So Bamboo Water Is a Thing?

Forget coconut water. There's a new H2O in town. Well, kind of. Bamboo Water, or bottled water that's been given a surge of bamboo extract, is the newest water craze to hit the market.

Bamboo extract–a green substance that forms inside bamboo leaves—is taken from the plant and added to water (along with some cane sugar and citric acid) in hopes to promote sustainable "health and wellness."

According to Vincent Villanis, founder of Bamboo Beverages Limited, the drink harnesses the "neglected nutritional properties of bamboo leaves." Growing up in the Phillipines, Villanis was taught by a soldier how to survive in the jungle. "One of the coolest things I remember from that was how to identify a young bamboo plant, and create an opening on one of the culms and drink the water from inside the bamboo in order to hydrate and survive," Villanis told Beverage Daily.

He also mentioned that bamboo extract has antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-halitosis effects, but that he'll hold off on making any big health claims for now until he can prove them—which is his next goal.

Bamboo Beverages Limited—based in Canada—launched a Kickstarter which recently was canceled by Villanis, but don't count the production out just yet. Villanis is still working on development and hopes to have the product hit shelves in New York and Toronto to start. You can learn more on their website.