Water is one of the most essential elements in our lives. We drink it, bathe in it, and rely on it to survive. But does water have a taste? The short answer is YES! All water has a taste, and not every type of water tastes the same. In this article, we'll talk through what water tastes like, what impacts water's taste, and how to make water taste better.
What Causes Water to Have a Flavor?
Water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen, but that doesn't explain what causes water to taste as it does. In fact, the fundamental factor determining your water's taste has to do with how many minerals are dissolved into your water.
However, most minerals don't actually have a taste, meaning that you wouldn't be able to identify them by taking a sip of water. A 2013 study conducted by Pubmed Central showed that four main minerals impact how we taste water, including magnesium, sulfate, calcium, and bicarbonate.
Taste Buds Play A Role In Water Taste
Our tongue can mainly taste five different flavors: salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and umami. When we drink water, it activates a sour taste in these minerals, which is why it can have a taste. This also explains why some people say that they don't like the taste of water. It has to do with the tongue telling the brain that it indicates a "sour" taste.
Water Sources Make A Difference
It's not just the minerals in your water that can affect its taste. The source of where you are getting your water from also plays a role in how it tastes, including if there is chlorine or fluoride added to it. There are multiple sources of water that you can find that may impact how it tastes, including:
- Well Water: Well water is one of the most common sources of water. It's located in underground aquifers and is typically filtered but can still hold soil minerals. This means that it usually has a mineral taste to it, which can be good for some people's liking but not others.
- Tap Water: Tap water from public sources has many typical taste and odor problems. If your water smells or tastes like a swimming pool, chlorine may be added to the water to disinfect it. Chlorine is the most common method of water treatment. Chlorine is very effective in killing bacteria and viruses, but at the same time, it can produce strange smells and funky tastes in your drinking water.
- Spring Water: Spring water is bottled directly from the spring. It typically has a mineral taste as it naturally comes from mountain-filled areas that have runoff which impacts what goes into the spring. This can give off a subtle but refreshing flavor to your water.
- Bottled Water: Bottled waters are also known as purified, demineralized, or distilled waters and don't contain any of those tasty magnesium, calcium, sulfate, or bicarbonate ions found in natural mineral-rich sources like well water.Some of them may contain minerals but bottle water is still high-cost, inconvenient and non-environmental friendly.
How To Make Your Water Taste Better
Water can indeed have a different taste depending on the source of your water. While there are some at-home methods you can use to make your water taste better, such as throwing in herbs or fruits, squeezing in some cucumbers, lemons, or limes, it doesn't solve the more significant issue, which is that you have water that doesn't taste incredible.
If you're not a fan of how your water tastes and want to make it taste better, we recommend looking into one of our water filters. Our top recommendations for water filters include:
1. iSpring RCC7AK Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System
With the Alkaline Remineralization filter included on this under sink mounted 6-stage Reverse Osmosis water filtration system, you get balanced alkalinity while removing up to 99% of over 1,000 contaminants. Certified by NSF/ANSI 58, this high-performing reverse osmosis water filter eliminates lead, chlorine, arsenic, sodium, calcium, and asbestos. Also, the Alkaline Remineralization filter will make your water taste better.
2. iSpring RO500AK Tankless Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System
Our iSpring RO500AK Tankless Reverse Osmosis system is a high-performance, all-in-one filtration that can deliver up to 4.3 gallons of quality water per hour. With easy installation and long-lasting filters, this RO system also provides excellent filtration with pH balancing using dual design filters. This model also contains the Alkaline Remineralization to improve your taste of water.
3. iSpring RCT600 Tankless Portable Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System
Introducing the iSpring RCT600- a versatile and convenient way to get clean drinking water wherever you are. Equipped with high potency reverse osmosis membrane, this product is equipped with capabilities that remove up to 99% of over 1,000 contaminants, including lead, chlorine, fluoride, calcium sodium, and more. Whether you are looking for an affordable solution in small apartments or dorms or need a portable purification device on excursions away from home- the RCT600 has features that cater to any use! With our post carbon filter at the last stage, RCT600 will refresh again and deliver tasty water to the faucet.
Conclusion
Drinking filtered water is one of the easiest ways to ensure that most contaminants are eliminated before you ever take a sip and that you enjoy the taste. Also, our filtration systems provide you better tasting water by balancing the pH level and adding beneficial mineral materials in your water. If you have any questions or concerns about what's in your drinking water and want to find the right filter for your home, don't hesitate to contact our customer support team today.
