The experimental side of the product is exactly what attracted me to it. It can also introduce an array of flavors we can’t actually taste in the real world, like “summer rain,” “freshly cut grass,” and more experimental options like “snake poison,” she jokes. She claims Air Up could also open possibilities for people with allergies who would be able to perceive flavors without the negative consequences. But you’d have to wait a few hours for the flavor to infuse in the water-and you’d have to have some fruit in your fridge.įor Jüngst, the product is only scratching the surface. Arguably, you could get yourself one of the countless infusion water bottles available on the market, cut up your own lemon, peach, or mango to pop inside it, and call it a day. A starter kit, with a bottle and three flavor pods, starts at $39.99, then the pods will be sold in packs of three, ranging from $7.99 to $12.99 depending on the flavors. The price is another potential sore spot. “We need to keep the flavor inside the pod, so that’s why we haven’t moved to a compostable material,” Jüngst says, noting the team is working on a recyclable version. (To slow down the evaporation and preserve the flavor longer, you can push down on the pod and block the two holes.) For now, I’ve been stacking my used pods on my desk, but when I eventually toss them in the trash, they’ll likely end up in landfills. Jüngst says the flavor lasts about 7 liters’ worth, which I found to be true, but since the scent evaporates gradually, the flavor started to disappear somewhere around the fourth or fifth refill for me. The experience is pretty wild it’s also pretty wasteful. Two tiny holes in the pod allow for air to come in through it, pick up scent molecules inside, and come out through the mouthpiece and into your mouth, where it mixes with the water and triggers your olfactory center into thinking the water is flavored. Made of plastic (virgin, not recycled) the pods hold a sponge that has been infused with natural flavors. The real trick, however, lies in the ring-shaped pods that lock onto the mouthpiece. To nudge users into using it properly, Jüngst’s team designed the bottle with a dip at the top suggesting the correct angle. This is known as retronasal flavor perception, and it’s responsible for every single flavor profile that doesn’t fall under the five tastes your tongue can perceive-think sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (which can be tasted on your tongue) versus more complex flavor profiles like chocolaty, floral, fruity, creamy (which are perceived by the nose).įor it to really work, you have to suck on Air Up’s mouthpiece instead of tilting the bottle, which makes for an unusual experience as bubbles end up forming with every sip. When you sip from the bottle’s straw, you suck in water and scented air, which travels to your olfactory center at the back of your mouth, where the brain perceives the scent as flavor. “What if we could create flavor that doesn’t come with all the negative additives,” says Lena Jüngst, a product designer and cofounder of Air Up. Why aren’t we designing for that?Īir Up was born on the premise that the human body craves flavor, and flavor often comes with ingredients that are bad for you. With millions of odor receptors, the nose plays a key role in how we experience food and drinks. But the sensory experience, which continues to baffle me, highlights the tremendous potential for food and beverage containers to tap into our sense of smell. The design has a few shortcomings, namely the use of nonrecyclable pods that have to be replaced after about seven water bottle refills. with 10 flavors, including watermelon, peach, and mango-passion fruit. Spurred by investors like PepsiCo and Ashton Kutcher, the brand is now launching in the U.S. Armed with this knowledge, hydration company Air Up has designed a unique water bottle that uses gently scented pods to fool you into thinking you’re drinking flavored water.Īir Up launched in Germany in 2019, turning profitable in its first two years. That’s why food can taste bland when you have a stuffy nose, or why you can’t recognize the exact flavor of a jelly bean if you pop it in your mouth while pinching your nose. Between 75% and 95% of what we taste comes from our sense of smell.
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