PurAqua Frut Flavored Water

Last Updated on September 25, 2020

I was raised on plenty of old-fashioned, plain, straight-from-the-tap water, and it’s still my go-to for quenching thirst. My husband and kids are the same way. With the exception of tea, and sometimes a small amount of juice at breakfast, we don’t drink a lot besides water. We save the soda, sparkling drinks, and sweetened drinks for special occasions, and our teeth and bodies thank us for it.

However, I sometimes purchase flavored waters for camping or for road trips. They’re usually name brands and can get a bit pricey. So my curiosity was piqued when I noticed Aldi sells its own house brand of flavored water bottles.

PurAqua Frut Flavored Water cost $6.99 for a 24-pack of 16-oz. bottles (about 29 cents per bottle) at the time of publication. This water seems to be a Regular Buy, which means it’s on store shelves all year.

In terms of ingredients, it appears to be comparable to Nestle Splash, which cost $10.20 for a 24-pack of 16.9-oz. bottles (about 43 cents per bottle) from Walmart at the time of publication. Hint Water, another popular flavored water, cost a minimum of $15.98 for a 12-pack of 16-oz. bottles (about $1.33 per bottle) from Walmart at the time of publication.

This water contains zero calories and 0% juice. The water comes in four flavors: strawberry, raspberry, grape, and peach. 

I noticed a couple of things about this water.

First, this is sweetened with sucralose, an artificial sweetener. Some people avoid sugar all together and stick with beverages containing artificial sweeteners, but I tend to avoid artificial sweeteners because I don’t care for the taste, and because there is evidence that artificial sweeteners may intensify cravings for sweet things. It’s common for flavored waters to contain artificial sweeteners, though, so this might not be a deal breaker for you.

Second, I noticed this water is flavored with a lot unfamiliar ingredients. The ingredients lists are the same for all flavors. They contain purified water and less than 2% of the following: natural flavor, citric acid, sodium citrate, sucralose, sodium hexametaphosphate, potassium sorbate, and sodium benzoate (to protect flavor).

Here’s a breakdown of some of those ingredients:

• Natural flavors are created by isolating a component of a natural food (such as a strawberry or peach), enhancing it in a lab, and putting it back into a food (such as flavored water). Unfortunately, manufacturers are not required to reveal what goes into natural flavors, and often there is not much difference between natural and artificial flavors.
• Sodium hexametaphosphate is an emulsifier that helps the ingredients in the liquid solution stay evenly mixed together.
• Potassium sorbate is primarily used as a preservative. 

My family thought this flavored water tasted okay, with one family member strongly approving of it, but most of us prefer the more subtle taste of name-brand Hint Water over this. Aldi sometimes sells Hint Water as a limited-time Seasonal Favorite, usually during the warmer months.

Read on for a closer look at individual Pur Aqua flavors:

PurAqua Strawberry Frut Flavored Water

Ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

Nutrition info. (Click to enlarge.)

This has a good fruity flavor and scent, and it reminded us a bit of a strawberry lollipop or strawberry Kool-Aid. It has 75 mg of sodium (3% DV).

PurAqua Raspberry Frut Flavored Water

Ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

Nutrition info. (Click to enlarge.)

This has a fruity flavor and smell to it, like what you might expect for something raspberry-flavored. It has 75 mg of sodium (3% DV).

PurAqua Grape Frut Flavored Water

Ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

Nutrition info. (Click to enlarge.)

This tastes distinctly different from its berry counterparts, with a definite grape flavor. Combined with the taste of the artificial sweetener, it reminded me a little of sports drinks such as Gatorade. It has 75 mg of sodium (3% DV).

PurAqua Peach Frut Flavored Water

Ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

Nutrition info. (Click to enlarge.)

This also tastes very distinct compared to the berry and grape water flavors. It has a strong peach flavor and scent, and because peach is a common flavor added to iced tea drinks, it reminded some family members of tea.

The bottle for this water flavor says it is gluten free and lactose free. It’s the only bottle of the four flavored waters that makes this claim.

It has 35 mg of sodium (1% DV).

The Verdict:

PurAqua Frut Flavored Water appears to be similar to Nestle Splash flavored water. It’s sold in a 24-pack of 16-oz. bottles and comes in strawberry, raspberry, grape, and peach flavors. It has zero calories and is sweetened with sucralose, so if you avoid artificial sweeteners, this isn’t for you. If you’re looking for a twist on regular water and don’t mind the diet sweetener taste, though, you might like this.