If you spend much time in the world of wellness on the internet, it’s hard to escape the hype about lemon water. From influencers claiming that a glass of citrusy water in the morning is the key to clear skin to doctors acknowledging the immune system benefits of the daily vitamin C intake (as well as the notable downsides of overdoing it), this is one habit that people love to talk about.

Benefits (or lack thereof) aside, If you’ve tried incorporating lemon water into your routine, there’s one thing that’s impossible to overlook: the taste. Squeezing fresh lemon directly into a glass of water doesn’t exactly take you back to the afternoon lemonades of childhood. Lemon is by nature a highly acidic fruit with a sharp flavor that’s great for brightening up savory soups or sweet desserts, but isn’t the most palatable on its own.

That’s where Lemon Perfect comes in. The company makes bottled lemon water in seven flavors, including Peach Raspberry, Blueberry Acai, and Pineapple Coconut. Each is made with filtered water, cold-pressed organic lemon, and natural flavors. The water is sweetened with organic erythritol, a sugar alcohol, and organic stevia leaf extract.

Nutritionally speaking, each bottle contains five calories and about nine grams of carbohydrates, which come from the erythritol. It also contains 90 milligrams of vitamin C, which is over 100 percent of the daily RDA, and electrolytes in the form of 20 milligrams of potassium.

The idea of Lemon Perfect is to make the ubiquitous lemon water elixir tastier and more convenient to enjoy at home or on the go. The bottles are shelf-stable before they’re opened, which is unusual in the world of cold-pressed juices, but does make shipping and storage easier.

To see if and how Lemon Perfect affected my hydration levels, energy, and other “health” indicators, I drank it for 10 days

Though lemon water seems to be a staple of the idealized morning routine on social media, I found the flavor of Lemon Perfect to be a bit strong first thing in the morning. And since the company says it can be enjoyed any time of day (including during a workout), I decided to drink mine in the afternoon.

I found Lemon Perfect to have a very strong taste of erythritol, which is similar to regular sugar, but…not. It’s a pretty off-putting flavor for me, and sadly none of the other natural flavors in the mix could overpower it. My favorite of the bunch was the Peach Raspberry flavor.

I already drink a pretty good amount of water, though I could be better about replenishing with electrolytes after a workout (I’m a marathon runner, and endurance runs can definitely take it out of me), so I did appreciate the boost of hydration from the electrolytes in Lemon Perfect. I’m also sure that the vitamin C did good things for my immune system, but I can’t say that I noticed a tangible effect there. I also did not notice much of a difference in my digestion or energy levels while drinking the product.

One interesting side effect of the Lemon Perfect taste is that I ended up drinking more regular filtered water to wash it down. So in a way Lemon Perfect unintentionally made me more hydrated.

Bottom line

At the end of the day, proper hydration is essential for a healthy lifestyle. And if you struggle to drink enough water throughout the day, a flavored product like Lemon Perfect can be a good way to get more fluids, with the added benefit of vitamin C. Plus, if you did a hard workout or had a late night out, getting some extra electrolytes is always a good idea.

If you’re not a fan of natural sweeteners like erythritol or stevia, however, Lemon Perfect may not be the answer to your hydration needs. The good news is that you may already have everything you need to make a tasty, hydrating drink in your kitchen right now. Cheers!