Water Taste Test Challenge

I recently took a road trip and stopped to fill up my car and grab a bottle of water. My eyes were starting to cross, standing at the doors to the cooler, deciding on what bottled water to buy. There are many choices. My first instinct is to grab the water with the lowest price point.

But I paused and thought, why not try something new. Let’s go with a top-dollar brand of water—the one with the pretty designer bottle and label. My hand reached in and went straight for the lowest price point because, after all, it’s just water.  

Just water? Water is critical to our survival. Our bodies are over 60% water. Without it, we would eventually die. Every cell and organ in our body needs water and helps our bodies maintain their temperature. Water lubricates our joints and carries nutrients throughout them. Our bodies use water to remove waste. Water is necessary for overall good health. 

I remember as a child, playing outside and drinking from the garden hose connected to the side of our home. I grew up drinking from the no-filter water faucet at our kitchen sink. I headed straight for the water fountain in the hall at school after class. Back then, we didn’t see people walking around with water bottles. There was not a dedicated aisle at the store dedicated to water. 

Today, there is a huge market for water filters for homes and fancy appliances. The grocery stores have a dedicated water aisle, and people buy water by the case. Home bottled water delivery service is all the rage. You only had a water cooler station at the office in the past. Go anywhere, look around; people are carrying around water bottles. 

 I learned that most bottled water does not have fluoride in it working in dentistry. If it does, it will be on the label. Many bottles of water you buy are from municipal water supplies and may contain fluoride. Did you read that? Most bottled water you buy is from municipal water supplies. More than likely, that high price designer bottled water is not from some fancy, mysterious, deep-in-the-ground well. 

With so many water brands to choose from, I decided to do a taste test. What makes one water better than another? Plain, non-flavored, still water, is there a difference in smell and taste? I was curious. I’m not a picky water drinker. The filtered water that comes from my refrigerator works for me. I was intrigued and decided to do my own test. 

I selected six plain, non-flavored, non-carbonated bottles of water from the store. Price ranged from high to low. Included in the test was a glass of water from my refrigerator dispenser. 

All the water was at room temperature. I compared watercolor, appearance, smell, and taste. I cleansed my palate with an unsalted cracker between each water sample. I ranked each on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the best—the brands I tested: Fiji, Voss, Publix, Eternal, Dasani, and my home water.  

Here are my top 3 brand guesses according to my tastebuds:

3) VOSS brand of water was my guess. It was Publix grocery store brand bottled water

2) Home glass of water was my guess. It was Dasani bottled water 

1) The best tasting. Fiji was my guess. It was the glass of water from my home – of course, it was the best!  

I was surprised and found the taste test results interesting. I assumed the water that tasted the best was the higher-priced water brand. I drink 80 to 100 oz of water a day, and my home water is what I drink regularly, so my tastebuds were honed in on it.

Between all six brands, there was no difference in smell or appearance. Taste, only a very slight difference. I’m thinking that would be from the plastic bottle, how long ago it was bottled and what temperatures were in transit. The taste difference was not enough to turn me off, however. The only significant difference between these six bottles of water is the price point.  

Bottled water is overrated. Next road trip, I’ll try to remember to pack extra water from home for the journey. But if I need to buy a bottle, I’ll pick the low price point water without a second thought and feel confident it will satisfy.