Why Topo Chico Is the Best Sparkling Water

Step aside, LaCroix.
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Topo Chico

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I love all sparkling water and—if I'm being honest—I usually go for quantity over quality. I just want effervescent water tingling my tongue all day, every day, doesn't matter what it is.

But when I'm really treating myself, there's only one option that will do. Hands down, the best sparkling water isn't La Croix. It isn't Vintage. It's Topo Chico.

Topo Chico is a mineral water that has been sourced and bottled in Monterrey, Mexico, at the Cerro del Topo Chico spring since 1895. Yes, this water has been bottled for the last two centuries. It's naturally carbonated, with just a little extra carbonation added to restore any bubbles lost in the purification process. And folks across Texas are obsessed with the stuff. Once you taste it, you will be, too. Even my coworker Adina, who has a lifelong hatred of seltzer, has fallen under Topo Chico's thrall—take that for an endorsement. Could it be the mysterious benefits of the water itself, which supposedly has healing powers? We'll let you decide on that part.

But there's no denying that Topo Chico is powerfully effervescent—but its bubbles are less abrasive than most sparkling waters, more like pleasant little pinpricks than relentless fizz. It tastes lightly of minerals, but it doesn't smack you over the head with the flavor of rocks like some other sparkling waters do.

And let's not neglect the visuals. Topo comes in beautiful glass bottles with a blueish tint that hits you with the full force of summer. Its label is brightly colored in yellow and red and has a sort of retro feel. Just looking at a bottle makes me thirsty. I shamefully want to go to the beach, stick it in some sand, and Instagram the sweating bottle with the ocean in the background. I'm not perfect.

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It's no secret that there's a flavored sparkling water thing happening in the world. People are going crazy, suddenly, for those La Croix cans our health-conscious mothers were sipping between cocktails in the early '90s before they were cool. Our editor, David, fell in lust with Spindrift—a worthy competitor on the flavored-water battlefield. But part of the joy of Topo Chico—sparkling water purists since 1895—is that it exists outside of this bubble (though it does have plenty of bubbles). It's been here long before the zero-calorie flavored-water craze, and it will remain long after.

Outside of Texas and some other southern states, Topo can be difficult to find. Odds are, you'll find it either in fancy "gourmet" food shops or in regular grocery stores in neighborhoods with large Latin American populations. Its glass packaging is old school, not health conscious. And it's delicious in its simplicity. Lightly bubbly water that's cool and refreshing alone, or maybe with a little booze and lime in it. Ever had a Ranch Water? Maybe now's the time.

Here's some proof that super cool people drink Topo Chico.

But I sense the winds of change. In Texas,, hip people are already downing Topo Chico as their hangover cure of choice. The company somewhat recently began efforts at marketing the product to a wider audience. Intimidating, well-dressed people are going to be sporting these light blue bottles like accessories on the East Coast and then after that we're all going to be downing them left and right.

Somewhat recently, Topo Chico even joined the flavored-water bandwagon, offering both lime and grapefruit varieties. Even then, they did it deliciously, and with subtlety: the flavors are billed as "A twist of lime," and "a twist of grapefruit." There's just the tiniest hint of citrus in each bottle—refreshing but not overpowering. I guess some might consider it sad that Topo is trying to join the in-crowd. I welcome it—let's all drink the most delicious sparkling water in the world. My only worry is, now that I can score Topo Chico online rather than gorging on it when I fly south, how will I ever settle for plain old LaCroix again?

BUY IT: Topo Chico, 6 glass bottles $21 on Amazon