Evian Water

On the farm we used an old soup can to drink water from the well, sure it was a little metallic tasting.

Favorite water is tap water in the near chicago suburbs. They filter and treat from lake Michigan, and in the city it tastes fine, but the flora in the pipes really enhances it, and you only get that if it travels a fair bit.

You really don’t want to be drinking water with very low dissolved solids, ie low connectivity, it tends to pull minerals from your body.
 
My great grandfather had an iron pipe coming out from under an oak tree on the side of a bank that had been tapped into a spring in the mountains north of Asheville. There is a nail in the tree holding a galvanized dipper that's been hanging there for what seems like a hundred years. Even in summer that water will chill your teeth. I'll take the Pepsi challenge on that water beating anything coming out of a bottle.
 
There is a spot in Virginia that has the best water I have ever tasted. It blows away any bottled water, tap, hose and is the perfect temperature to drink regardless of time of year. It literally bubbles up from the ground and a very small trench runs into the nearby creek.

An old Mine shaft was constructed 100 years ago that ran into the water table and they sealed it off... but a small place on the surface ruptured through and equalized the pressure. I don't know if the coal filters it and I had it tested in 93 (I did the testing) at VT and did not contain any heavies, particles or bacterium.

Just a freak of nature and man.... I always thought I could set up shop on the place and literally bottle money. We used to ride motorcycles all day and then ride down from the mines and drink till we were full.... awesome.
That sounds like 3300 Artesian, in Bland, VA. I worked for the company that insured them, and visited their plant. As I recall, the story was that back in the early part of the 20th century some people had the idea that they would drill for oil in the area. They got a lot of local investors' money and started drilling. At a depth of 3300 feet they struck not oil, but water. They then left town with their drilling rig and what was left of the money. For some years the water flowed out of the " oil well" and ran down the hill into the creek, until someone realized that a public that would pay good money for filtered tap water in plastic bottles would pay for natural artesian well water from a source 3300 feet deep (thus the name). They first sold it to coal mining companies, since the owners already had a business selling other supplies to the coal mines. At least, that's how I remember the story.
 
That sounds like 3300 Artesian, in Bland, VA. I worked for the company that insured them, and visited their plant. As I recall, the story was that back in the early part of the 20th century some people had the idea that they would drill for oil in the area. They got a lot of local investors' money and started drilling. At a depth of 3300 feet they struck not oil, but water. They then left town with their drilling rig and what was left of the money. For some years the water flowed out of the " oil well" and ran down the hill into the creek, until someone realized that a public that would pay good money for filtered tap water in plastic bottles would pay for natural artesian well water from a source 3300 feet deep (thus the name). They first sold it to coal mining companies, since the owners already had a business selling other supplies to the coal mines. At least, that's how I remember the story.

I know of that place....
 
Water definitely can taste different based on mineral content. Desanti (which is Coke, BTW) adds minerals for taste. There's research that shows some of these ultra-purified waters, reverse-osmosis/UV/super filtered, etc can be bad for you. As previously mentioned, it can leach out other nutrtrients from your body. So, water isn't jsut water, so to speak. If I'm buying bottled, I generally prefer the "purified" types over the "spring" types. They are more consistant in taste. Spring waters are all over the place and some I definitely don't like. Not tried Evian, but my favorite bottled water was Lauretana, Italian glacial water. It just tasted right. They got Pininfarina (yes, the Italian car designer) to design one of their glass bottles. And if you're purist, you drink from glass. You can find it in some stores. Yes, it's a little out there, but since we were getting esoteric about water. :D

But, now we're blessed with at well and we drink local. ;)

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Lauretana water springs in a pristine and wild ground at more than 1000 metres above sea level, in the North of Piedmont, surrounded by Biella Alps, a natural environment, protected and unpolluted, far from industrial and agricultural sites. It comes from the hydrogeological area of Monte Rosa glacier, that with its 4.600 metres overlooks the border between Italy and Switzerland: the mineral water flows deep, keeping unaltered all its organoleptic qualities and without running any risk of contamination.
https://www.lauretana.com/en/index.php
 
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There is a pipe sticking out of the mountain a few miles from my grandparents place in Tennessee. I stop and get a bottle or two every time I’m up there.
 
