Nothing beats a cool, refreshing swig of water — except maybe a cool, refreshing swig of a different brand of water. Mind-boggling, yes, but not all bottled water is created equal. In fact, as we found out during our water taste test, it’s easy to see (or, as it were, taste) just how much the flavor of water can vary based on who bottled it.
Maybe your dogged loyalty means you reach for the same bottled water brand every time you grab some agua to go. Maybe you’re starting to realize that you need to drink more water since the water in your coffee doesn’t really count toward your daily hydration goal. No fair; we know. For whatever reason, though, you haven’t ever actually compared the varieties of bottled water on the market and explored whether you might prefer one over the rest.
MORE: Greenwashing: What it is & how to pinpoint brands that do it
Will you discover that you don’t want anything but Dasani? Or that the fancy natural spring water from the French alps you thought was top-notch doesn’t taste as good as the “cheap” stuff? When you line them all up and do a blind taste test, you might be surprised by what your taste buds veer toward.
And even if you can’t tell that much of a difference personally (at the end of the day, they are all water), at least you’ll walk away well-hydrated. To use the scientific method in search of your favorite brand of bottled water, you’ll need:
- A bottle of Smartwater
- A bottle of Evian water
- A bottle of Voss water
- A bottle of Fiji water
- A bottle of Arrowhead water
- A bottle of Dasani water
- Any other bottled water brands you want to compare
- A robust thirst (for H20 and knowledge)
MORE: Make sure your water is safe to drink
Our top two choices include one of the priciest brands and one of the cheapest. So, you can’t judge a book by its cover and, apparently, the same can be said for bottled water.