Bottled Water Reviews and Buying Guide:

When I was growing up it was almost unheard of to drink bottled water. A few of my wealthier friends had Alhambra deliver a big jug of water that went on a dispenser in their homes. The rest of us drank tap water and didn't think much about it. The one thing that American corporations are good at is marketing things to us that we don't necessarily need but they make us want it through ad campaigns. The bottled water industry has grown exponentially over the last decade and it worth billions of dollars in sales every year. Bottled water became more popular as reports of rivers, streams, and reservoirs with high levels of contaminates hit the news. People became more aware of water supplies becoming tainted and turned to bottled water as a "cleaner" and "healthier" source of water. Dozens of reports have been done between bottled water and tap water to try and determine which is actually better. The results have been somewhat mixed, but bottled water sales are not slowing down any time soon.

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Consumer Reports has done several studies on bottled water to see which ones taste better and how they rate versus tap water. The one glaring thing to us is that Coke (Dasani) and PepsiCo (Aquafina) are big players in the bottled water industry and Coke recently confessed that their water is just municipal tap water that has been processed and repackaged. It's not that surprising since about 1 in 4 bottled water companies use tap water in the same way. Fiji water, Iceland Spring, or Hawaii water are bottled water brands that have names which sound like you will be getting the best water possible. The main types of bottled water are spring water, naturally sparkling water, purified sparkling water, seltzer, and mineral water. New vitamin water and flavored waters have hit the market to get more sales from those who have stayed away from buying traditional spring water. Each year your town or city should send you a water test result document of the local sources of your tap water. The test should show you levels of minerals and contaminates in your water. Some tap water does have a smell or foul taste in which case it's understandable that you would choose bottled water. Those living in 3rd world countries around the world would surely love to have access to bottled water since their water sources are not very clean. When people are put to a test with head to head results on bottled water, it's very hard for them to tell them apart (if at all). Fiji Natural Artesian Water has seen some good results in taste test as well as Earth H20. Experts say the colder the water is served for drinking, the harder it is to tell the difference between brands. As the world population grows in China and India, some say water will become the gold of the future as countries try to solve the fresh water solution for their citizens. Americans are already of the belief that bottled water is better than tap water. If you have a refrigerator with a water filter on it, drink the water in your home as it is most likely safe. We can't fault people for buying bottled water when they are on the go, but try to use reusable containers and not add to the garbage problems associated with all those plastic water bottles in dumps.

Best Bottled Water:

Public opinion says that Fiji Water, Voss Artesian Water, and Poland Spring are all rated higher than Aquafina, Evian, and Dasani. Like most other beverages, water has lots of competition with well over 200 brands to choose from. We say check the bottle to see where the source of the water is really from. Many people are concerned to hear that Dasani (a Coke product) is just tap water that is processed and then repackaged. Don't fall for the marketing gimmicks of the big companies that are trying to sell you something that is not from a natural spring. I was in Fiji years ago for my honeymoon and drank their water straight from the tap which did taste much better than the stuff that comes out of my tap back in America. Many of the secondary brands of bottled water (even store brands like that from Safeway) are just as good tasting as the more expensive name brands. You can check out Fiji Water and where the water comes from at their website HERE.

Best Value Bottle Water:

I always try to find bottled water that is from a natural source (spring water) but is not a major name brand that will charge too much. In Oregon, our local brand is Earth20 which comes from Central Oregon from Opal Springs. It's generally cheaper than Evian or some of the pricier bottled water brands but tastes just as good. Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water is another brand that rates very good and is priced competitively. Check your local stores for the best deals on bottled water. Many of the bottled water websites have promotions with printable coupons where you can save even more when you purchase their brand. Go online to sites like Arrowheadwater.com to print out their coupons for $1 off certain 8-packs.

Bottled Water versus Tap Water:

This is the billion dollar question that many have asked in recent years. Does bottled water really taste better than tap water and is it better for you? Taste is one thing and for the most part people think that bottled water does taste better than tap water. Companies are now adding flavors to give water that extra taste and keeping consumers coming back for more. You will also find more bottled waters that have vitamins in them as an added bonus. Is the average bottle of water any better for you than tap water? Most likely not, but it solely depends on your source of tap water and how clean that is. If you have a water filter at home, then you should be just fine with your tap water. Not all tap water tastes that great, although taste is not a direct reflection on how healthy or unhealthy it is. As mentioned above, experts say chilled water tastes better than room temperature water in many cases. It's certainly much cheaper to put a water filter in your house for drinking water from the tap than it is to spend $100's a year on bottled water from the store. A water filter for my fridge costs about $25 for a 6 months usage supply of filtered water. If your tap water has a funny smell, check with your local water department to find out what may be causing that.

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