It shouldn't be too hard to figure out that maple syrup comes from the sap of the maple tree. Odds are, you have a gross, sticky bottle of it somewhere in your cupboard. Yet, it's important to remember that you can't stick a tap into a tree and expect Aunt Jemima to flow out. In fact, the process is much more complex. Each year, in February or March, the sap is removed from the maple tree, boiled down for a very long period of time, and then sweetened to create the classic breakfast topping. Now, this whole process is great -- who doesn't like syrup? -- but it does leave a question to be answered: what comes out of the tree at first?
Well, that's what Vertical Water is. Branded as "Maple Water", it's actually just the direct product of the maple tree, before being boiled or sweetened or put in a bottle shaped like a log cabin. It has the viscosity of normal water, not syrup, and apparently contains a host of nutrients that consumers suddenly require in order to live a healthy lifestyle. Sound familiar? Yeah. This whole product, from the advertising to the packaging, reminds me a lot of the coconut water trend from a few years ago. But, numerous brands have picked up versions of the drink in recent months, so it must not be too bad, right? (Right?...)
Well, that's what Vertical Water is. Branded as "Maple Water", it's actually just the direct product of the maple tree, before being boiled or sweetened or put in a bottle shaped like a log cabin. It has the viscosity of normal water, not syrup, and apparently contains a host of nutrients that consumers suddenly require in order to live a healthy lifestyle. Sound familiar? Yeah. This whole product, from the advertising to the packaging, reminds me a lot of the coconut water trend from a few years ago. But, numerous brands have picked up versions of the drink in recent months, so it must not be too bad, right? (Right?...)
Color: Clear and colorless. Not even a hint of brown, like you would expect in maple syrup. Not cloudy, just clear.
Smell: It has a scent to it, but it falls into the category of "can't quite place it". I would say that it smells fresh and almost floral, but not like maple syrup -- at all. It smells good though, no red flags yet.
Taste: It tastes exactly as it smells, which means that I'm going to have a hard time really telling you what it tastes like. I'll say this: had I not been told it was from a maple tree, I wouldn't be able to tell you that it was. It really is just a fresh, floral flavor. It's almost a bit perfume-like, but the flavor is really so light that it isn't off-putting. It's just slightly sweet, and all of the sugar is natural. As a whole, it tastes more like water than anything else. It is extremely light, and I would imagine that if you had a very cold glass of it on a hot summer day, it would be quite refreshing. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Smell: It has a scent to it, but it falls into the category of "can't quite place it". I would say that it smells fresh and almost floral, but not like maple syrup -- at all. It smells good though, no red flags yet.
Taste: It tastes exactly as it smells, which means that I'm going to have a hard time really telling you what it tastes like. I'll say this: had I not been told it was from a maple tree, I wouldn't be able to tell you that it was. It really is just a fresh, floral flavor. It's almost a bit perfume-like, but the flavor is really so light that it isn't off-putting. It's just slightly sweet, and all of the sugar is natural. As a whole, it tastes more like water than anything else. It is extremely light, and I would imagine that if you had a very cold glass of it on a hot summer day, it would be quite refreshing. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Rating: * * * *
The flavor is very light, but I wouldn't necessarily expect it to be a very heavy flavor, so I can't take points off for that. It was refreshing and, frankly, different from any other drink I've had recently, so I enjoyed it. Better than coconut water? Yes. Better than maple syrup? Sorry, no.
