Seltzer of the Week: Aura Bora's sparkling water relies on weird flavors that somehow make a ton of sense

Welcome back to FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.

Full disclosure: I am not a seltzer/sparkling water guy. La Croix, to me, is shorthand for “I burnt off my tastebuds in a tragic pizza accident and now flavor is meaningless.”

So when I got the chance to try out Aura Bora, a relative newcomer to the seltzer scene, I wasn’t thrilled. I was additionally concerned when I looked at the flavor lineup. “Cactus Rose.” “Lavender Cucumber.” “Grapefruit Elderflower.” Those aren’t even the names of hand soaps I’d buy, let alone beverages I’d drink.

But this is my job. People send me things and I drink them. It’s not all gonna be beautiful bottles of scotch or quirky sodas. And if stepping out of my comfort zone is as simple as drinking sparkling water a) I clearly have a weird palette and/or haven’t been challenged much in my life, and b) let’s jump in with both feet.

Turns out, that was the right way to go about it, because Aura Bora paid off in a big way.