Blind Tasting of 4 Water Brands

A short note in light of MarshalN’s recent question: whether I test tasted the Whole Foods Market (WFM) in-house brand bottled water and the Crystal Geyser (CG) bottled water to determine if they actually taste the same (hence, from the same source). I had not at the time I wrote my March 14th post, and now I have.

Last night I blind tasted 4 brands of commercially available water: CG, WFM, Evian, and Glacier vending machine (reverse osmosis with mineral add back).

Result of blind tasting: CG and WFM taste identical to each other (please note that both brands were bottled by C.G. Roxane). Where I am, the water comes from CGR’s Olancha Peak, CA facility. Both are clean tasting and quite neutral overall. Evian has a very clean and crisp aftertaste, but also rather thin and hollow. Glacier (reverse osmosis vending machine) has a rounded mouthfeel and a kind of sweet aftertaste.

Oh, and all water were poured into 4 Spiegelau white wine crystals to allow swirling before tasting (asked my wife to pour while I hid).

Why do I feel the $0.25/gallon vending machine water wins? It brews decent tea, really.

PS: Those thinking of becoming water connoisseurs should read Fine Waters: A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Most Distinctive Bottled Waters by Michael Mascha (Quirk Books, October 2006).