GQ names Polar Seltzer the ultimate seltzer champion
Not that New Englanders had any doubts.
Consider this a week of exceptional Polar Seltzer news: The Worcester-based bubbly water company released its new lineup of winter flavors, and GQ named Polar Seltzer the overall champion of seltzers in its sparkling water taste test.
Writer John deBary described for the publication how he gathered a panel of 10 food and beverage industry friends for an evening at his apartment, documenting their reviews as the group tasted its way through 10 different brands of seltzer, both newcomers and standards: carbonated NYC tap water, Gerolsteiner, La Croix (unflavored), Pellegrino, Polar Seltzer, Q Soda, Saratoga, Smart Water Sparkling, Topo Chico, and Vintage Seltzer.
Each blind sample was chilled in a 35-degrees-Fahrenheit refrigerator and poured into a wine glass, after which the judges had one minute to score the sample on bubble intensity, minerality, bubble size, and how much they liked it, and then render a verdict. In the end, Polar Seltzer came out on top.
The publication named it “overall champion,” and said that many of the judges expressed their love for Polar even before the taste test began.
“It achieved a conclusive win, scoring an average of 8/10 for overall enjoyment — nearly a point above the second place water. The judges praised its aroma of ‘mountain air’ and called out its balance and ‘initially intense, but pleasantly fleeting’ bubble profile, which, according to Worcester, Massachusetts-based Polar, is achieved by using high pressure and near-freezing temperatures to ensure optimal carbonation.”
Some of the other results include Smart Water Sparkling being named “Surprise Hit,” Topo Chico as “Biggest Disappointment,” and Gerolsteiner dubbed “Most Hated.”
Find the full list of winners, losers, and every seltzer in between here.
