Consumers are saps for plant-based waters. While soda and non-fresh fruit juice sales are flat, sales of water made from plants are rising.
New to the scene, water made from maple and birch trees sap, according to the Portland Press Herald. The trees are tapped and their sap harvested, but the sap is not boiled, like in maple syrup.
The products are available from companies including Maple. and Byarozavik.
The new drinks are being touted for their health benefits. An article from Time, however, recommends caution. Describing the perceived benefits of maple water: "The product is so new that there's little research out there on its health benefits… while there's some research touting maple syrup as a source of healthy antioxidant compounds, that doesn't mean maple water will offer the same compounds in nutritionally significant quantities."
