Hydration is very important for our bodies. Getting sufficient water helps improve our brain performance, aids in digestion, provides more energy, keeps our heart healthy, can aid in weight loss/management, decreases joint pain, aids in temperature regulation (especially during hot days), helps our body get rid of waste, and may even help with headaches. Even though most people know they need to drink more water, some just do not like the taste or have trouble motivating themselves to drink enough. Luckily, there is a new reason to get excited about your personal hydration: Cirkul.
What Is the Cirkul?
Cirkul is a hydration system that features water bottles with a specialized lid into which a flavor cartridge is inserted. The cartridge itself features the mouthpiece and cap. As water flows through the cartridge, the flavor is added to the water right inside the cartridge. A dial on the cartridge lets you choose just how much flavor you want to taste while you are drinking. The Cirkul Starter Kit can get you started for $20.00. Additional cartridges run $3.75 each and last usually 5-6 bottlefuls of water, depending on the dial setting. All are available directly from the Cirkul website. Monthly plans are also available allowing the purchase of multiple cartridges at a discount.
Product Components and Features
Here is what you get with the Cirkul Starter Kit:
- 1 22-ounce plastic bottle
- 1 leak-proof lid
- 1 fruit punch LifeSip cartridge
- 1 mixed berry FitSip cartridge
While the starter kit comes with a 22-ounce plastic bottle, you can also create your own bundle with a choice of either plastic or stainless steel bottles in 12-ounce, 22-ounce, or 32-ounce sizes. If you already have a bottle that you like, you can also just order a comfort grip lid that fits most wide-mouth bottles. For example, the lid fits perfectly on my Hydro Flask. The lid has a large opening at the top to hold the Sip cartridge.
The Sip cartridges come individually packaged and ready to use. There are 39 different types divided into six categories, all of which are 0 calories. LifeSips contain sweetened flavor, enriched vitamins, and come in 12 different flavors, three of which are sweetened with Stevia. The five flavors of FitSips contain electrolytes, while GoSips come in eight flavors with caffeine. PureSips are just flavor and no sweetener. They come in eight flavors. There are also two flavors of TeaSips with premium tea and four flavors of BrewSips with natural coffee flavor. Both TeaSips and Brewsips are enhanced with caffeine.
To use a Sip cartridge, fill the bottle with water and then insert a cartridge into the opening on top of the lid and twist into place. It is that simple.
Open the cap and then fold it back onto the fin along the dial to hold the cap back in place and out of your way. To adjust the amount of flavor you want, rotate the dial. The numbers on the dial go from 1 to 9 with 1 being just a slight amount of flavor while 9 offering a lot of flavor. The “X” to the right of the 1 turns off the flavor so only get water, while the “O” to the left of the 9 gives you maximum flavor.
Why You Should Get Cirkul
Getting the recommended 8 glasses (64 ounces) of water a day can be tough. That is half a gallon! Therefore, adding some flavor or even a bit of sweetness can really help in reaching a daily hydration goal. Bottled drinks not only cost money to purchase but also can add to pollution. Due to their size and weight, they have a carbon footprint from their transportation. As a result, many people are turning to using their own containers to which they can add pouches of flavoring. The downside of this is you need to have several pouches with you to keep flavoring each refill of the bottle. Also, you need to do a thorough cleaning of the bottle as well as the lid with any valves, straws, and openings, all of which can be a pain to clean.
The advantage of the Cirkul system is the Sip cartridge. One of these will last you a few days depending on how many bottles of water you drink and the amount of flavor you dial in—no need to carry extra pouches of flavor. Since the flavoring stays inside the cartridge, none of it gets into the bottle itself. This makes cleaning the bottle easy. Plus, once the flavor is used up, you remove the cartridge which has the valve and mouthpiece built into it. The cartridges are even recyclable. Just separate the top and bottom of the cartridge. Then remove the flavor pouch and spout and dispose of them. Finally, you can recycle the top and bottom pieces.
I am very impressed with the design of the Cirkul products. The dial which allows me to select the amount of flavor I want is such a great innovation. Using pouches of flavor is imprecise and you are stuck with an entire bottle of the same strength unless you add more powder or more water. Even the fin at the back of the Sip cartridge is a useful feature to keep the lid out of the way when you are drinking. Finally, cleaning the Cirkul bottle and lid is easy. Plus the plastic bottles and lids are top-rack dishwasher safe. My family likes the Cirkul bottles as well as many of the different flavors we have tried. Plus, every third Thursday, Cirkul launches new, exclusive flavors which are only available for a limited time. Past flavors have included Honeycrisp Apple and Passion Fruit Dragon Fruit. If you are looking to take your hydration to the next level, then I recommend Cirkul.
For more information and to order your starter kit, check out the Cirkul website.
Disclosure: GeekDad received a sample of this item for review purposes.
