Karma Wellness Water product review

The weather here in southwestern Ohio has been unseasonably warm the last week. Did I say warm? I meant to say HOT! At least it is by March in Ohio standards. We have been tying or breaking record high temperatures left and right and relief is still several days away. With all of this warmth comes change. Springtime sports are in full swing-the kids are enjoying baseball, softball, soccer and track practice. Fitness fanatics are moving their exercise routines from the gym to the great outdoors. One of the most popular ways to stay hydrated in weather like this is by drinking water. Vitamin infused waters have become a hot trend over the course of the last couple of years and the choices can be mind boggling.

Did you know that pre-mixed vitamin enriched waters lose their potency from the time the product is bottled until it is consumed? I didn't either, so don't feel bad. Another problem that is often encountered with vitamin waters is that they contain significantly more calories than traditional, plain bottled water. While this won't railroad your fitness routine if you consume them occasionally, it can add up over time if you drink them as you would a soda. If this information has you second guessing what you drink, there is a new product on the market that may interest you-Karma Wellness Water.

There aren't many perks to being a writer, let alone a food writer. But the one thing I do love is getting trade magazines from the food and drink industry. I get to read about new products before my friends and when  I get lucky, I can even get product samples to review. I read about Karma Wellness Water in on of my many magazines and I immediately knew it was something new and exciting. I wrote to the company, explaining who I was and what Devour Dayton was all about and they agreed to send samples in exchange for a product review. Oh luck day!

Karma Wellness Water was introduced to the public last year. The company was founded on the belief of what goes around comes around-when you take care of your body, it will take care of you.Karma is made from natural spring water and sweetened with a combination of stevia and pure can sugar. This keeps the calorie count in check at a diet savvy 20 calories per 18 ounce bottle. Another selling point for Karma-and this one is big in my humble opinion-is that the vitamins aren't already mixed in the water. This means that the vitamin content doesn't decline over time and you get to mix a fresh bottle when you need it. The secret to Karma's freshness is that the vitamins are kept in an airtight cap which preserves flavor and nutrition. To mix your bottle, simply peel the seal, push to release the vitamin mixture and shake to distribute throughout the water. Simple!

 Karma Wellness Water comes in five unique blends-each with a distinct flavor and health benefits. They are as follows:

• Body-raspberry guava jackfruit flavor. Contains sodium, potassium, calcium and chondriton for fitness acceleration.
• Vitality-coconut pineapple flavor. Contains calcium, green tea extract, reservatrol, maca extract, magnesium, potassium, sodium, L-tyrosine and phosphorous for healthy hydration.
• Balance-acai pomberry flavor. Contains 1,000 mg of vitamin C4, zinc, berry extracts and and tea extracts to boost immunity.
• Spirit-passionfruit green tea flavor. Contains ginseng, L-theanine, grape seed extract, acai and pomegranate extract, yerba mate leaf extract and ashwagandha extract for mood elevation.
• Mind-orange mango flavor. Contains choline, coenzyme q10, yerba mate, guarana seed extract, natural caffeine and eleuthrococcus serticosus root extract for mental alertness.

In addition to these benefits, each blend of Karma contains over 100% of the USRDA of the following vitamins: A, B3, B5, B6, B12, D and E. Now that you know of the technical aspects of Karma, you are probably wondering what it tastes like. Well, I'm getting to that right now!

When my package of waters arrived, I couldn't wait to tear right into it and start sampling. Let me tell you up front-Karma Wellness Water tastes MUCH better when it is cold. The first bottle I tried (and it was the bottle I drank warm) was the Mind blend. I must admit that it is my least favorite of the five flavors. Warm-and cold-it has an obvious vitaminy scent and flavor. The orange flavor is the more prominent of the flavors and reminds me of Tang, but with a vitamin twist. I would not recommend this flavor for young kids who will most likely be turned off by both the scent and taste of the vitamins. The next blend I tried was the Balance. This flavor is hands down my favorite. The flavor is light and fruity without any obvious signs of the vitamins contained within. No one flavor is dominant-they all seem to meld together in fruity harmony. I feel this would be a good choice for kids and those who like to stay up on the latest food trends, as acai and pomegranate are two very hot flavors right now. The third flavor I tried was the Body blend. I was on my way to a baseball meeting one night and wanted something to drink, so I grabbed it on my way out the door. It wasn't cold, but in this case it didn't seem to affect the flavor as much as it did the Mind. Raspberry is the dominant flavor of this blend and Karma does it right-it is neither too fruity or too sweet like many raspberry flavored beverages are. It is light and refreshing-quite bright on the tongue. When drank warm, it has a flavor reminiscent of Gatorade. It also posseses an almost creamy aftertaste that is surprising and pleasant. It has a slight scent of vitamins, but it shouldn't be strong enough to deter children from drinking it. If I couldn't find the Balance blend, this would be my second choice. The next to last water sampled was Vitality and I must say it is quite good. The pineapple flavor really shines through although the coconut is merely hinted at. It is fresh and fruity with very little vitamin smell. If you like the flavor of pineapple but avoid it because of the acid, I suggest giving this flavor a try. Last, but not least, was Spirit. It was the last to be sampled because I am not a fan of green tea. The flavor and scent are both light, but it does have a noticeable vitamin aftertaste to it. It also tastes the most watery of the five flavors offered by Karma. The flavor is citrusy and bright, but it is also weak. While not a favorite of mine, it will probably please green tea drinkers.

Overall, I think Karma Wellness Water has brought a tasty, innovative product to the health and wellness market. I truly hope this line of vitamin infused waters continues to grow and prosper. Right now, the only obstacle I can foresee is the limited availability of the product. Locally, it may be found in some CVS locations. Across the nation, it can also be found at Tops, Wegmans, Alliance, Sheetz, Quickway, Price Chopper, Cumberland Farms, Mirabito, Market Basket, Kinney Drugs, Grand Union, Donelan's, Fastrac Markets, Express Mart, Xtra Mart, Nice and Easy, SavOn and Nouria Energy. Fortunately, for those of us who live in areas where Karma is not easily found, online sales are coming soon. If you would like to see Karma added to the shelves of your favorite store, please speak with the manager and urge them to contact Karma Wellness Water directly at info@drinkkarma.com. For more information, please visit the Karma website, Facebook page, Twitter feed or on YouTube.