I grew up drinking water from a garden hose and unfiltered tap water. Then in the suck I drank whatever swill was in the water buffalo, usually from a canteen that I had pissed in the night before to keep from freezing my ass off if I got up to pee. So I can, and will, drink anything if I have to.

That said, I laugh at people who say water is just water and there is no taste difference. I can definitely taste and tell the difference between what I like and what I don't like.

Deer Park is probably my least favorite bottled water. I guess its tied with the generic Walmart and Sam's club waters. After that Dasani, Evian, Aquafina and Smart water are all about tied. There is a flavor difference in all of them but I like them equally.

Fiji and LeBleu are my two favorites. They taste the cleanest to me. Plus, the Fiji bottle doesn't roll of the seat of the Mack truck when I hit the damn brakes.
 
I grew up drinking water from a garden hose and unfiltered tap water. Then in the suck I drank whatever swill was in the water buffalo, usually from a canteen that I had pissed in the night before to keep from freezing my ass off if I got up to pee. So I can, and will, drink anything if I have to.

That said, I laugh at people who say water is just water and there is no taste difference. I can definitely taste and tell the difference between what I like and what I don't like.

Deer Park is probably my least favorite bottled water. I guess its tied with the generic Walmart and Sam's club waters. After that Dasani, Evian, Aquafina and Smart water are all about tied. There is a flavor difference in all of them but I like them equally.

Fiji and LeBleu are my two favorites. They taste the cleanest to me. Plus, the Fiji bottle doesn't roll of the seat of the Mack truck when I hit the damn brakes.
And Coke and Pepsi taste the same.:rolleyes: Although, I don't drink either anymore.
 
Water definitely can taste different based on mineral content. Desanti (which is Coke, BTW) adds minerals for taste. There's research that shows some of these ultra-purified waters, reverse-osmosis/UV/super filtered, etc can be bad for you. As previously mentioned, it can leach out other nutrtrients from your body.
If by nutients, you mean lead, arsenic, and all kinds of iron bacteria then yes. However the average American injests about 250% of the sodium every day that you body actually needs........so I'm not worried about the RO system in my house.

BTW UV isn't a filter, it's a treatment to kill bacteria so if anything, it ADDS TDS (dead stuff) to the water. Filtering is based on a certain size, so then again.......depends on what micron and how much use a filter gets.

My dad treated well water down in the worst crap-hole infested portions of 3 counties around here. I chose to have a DI system and RO at the sink. I can always add baking soda (which is what bottle water is.....filtered water with baking soda) if I need
that bicarb taste.

Also: there is no new water on earth. It's all recycled.
 
As far as bottled water goes, I like the taste of Le Bleu the best, but I'm not picky. I keep a case of cheap circle K bottled water in the work truck.

99% of the time, I refill my half dozen nalgene bottles with Hillsborough tap water that started out in the Eno River. Tastes good to me, and costs me virtually nothing.
 
Actually when you're very thirsty, any water is the best.

I remember those hot August days in high school having two-a-days with full pads. The water in that plastic jug was the best thing on the planet.
 
If by nutients, you mean lead, arsenic, and all kinds of iron bacteria then yes. However the average American injests about 250% of the sodium every day that you body actually needs........so I'm not worried about the RO system in my house.

BTW UV isn't a filter, it's a treatment to kill bacteria so if anything, it ADDS TDS (dead stuff) to the water. Filtering is based on a certain size, so then again.......depends on what micron and how much use a filter gets.

My dad treated well water down in the worst crap-hole infested portions of 3 counties around here. I chose to have a DI system and RO at the sink. I can always add baking soda (which is what bottle water is.....filtered water with baking soda) if I need
that bicarb taste.

