Imagine magically turning plain old tap water into flavoured H20, just using the power of your nose.
Believe it or not, the Air Up bottle makes this taste-bud wizardry possible.
Well kind of!
Let’s dive deeper into the neuroscience behind this, as we wave farewell to squash with its artificial flavours, colours, sugar & sweeteners.
In this article...
How does the Air Up bottle work?
Air up simply uses scent rather than flavouring, cleverly tricking your brain into tasting flavour. Around 80% of our taste is derived through scent, which does explain why everything tastes so bland when your’e stuffy-nosed and full of a head cold.
Olfactory receptors (part of our anatomy, located in our nasal cavity) play a key role in our sense of smell. It’s actually where the majority of our taste comes from; not our taste buds like perhaps we once thought.
This means our nose interprets the scented pod on the Air Up bottle as a flavour, even though it’s just plain water inside. Nifty!
How strong are they?
Everyone’s sense of smell is different so they will most likely vary from person-to-person, plus, the selection of flavours/scents have varying strengths too. Naturally, some fruits are going to be more potent than others, resulting in a stronger taste.
Winter Apple (limited edition) and Peach were our choices. We both found the winter apple gave a barely-there, hint of apple flavouring, whereas the peach was more convincing.
It does work, but don’t expect the same bold flavouring or sweetness that you’d get in a regular squash, or you’ll be left feeling slightly miffed.
It’s definitely just a very subtle hint of flavour, more like an overly diluted squash.
Make sure the pod is in the correct position, otherwise it wont work
If you push the pod right down to the base and sip, it will just be plain water, almost like you’ve switched it off. Pull the pod up a couple millimetres though, and your water will magically switch to a flavour.
Keep the bottle upright too, there’s no need to tip it or sniff extra hard when drinking. Just drink it out the straw like you usually would.
How long do the scent pods last?
According to Air Up; if you’re guzzling around 1.5 litres of water a day, one air up pod will last you about 3 or 4 days before the scent wears off and the pod becomes redundant.
The aroma pods come in packs of three, which Air Up state is enough to power 23 refills of their 650ml bottle. Therefore, a pack of 3 pods will last roughly 10 days.
However, i’ve got a good two weeks out of one of my peach pods!
Can you recycle the pods?
You can put the little plastic aroma pods in with your plastic recycling at home. The same as you would with your single use plastic bottles, or other plastic packaging.
(This could differ from council to council)
How much does it cost?
Whether you’re wanting just the bottle, or planning to go whole hog with a full start up kit. Air up have a few different bundle offers, and they do multipacks of pods too.
We bought ours for Christmas when they had an offer on James’ grey colour bottle. His came with two packets of scent pods for £34.95, my blue bottle came with one packet for the same price. We also found a 20% off code, so we got 2 bottles and 9 pods for £55.92 including delivery.
A pack of 3 pods ranges from £5.95 all the way up to £8.95 with some of their premium flavours like cherry cola or elderflower. They have a choice of 32 flavours in total, so you’re sure to find some that take your fancy.
As three pods last on average 10 days, it can work out a little costly.
Are they natural?
Air up’s scented pods are specially made with all natural flavours & spices. You wont find any nasty chemicals inside them, just a natural tasty twist on your good old healthy hydration!
If you’re wondering they are suitable for vegetarians & vegans too.
If you run out of pods, can you still use the bottle?
Yes you can, it wont leak or anything without the pod. It will just be plain water.
Whats the bottle like?
The Air up bottle comes in a slightly unique shape. Wider at the base and slimming slightly towards the top, where the bottle then kinks turning almost 45 degrees. I assume this design is so the scent pod sits in prime position below your nose for full aroma and maximum impact.
Inside there’s a fairly wide straw which goes almost all the way down to the bottom making it easy work to consume a full bottle. The mouthpiece is made of soft touch food-safe silicone, which is much nicer to drink from rather than hard plastic.
On the top there’s a large screw lid, along with a handy travel loop making it ideal for when you’re on the go.
Can you customise your Air Up bottle?
Unfortunately you cant create your own bottle design.
However, you can purchase additional carry loops making it possible to switch out the one it comes with, for your preferred colour combo.
Is the Air Up bottle right for you?
Yes, If you’re looking to up your daily water intake without consuming calories or the additives that comes hidden in squash. You want to reduce buying ready made drinks in single use plastic bottles, or perhaps you just don’t like plain water.
In that case, Air Up could be a good option for you. You can take a look at some of their flavour options here.
If you want it to taste as strong and sweet as squash, then its probably not for you!
3 comments
Hi when does it run out mine lasted a month and how long will it take to come
Does the pods come with the bottle
Hi, that will depend on what offer you go for. They will state if pods come with it or not – ours did.