The Coca-Cola-funded Global Energy Balance Network recently disbanded after it was accused of trying to counter evidence that food impacts weight more than exercise, suggesting people could simply workout more to counteract sugary drinks like Coke. There are a glut of smart cups and water bottles coming to crowdfunding sites that promise to help you go a healthier route by lighting up when you need to get your hydration on, but that might not help when you’re craving something with a little more zip.
Instead of making the water itself fruitier or filling it with artificial sweetener, the Right Cup has a different approach to making H2O more flavorful: using “aromatic fruit flavor” and a “hint of sweet” from the cup itself to transform water into a flavored beverage.
Try this experiment from Tom Finger, a professor at the University of Colorado-Denver Medical School: Plug your nose and start eating a jelly bean. When you’ve chewed it halfway, unplug your nose. The watermelon, vanilla, popcorn, or earwax flavor should suddenly appear. That’s because scent is a huge part of taste.
With its mixed berry, orange, peach, apple, lemon-lime, and cola cups, the company says your brain is tricked into tasting these flavors. Creator Isaac Levi says that after he was diagnosed with diabetes, his doctor told him to stay away from sugary drinks, but he was bored by water.
During the BPA-free plastic cup’s manufacturing process, “the aroma and flavor become integral parts of the cup itself in a manner that does not change the plastic characteristics in any way,” according to the company. It’s shaped so your nose is getting a blast of aromatics with each sip. The cup’s aroma starts to dissipate after six months.
So, does the Right Cup actually work? No idea, but over 2,400 backers have pledged more than $154,000 to its Indiegogo campaign. You can get two cups for $49, with shipping expected in April 2016.
