2026 is about to be my most hydrated year ever, thanks to a surprising find.
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I have a confession to make: I love water. OK, maybe that’s not the juiciest piece of information to drop, but still. In an era where jokes circulate online about remembering to drink water, I can count myself in with the well-hydrated.
A downside of this, of course, is the constant trips to the bathroom. A necessary evil, and a small price to pay for the benefits of hydration. Now that I work from home, this is less of an issue than when I worked full-time in an office.
But to quote Elphaba from Wicked, “Something has changed within me, something is not the same.” I started 2026 off feeling decidedly meh about water. I kept forgetting my trusty LoveShackFancy Stanley in another room, and I was drinking more coffee and soda than water most days. It was decidedly not the best way to kick off a new year, and luckily, I tried a new (to me) product that changed my life. I’ll give you a hint: You’ve likely already seen it on your grocery store’s shelves.
What is this magical flavored water?
Turns out I gave you two hints, because the flavored water that blew my mind is called Hint. I had always passed right over it whenever I saw it at the store. As a big fan of water, I assumed that Hint would taste really artificial. I love the way freshly-squeezed lemon or sliced cucumber tastes in a glass of water, but something about the fruit “essence” in a bottle of water always scared me away.
And now I’m lamenting the years of my life I held this belief, because Hint is exactly what it claims to be: water infused with a hint of natural fruit flavor. It doesn’t taste sweet or artificial at all; the ingredients are just purified water and natural flavors. The first flavor I tried was blackberry, and it was delicious. I’ve also tried and enjoyed peach, watermelon, raspberry, blueberry-lemon and my new favorite, strawberry-lemon. These flavors reminded me of those big vats of infused water that they have in fancy hotel lobbies—but without that mushy, questionable fruit clogging up the spigot.
The slightly embarrassing thing is that once I drank one 16-ounce bottle of Hint, I couldn’t stop. Just like Cady Heron in Mean Girls, I became a woman possessed. I purchased a 12-pack of Hint water at Whole Foods, and at the end of the day I realized that there were only four bottles left in my refrigerator. That’s how I drank 128 ounces of water in a single day. Even in the before times as a regular water lover, I was probably refilling my 40-ounce Stanley once, which would be about 80 ounces of water on a good day. Safe to say that Hint water will be keeping up a continued presence in my fridge.
Where can you buy Hint water?
If you have a New Year’s goal to stay hydrated or simply want to infuse some joy into your water routine, Hint is the way to go. You can purchase variety packs online or pick up single bottles at your local grocery store. Of the stores in my area, Whole Foods stocks the largest variety of flavors, but I’ve seen them at Walmart and Target, too. They release a lot of seasonal flavors, so I’m excited to keep trying new flavors on my Hint hydration journey.
Related:
- Why Does Cold Water Taste Better?
- Fruit-Infused Water Recipes That Will Make You Forget About Soda
- Is Tap Water Safer to Drink Than Bottled Water?
