Owater

[colormist]

I decided to roam around in the flavored water section of the grocery store and stumbled upon Owater (unsweetened). It's not fizzy/sparkling like other unsweetened waters.

Here's the website: www.owater.com

Even the flavors (lemon-lime, peach, strawberry, etc) do not contain fruit juices.

If you find them in your area, I highly recommend picking up a few. I never imagined water would taste this good.

[sarahk]

I new pizza place opened up by my house-and guess what-they don't use sugar in the dough!! And they make a pizza with pesto sause upon request and the salami and pepperoni also contained only dextrose! It was SO GOOD!

Kinda pricey-A large Mediterranean (Fresh Mushrooms, Black Olives, Onions, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Artichoke Hearts and Garlic--no tomatoes or bell peppers-and added feta, pepperoni and pesto was about $30--but TOTALLY worth it.

www.asconapizza.com/

I'll try the Owater

[colormist]

I found a pizza place down the road that also does white pizza and no sugar in their dough! I'm so happy.

Also a little bummed that I left my Owater at home.

[colormist]

Okay, I'm officially obsessed. I wrote a love-letter to Owater. I've had four bottles, now. Two lime, peach, and strawberry. Peach took a while to drink. My head wouldn't let my stomach believe that it wasn't going to make me sick. Strawberry tastes like strawberries--REAL strawberries. I feel like Violet when she's eating that gum in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Peach tastes like a real peach.

I've got to figure out if I can buy this stuff in bulk. I had my husband try strawberry last night, then he demanded to know where I was stashing them away.

Dearest Owater,
I first spotted your alluring physique at Busch's. You were sitting on the shelf, tempting me with you promise of unsweetened yet flavored water. I groped your bottle, perhaps too roughly at first, to read your label. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Not only were you unsweetened, but devoid of fruit juice as well. I shook you—I knew I shouldn’t, but I had to see if you were carbonated. You weren’t. Little did I know the bliss your flavors would present to my tongue.

I was born with a genetic condition (hereditary fructose intolerance). Although I love the taste of fruit, to actually consume fruit causes me to become violently ill. I also cannot partake in the deliciousness of chocolate or desserts, as all basic enjoyments of consuming delicacies have been stripped from my being. With this simple, elegant product you have created, you allow me (and others like me) once again to enjoy the flavor of fruit without the horrid side effects.

Thank you, Owater. I hope you always, always, always make this product.

Sincerely,
Laura Mitter
(and all the other hereditary fructose intolerance suffers in the United States)

[millan]

Okay, you're getting me really interested.
Googled Owater and saw they have wild berry as a flavor!
Wonder when (if) this intriguing product will find its way over the pond?
I love berries and have tried several sparkling water even though I aren't fond of carbonate. To get the taste of berries without the tickling bubbles...
*starting to ponder how much it would cost to have a couple of bottles shipped to Sweden just to try it*

[Tammy]

Yep, you got me, too.
guess I'm going to have to look for it. Only it's for me. Regina doesn't like fruit flavors, but I do. Especially without the bubbles!

As for shipping, if you know someone over here that can get the water, and is willing, it's still not cheap. I send to Amsterdam alot. A small, flat rate box is $39. And the large flat rate box is $50. That's still the best way to send because it doesn't matter how heavy it is. If it fits in the box, you can send it. It gets really expensive if you start paying by the pound.

[colormist]

I noticed you can buy from the site in bulk (24 pack)--but you'd have to REALLY like it. Shipping seems to be similar to what Tammy quoted--and you might get a larger quantity for lower shipping rates.

[colormist]

MWAHAHAHAHA, Owater representative wrote back:

Hi laura
Thanks for the great email and congrats on the discovery. It is such a great story to hear. Don't worry we are not going away any time soon and we will never add artificial sweetener to our unsweetened owater. Thanks again for sharing your story. I have copied our Midwest team and they willbe able to let you know about upcoming promotions we are running.

Thanks again!

