Weird drinks that are clear as water but aren’t really water

The world is a marvelous place, and sometimes it makes things that just exceeds the human capacity for wonder (well, my capacity for wonder at least). Prime example: flavored water.

This morning, our team came by news of Asahi Soft Drinks’ latest concoction, Asahi Clear Latte. The newly released drink is caffe latte-flavored water made with “clear espresso and milk.” This is what it looks like.

 

Everybody knows about Japan’s long-standing love affair with flavored water, but they’re not the only ones who have come up with some weird clear beverage. We listed down other drinks that you might mistake as H2O but is actually something else.

Warning: You might experience some level of bewilderment and taste-to-visual dissonance from the following items. Here we go.

 

Fruit flavored water

Before putting slices of lemon in your water pitcher became a thing, brands like Hint, Dasani, and Metromint have already been selling bottled flavored water in stores abroad. Their flavors range from strawberry, peach, lemon, orange, and other fruits. Again, these drinks are not quite juice not quite water. It’s like a juice limbo that I, personally, would not subject myself to.

 

CLR CFF

This is the one that was tried by Buzzfeed. In their video, only one of the handful that tried the drink actually liked and acknowledged it as coffee. CLR CFF or Clear Coffee was created by Slovakian brothers David and Adam Nagy who loved coffee but…didn’t want stained teeth? We’re confused too but to each their own. I guess. The transparent coffee (not coffee flavored water) is made from “high-quality Arabica coffee beans and pure water” and claims to be similar to a “potent cold brew.”

 

Calpis Soda Water

Calpis is a subsidiary of Asahi. Wikipedia desrcibes it in the following manner, “The beverage has a light, somewhat milky, and slightly acidic flavor, similar to plain or vanilla flavored yogurt or Yakult. Its ingredients include water, nonfat dry milk and lactic acid, and is produced by lactic acid fermentation.” The Sparkling version of Calpis comes in clear liquid form, versus the original which is, well, milky. 

 

Any IPA

Any IPA is a completely clear beer made through the collaboration of Kentucky-based brewery Springdale Beer and Louisville-based Against the Grain Brewery. Springdale co-founder Jack Hendler declined to share the secret that made the beer so clear, but he claims that “it smells and tastes just like a New England IPA.” It is being launched in Oregon this week, May 10, and will hit New England shelves later this month.

Photos courtesy of Twitter.com, WBJournal.com, DrinkHint.com, FoodandWine.com, and PRTimes.com

 

Read more: 

Lemon water is a hoax

Hydration life hacks: How to drink more water

This beverage corporation’s swearing off bottled water