination.
DETAILS
Cirkul is a drinking system that consists of a reusable bottle and flavor cartridges called Sips. The goal of Cirkul is to provide people with a way to liven up their boring old drinking water without the hassle of a flavor enhancement like Mio or Crystal Light. Sips contain a variety of flavor options for users that are sugar-free (sweetened with Sucralose, Stevia, or natural flavor essences) and have no calories. There are no artificial colors added and the user has complete control over how much is added with each drink from the bottle thanks to the adjustable dial. One flavor cartridge should last for 132 ounces (the Cirkul bottle is approximately 22 ounces), which is about the same as about six 20-ounce beverages.
USER EXPERIENCE
I was really intrigued by the Cirkul when I first heard about it. I’ve liked flavor enhancers for quite some time but I don’t like the extra steps taken in order to use them. I don’t like that the water enhancers like Mio and Crystal Light are meant to be added to bottled water. This means you end up wasting plastic bottles instead of being able to refill a reusable bottle like what Cirkul provides. Cirkul keeps things easy. You simply add water — bottled or tap — to Cirkul and then twist the dial to your desired flavor level. I love the design of the system because the Sip simply screws into the lid and has the drinking nozzle built-in.
The Cirkul lid will actually work with several other bottle styles including Nalgene, CamelBak, Contigo, Hydro Flask and Klean Kanteen. Even though the lid works with other bottles, I really think that I prefer the Cirkul bottle. It has clean lines and the curve of the bottle makes it really easy to grip. I have actually found myself drinking water faster and more often because I can have the flavor built into it. I find it fascinating that the technology used to create the Sips keeps backflow from seeping into the main water bottle. This means, if you remove the Sip from the bottle, you can still drink plain water from it.
The bottle seems to be pretty durable. It’s been dropped a couple of times in our kitchen and no harm has befallen it. The same isn’t quite true of the Sips. At one point, I left the Cirkul on the kitchen counter with the Sip loosened but still on the bottle. Because it was top heavy, the bottle was knocked off the counter and it toppled to the floor. I noticed when I picked it up that the flavor cartridge had completely dislodged from the top of the Sip. Even though I was only about halfway done with that Sip, I had to throw it away because it wasn’t useable anymore. I have found the best use for Cirkul at work. We have a filtered water cooler but I don’t like the flavor of the plain water. Now, I can fill up the Cirkul and have deliciously flavored water all day long.
I think some people will be most concerned about the cost of the Cirkul. The bottle is $15 and each of the flavor packs is $15 for 4 Sips ($3.75 per Sip). Since each Sip is designed to work with 132 ounces of water, that would be equal to about 16.5 bottles of water. A single bottle of Mio retails for $3.99 and only serves approximately 10 servings per bottle, which will flavor approximately 80 ounces of water. With that in mind, I would invest in Cirkul because it’s better for the environment and in my opinion, tastes a lot better than the other flavoring agents for water.
CONCLUSION
The Cirkul bottle and its flavor enhancements are changing the way I drink beverages. I’ve always liked the flavor enhancements you can buy in the store but don’t like the hassle that comes along with them. Cirkul keeps things easy and I find myself feeling better simply from drinking more water thanks to this revolutionary new way of consuming water.
For more information, visit drinkcirkul.com
Find Cirkul on Facebook and Twitter.
Related
Originally published at macsources.com on February 6, 2019.