Jimmy

I love it when small companies actually write back emails.

[lisa]

Went looking for Owater today and found it at a local health food store...except that it was made with natural flavoring and cane juice. I will keep looking for the unsweetened version.

Be careful if you are buying this online! Oh, Amazon has it qualifying for their "free shipping over $25", just can't tell whether it is sweetened or unsweetened.

[colormist]

Oh-SNAP! I didn't even think to check amazon--though it's a little steep there. 12 pack for 24.99--at least the shipping is free.

Unsweetened links (you can see the teeny-tiny text to the left of the label of the bottle (vertical) that says unsweetened--plus the description says unsweetened).

Wild Berry: www.amazon.com/O-Premium-Water-20-Ounce-Bottles/dp/B000MU4QI0/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1226591600&sr=8-2

Lemon-Lime: www.amazon.com/O-Ultra-Premium-Water-Bottle/dp/B000MU6SJK/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1226591600&sr=8-3

Strawberry: www.amazon.com/Premium-Water-Strawberry-20-Ounce-Bottles/dp/B000MU6SPY/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1226591600&sr=8-6 (this one is my FAVORITE)

Orange: www.amazon.com/Premium-Water-Mandarin-20-Ounce-Bottles/dp/B000MU6SKO/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1226591600&sr=8-9

Doesn't look like they have peach yet. Some of these aren't available right now.

[azmary]

Has anyone compared flavored O Water to a good quality of water flavored with a small amount of Kool-Aid?

(Ok, I know that KoolAid has artificial stuff, but I've been using just a tiny bit to flavor iced green tea just for a change.)

Thanks - azmary

[CK]

Hi Colormist,
What stores do you find the unsweetened Owater in, in Michigan? My brother is coming home for Christmas from Holland, Michigan and I want him to find me some since I can't find it in Minnesota. It sounds like a great treat.
Thanks,
Colleayn

[colormist]

We've found it in Busch's.
It's also supposed to be in D&W, Hillers, and Glenns.

In Grand Haven (just north of Holland) it's in Santo Stefano and South Town Market.
In Grand Rapids (west of Holland) it's in Big Apple Bagle, D&W, Family Fare, Plumbs, Pita House, Common Grounds, Brooklyn Bagel, and Erikas.

[meaniejean]

So, I am not sure I should post this or not, since we are not diagnosed, but my son, Calvin drank a whole bottle of the unsweetened lemon-lime OWater and he ended up with a stomach ache, irritability and then that night he literally peed lime. His entire nighttime pull-up just reeked of lime juice - it was SO weird. I probably shouldn't have let him have this since he seems to react to natural fruit flavors - I think I am just having a hard time coming to grips with his sensitivity.
Anyway, take it for what it's worth - he's a tiny little guy, very sensitive and perhaps not HFI, so ...

[CK]

Thanks for all the store names! I am sure they'll be-able to find some. I'm excited. It will be nice to try something besides water and green tea. Thanks for the heads up meaniejean, I'll test it out gently first. I don't want to take the chance and get sick over the holidays.

[julienc]

Laura, I'm confused. If they do not use artificial sweeteners or real fruit juices, how does it taste like the fruit??

[meaniejean]

I just found this on the website:

"Our flavor comes from natural fruit
oil and the essence of real fruit.
We think real fruit tastes better, so
we do not use artificial flavoring
or coloring"

I am guessing this is why it didn't agree with Calvin. Bummer, man!

[colormist]

I don't know, but they don't taste sweet or have any sweetener in them. It's very odd. Again, it's like the sparkling waters (berry and lemon) without the sparkling bit.

[julienc]

I wish I could try some. Maybe they'll come to NC soon.

[flutterby]

We could not find OWater either, but we did find Sam's Choice Clear American in a variety of flavors that is just sweetened with dextrose. Matthew loves these and he calls them his "spicy drink" because they are sparkling. We found ours and walmart which are of course all over the country and I assume they would also be at Sam's Club.