Should Maple Water Be Your New Post-Workout Drink?

As someone who’s a fan of drinking Gatorade (an artificially flavoured sports drink) to replenish my body with electrolytes after exercise, I couldn’t wait to try PC Organics 100% Maple Water.

Filled with 100 percent maple water, no added sugar, electrolytes and antioxidants, this beverage is considered to be a perfect alternative to water and a terrific way to hydrate after a strenuous workout. (Here are 4 more energy-boosting drinks to improve your next workout.)

What exactly is maple water?

Still unsure as to what maple water is, I spoke with Samara Foisy, product developer for President’s Choice to get the lowdown on this naturally sweet and refreshing drink.

Basically, “it’s a clear liquid that flows from Canadian maple trees for a short time in the early spring,” she tells me. Loaded with nutrition and containing just 40 calories per serving, this is a drink for someone who is looking to replace a beverage filled with sugar and calories. (See: my beloved sports drink indicated in the first paragraph.)

Curious as to whether or not maple water would actually hydrate me after a difficult workout, I put it to the test after I made my way through a sweat crawl put on by JOGA House and Reebok. So, instead of stopping for alcoholic beverages around the city, we were set to stop at various locations to sweat all of our worries away. With the crawl including a spin class, HIIT bootcamp, running and yoga, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to put my curiosity to the test and see what maple water had to offer.

And now, my thoughts:

After my workout, I took my first sip: the sweetness was subtle, and as soon as I swallowed, I felt as if I had just had a sip of regular water. This surprised me. I assumed that the overall sweetness would have been stronger (as if I was eating pancakes covered in maple syrup).

Also, the more I drank, the more I found the taste to be refreshingly addicting. And being that I’m not really much of a fan of maple syrup to begin with, I thought I’d have a few sips and call it quits, but that was not the case. So, this drink surprised me yet again.

The bottom line: I felt hydrated after drinking a full serving of the carton. But in my opinion, it compares equally with coconut water.

Next, find out how water can boost your metabolism.

PC Organics 100% Maple Water, $3.50 at your local President’s Choice retailer.