Also: there is no new water on earth. It's all recycled.
I used the RO/UV/Super Filtered comment as a generic reference, because I used to get water from a guy that had this wiz bang machine that did it all. He used to have cancer patients come get his water because they belived it helped flush toxins out of the body. I had other cancer patients ask me about it, which caused me to research it. I found the answer was not so clear. (Yes, that was intentional.) Yes, most people consume enough other minerals and other nutrients through other sources to maintain a health body balance. But, the balance is somewhat delicate. I'm sure you've heard of water toxicity, like that case of the woman that died pounding water in a drinking contest. That was extreme, but not everyone has a balanced diet. In the case where someone might be drinking a lot of water and not eating, which could be intentional, the risk goes up. Not saying the super pure waters are bad in themselves, but consideration must be given to the potential effects. Which, you seem to have thought about.
Here's an article on distilled that dicusses some of the issues.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317698.php

99% of the time, I refill my half dozen nalgene bottles with Hillsborough tap water that started out in the Eno River. Tastes good to me, and costs me virtually nothing.

I once ran an IT infrastructure rebuild project for the city of Charlotte that required me to visit most all locations throughout the city. While at one of the older water treatment plants I saw some old school porcelain water fountains. (Yes, literally like in old schools.:D) I asked if they tapped into the water coming directly out of the plant vs being brought back in from the street, through conventional plumbing. I was told yes, that those fountains were the closest access to the water coming from the plant before it entered the system. That water was GOOD. I kept going back for more. Then, I thought about what was happening to the water before it got to my house, because MY water tasted different. :eek:
 
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Ask Flint MI residents how much trust they have in the municipal water supply. Or anyone that knows what's in Mountain Island Lake....

Most of the supply for these bottle waters are from the municipal water systems where they're located.

No thanks. Without distillation or super filtration and then reading minerals for taste you are better off drinking drinking out of a hand drawn well.

Then theres chlorine and flouride....
 
I should have clarified, that freshly treated city water TASTED good, compared to what I was getting at home. But, now we're blessed with a well, though my wife still prefers to run it through a Berkey.
 
Ask Flint MI residents how much trust they have in the municipal water supply. Or anyone that knows what's in Mountain Island Lake....

Most of the supply for these bottle waters are from the municipal water systems where they're located.

No thanks. Without distillation or super filtration and then reading minerals for taste you are better off drinking drinking out of a hand drawn well.

Then theres chlorine and flouride....
Ahh flouride. I bought a system a few years back from a local guy that was supposed to filter all the city water crap out, plus remove most, if not all, the flouride. Lying SoB. It does a decent job, from what I can tell, of getting most the junk out. But the "flouride filter" is useless other than a secondary filter. :mad:
 
If you're a salesperson making sales calls to customers during hot summer days, and you want to earn some respect from some of the employees, particularly those who will be handling/servicing the product you're selling, then take a big cooler full of ice and bottled water with you and hand them out when making your calls.:)
 
So
Ahh flouride. I bought a system a few years back from a local guy that was supposed to filter all the city water crap out, plus remove most, if not all, the flouride. Lying SoB. It does a decent job, from what I can tell, of getting most the junk out. But the "flouride filter" is useless other than a secondary filter. :mad:
sorry, you were taken by a slick salesman. In industrial application (not sure about home application) we used activated Alumina media bed to remove fluoride. The media bed had to be backwashed depending on volume of water through it to regenerate the media.
 
RO removes 99.94% of everything. It's the next best thing to distillation if you want to start out with clean contaminant free water. Add whatever you want for taste.
 
So

sorry, you were taken by a slick salesman. In industrial application (not sure about home application) we used activated Alumina media bed to remove fluoride. The media bed had to be backwashed depending on volume of water through it to regenerate the media.
Is that even possible (affordable) to use in a home application? Both of these filters automatically backwash after a certain amount and/or time.
Yeah, he was slick, but I was way too trusting too. He sold the business a short while later and the new owners were not happy with all the BS he went around telling folks.

RO removes 99.94% of everything. It's the next best thing to distillation if you want to start out with clean contaminant free water. Add whatever you want for taste.
I probably could have put in an RO system for what this has cost me over the last few years! What do people usually add back in?
 
