I Tried Costco’s Knockoff LaCroix and Here’s How It Went

When word got out that Costco was unleashing a lineup of LaCroix knockoffs in lime, lemon, and grapefruit flavors, sparkling water fans rejoiced. Finally they could satisfy their unquenchable thirst at a rock-bottom Kirkland Signature price!

Read more: Look Out, LaCroix — Costco’s New Flavored Seltzer Is Here

Packaged in giant flats of 32 cans for just $7.49 (at least at my store in Portland, Oregon), the Kirkland Signature Sparkling Water has finally rolled out in most warehouse stores across the country — for about half the price of LaCroix. Most supermarkets sell eight-packs of La Croix for about $3.50, or about $0.46 per can. But the Kirkland Signature version is only $0.23 per can. That’s some serious savings.

The only downside is you can’t just load up on one flavor. The flats feature a mix of 12 cans of lemon, 12 of lime, and 8 of grapefruit, which, by the way, seems like a serious miscalculation since grapefruit is of course the far superior flavor. Who’s the genius who decided to shortchange us on pamplemousse?

Of course, the bigger question is how do the Kirkland waters taste? Could they possibly be just as good? We grabbed cans from both brands and set up a blind tasting to see how Kirkland stacks up.

I tasted each of the three flavors from the two brands side by side, starting with lemon, then lime, and finishing with grapefruit. At first, the brands tasted so similar the differences were barely detectible. But after several more sips nuances emerged. Consistently one cup in each flavor category would have a little less flavor and the bubbles would be a little less pronounced than the other. The ones with the liveliest bubbles and brightest flavor scored the highest.

Here’s how it all broke down.

• Flavor: Subtle lemon with slightly soapy notes
• Bubbles: Rough and pronounced at first, but quickly become flat
• Aftertaste: Lemon peel

• Flavor: Pronounced lemon flavor, like lemon oil
• Bubbles: Fizzy and long-lasting
• Aftertaste: Clean

• Flavor: Very subtle lime with bitter notes
• Bubbles: Rough and pronounced at first, but quickly becomes flat
• Aftertaste: A little soapy

• Flavor: Sweeter lime profile and juicy aroma
• Bubbles: Fizzy and long-lasting
• Aftertaste: Clean

• Flavor: Salty with subtle grapefruit notes
• Bubbles: Rough and pronounced at first, but quickly becomes flat
• Aftertaste: A little musty

• Flavor: Bright grapefruit
• Bubbles: Fizzy and long-lasting
• Aftertaste: Clean

So which brand turned out to be the one with the consistently brighter flavor and lively bubbles? LaCroix, natch. Costco’s knockoff brand didn’t have long-lasting bubbles and there was a slightly unpleasant lingering aftertaste.

But, again, the differences are negligible, so if you want to save half the price by getting the Kirkland knockoff, you won’t be disappointed.