I normally have glowing things to say about Whole Foods Market. In fact, I would almost consider my coverage biased at this point I love the place so much. However, today things change. Alright, so they don’t change that much because I still love my Whole Foods. However, they have let me down recently, and I want to share the story.
I know that conventional wisdom says that you should never grocery shop while hungry. I find that I tend to make far more compulsive purchases when I shop thirsty. I gave up just about all sugary and flavored drinks a couple years ago, pretty much sticking to water, orange juice, and booze. However, if I’m particularly parched while in the market, I tend to buy Italian sodas and iced tea.
On such a recent visit I found myself checking out the Italian soda rack. I was looking for my favorite flavor (grapefruit), but was disappointed to find it unavailable. What I did find was a large bottle of Whole Foods brand mint sparkling water. My mind immediately drifted off to thoughts of a large pitcher of ice cold water with fresh cut leaves of mint floating in it, giving it a refreshing subtle flavor. I picked up the bottle, figuring it would be delicious and thirst quenching.
When I got it home, I popped it open and poured it over some ice, taking a big swig. I had expected a subtle mint undertone, what I was met with instead, however, was an overpowering fake tasting peppermint flavor. It was literally like drinking carbonated toothpaste. That doesn’t sound very appealing does it? It shouldn’t, because this sparkling water was anything but appealing. Why Whole Foods? Why?
Has anyone else tried this? Am I alone in my opinion?
A couple of years ago I tried a mint flavoured water that wasn’t sparkling. It too was reminiscent of toothpaste.