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Is that even possible (affordable) to use in a home application? Both of these filters automatically backwash after a certain amount and/or time.


I probably could have put in an RO system for what this has cost me over the last few years! What do people usually add back in?

So my DI (deionization setup) aka water softner basically adds trace amounts of sodium back into the entire system while removing 96% of mineral contaminants like iron, calcium aka 'hard water'. That increases the life of every component that connects to your tap water. It refreshes about twice weekly and uses 40lbs of conditioner salt every 3 weeks or so.

I have hard water + iron so our tap water was completely rotten, ruined clothes quickly, stained up faucets and stunk like rotten eggs. The DI system fixed that but it still tasted like crap.

I think I spent less than $125 on an undersink RO system from Whirlpool, and I find the filters cheap online. Plus the carbon filters are optional and strictly for post-filter 'taste' if you will. It's easy to plumb it to an alternate spigot at your sink and/or ice maker line.

There's trace mineral packets you can add to any drinking water. There's always Gatorade powder, Koolaid, Tea, etc. :D The cheapest and easiest is 1tsp of baking soda per gallon of water.......that's about the equivalent to generic bottle water from most non-boutique brands. Also, 1 tsp of calcium carbonate (lime) food grade is a little more taste.
 
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Is that even possible (affordable) to use in a home application? Both of these filters automatically backwash after a certain amount and/or time.
Yeah, he was slick, but I was way too trusting too. He sold the business a short while later and the new owners were not happy with all the BS he went around telling folks.


I probably could have put in an RO system for what this has cost me over the last few years! What do people usually add back in?
Can’t opine on home systems. We backwashed the system for 12 hours and then ran culinary steam for sanitation. The backwash color was as white as milk and we struggled on treating the effluent so we can use it for irrigation.
 
I do have a couple springs and a spring box on the property in West Jeff. i would bottle it but I fear what the neighbors up the hill have put into the water supply. I might just get hammered off that spring water.
 
Actually when you're very thirsty, any water is the best.

I remember those hot August days in high school having two-a-days with full pads. The water in that plastic jug was the best thing on the planet.
jSearching threads on berkey and filters. Saw this quote and have to disagree with you. The best water EVER was after getting skunked our first game and on a 90 degree plus early Saturday September morning in Alabama, being in full pads at 9.00 next morning. Ran us to death. By eleven my tongue was hanging out. It had rained the night before and there was standing stagnant water on the field. I ran a post and told the coach I thought it was a flag, because when I ran thru that water, I "tripped" and fell face down in it, and just laid there a second or two, slurping up that swill. Finest water on the planet in my memory.
 
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Then, I thought about what was happening to the water before it got to my house, because MY water tasted different. :eek:

Just saw this, but the same in Chicago. The city water tastes good, but the water in the near suburbs is much better. They freely admit that its because of the stuff living in the pipes.
 
Best water is from a hand dug well hoisted by a wooden bucket dipped from there by a tin cup....bet you can't drink just one dip.
 
The best water was from a cold box in the middle of the desert with a bunch of squiggly writing on it. You drank it because you had to, or you died.

Or from your camelback.
 
I only drink Kirkland Eyetalian Sparkling Mineral Water, Perrier, or Pellegrino. But definitely only sparkling. I would never damage my system with flat water & definitely not tap water. I make coffee with Deer Park but I've never tried it with sparkling but I may soon.
 
I only drink Kirkland Eyetalian Sparkling Mineral Water, Perrier, or Pellegrino. But definitely only sparkling. I would never damage my system with flat water & definitely not tap water. I make coffee with Deer Park but I've never tried it with sparkling but I may soon.
Pinky out, of course?

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You numbnuts have it all wrong. The best water comes from my well. I’ll let ya have a lick for a dolla.
 
You numbnuts have it all wrong. The best water comes from my well. I’ll let ya have a lick for a dolla.
Reminds me of the well in Saratoga Springs. People loved it, but that was some nasty sulphur water.
 
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