Polar Seltzer Flavors, Ranked
Photos by Mariel Tenney. Styling By Olga Khvan.
New Englanders are passionate about their Polar. The Worcester-based company has been around since the late-1800s, and very rarely lets anyone behind their Wizard of Oz-like curtain to catch a glimpse of how they go about making the delicious bubbly. The natural flavors—used to enhance the seltzer—are called “essence,” but what exactly is it? It must be human catnip, I say, because the stuff is addicting. Ad-dict-ing.
Because of our own passion for the product, we decided to rank all 18 classic Polar Seltzer flavors, from best to worst. But, honestly, there is no “worst” because they are all awesome! People even have the tasty bubbles shipped across the country because once you go Polar, there’s no going back. Sorry, Poland Spring. Seriously, Polar, what are those natural flavors?
How we did it:
- For this study, we only used the perennial, classic flavors—no special summer or winter bottles made the cut—just the 18 classics.
- All 18 bottles were purchased at the same neighborhood grocery near the Boston offices.
- Three bottles exploded upon opening.
- One bottle was flat, and immediately replaced at the same store.
- Polar was not contacted for this story.
- The idea behind this was inspired by a Tweet, as well as my own Polar addiction.
Meet your testers:
Melissa Malamut, senior editor; Bryanna Cappadona, assistant editor; Jamie Ducharme, editorial assistant; Olga Khvan, editorial assistant; Asia Bradlee, editorial intern.
Below, we bring you all 18 Polar Seltzer flavors, ranked:
1. Triple Berry
 | “The clear winner. The best. I buy this stuff in bulk. ” — MM“ “Berry passionate about this one.” — BC “Smells and tastes like a popsicle.” — AB |
2. Ruby Red Grapefruit
 | “This one is definitely my favorite.” — OK“ “Light with refreshing fruit notes.” — JD “Tart and subtle.” — AB |
3. Lime
 | “I love this one. It’s light and refreshing.” — MM“ “So good. Would make a great cocktail mixer.” — OK“ “A 10 out of 10. I would definitely drink this again.” — JD |
4. Granny Smith Apple
 | “It smells like a Jolly Rancher. ” — JD“ “Authentic green apple taste.” — OK“ “Like if you dipped a slice of green apple in water and then sucked on it.” — MM |
5. Cranberry Lime
 | “Very refreshing, will be great for a barbecue.” — AB“ “Will be good with a cocktail.” — BC “Slight Twizzler-like scent.” — OK |
6. Orange Vanilla
 | “Tastes like a Creamsicle.” — JD“ “Kind of sweet, but it’s my favorite.” — BC“ “Refreshing, but weird aftertaste.” — OK |
7. Pomegranate
 | “Tastes like real fruit! Seriously.” — BC“ “Not a fan.” — MM“ “Um, yum!” — AB |
8. Mandarin
 | “Love this one!” — AB“ “I taste nothing.” — JD“ “Smells good, but tastes plain.” — OK |
9. Vanilla Pear
 | “Subtle vanilla flavor.” — MM“ “I only taste vanilla.” — AB“ “Tastes like a candle.” — BC |
10. Raspberry Lime
 | “Can’t really taste the flavor.” — OK“ “Doesn’t taste like fruit to me.” — AB“ “I really like this one. The lime is subtle.” — BC |
11. Georgia Peach
 | “This is my favorite!” — JD“ “Smells good, but the flavor is too strong.” — MM“ “Neither here nor there.” — BC |
12. Lemon
 | “Boring.” — AB“ “No strong feelings.” — JD “Meh.” — OK |
13. Vanilla
 | “Too strong vanilla flavor.” — MM “This is for people who think they need sweetened seltzer.” — BC “Tastes like melted vanilla ice cream.” — OK |
14. Plain
 | “Kind of bitter.” — JD “I prefer San Pellegrino.” — MM “Tastes like bubbles.” — AB |
15. Black Cherry
 | “Smells and slightly tastes like NyQuil.” — OK “I second that.” — BC “One of my faves. Y’all are crazy.” — MM |
16. Cherry Pomegranate
 | “Smells like medicine; tastes like medicine.” — AB “This is an odd one.” — MM“ “Haters! I like this one.” — JD |
17. Blueberry
 | “Tastes artificial.” — JD“ “Like a Dunkin’ blueberry muffin.” — OK“ “Tastes like a muffin.” — BC |
18. Strawberry
 | “Tastes like a lollipop.” — AB “Smells like strawberry yogurt.” — JD “Oh no. No.” — OK. |
