Can you actually taste the difference between types of water?

[Mariogirl09]

Yes

No

[abc3643]

Oh certainly. This is because of the "minerality" of the water will affect the taste.
You can prove this to yourself by drinking any two different brands of mineral water.

Minerality is an informal term, but other commons term used in science and legislation are "mineralization" or "TDS" which stands for "Total Dissolved Solids".

So, let me talk a little bit about mineral water...

In the United States:

• 1. Mineral waters must be bottled at the source (and it says so on the label including the location of the source of the water and where it is bottled).
• 2. Mineral waters are graded on their "TDS" level. Total dissolved solids are measured in "ppm" (parts-per-million) or mg/l (milligrams per liter). The numbers in either unit are the same. So, for example, a mineral water with a TDS of 1000 means 1 ppm or 1 mg/l. They mean the same thing because of the properties of water and water being important to the definition of metric units. Specifically, a mineral water with a TDS of 1000 means there's 1000 mg of solids per kg of water (so that's 1 ppm since 1,000,000 mg = 1 kg), but since a kilogram of water has a volume of 1 liter, a TDS of 1000 also means there 1000 milligrams/liter.
  
  In particular, the label of a bottle of water depends on what the TDS is. Officially in the US:
  
  A) If the TDS < 250 mg/l, then the water cannot be labeled as a mineral water.
  B) If the 250 mg/l <= TDS, then "Mineral Water" must be on the label.
  C) If 250 mg/l <= TDS < 500 mg/l, then "Low Mineral Content" is added to the label.
  D) If 500 mg/l <= TDS < 1500 mg/l, then the water has no additions about mineral content on the label and just has "Mineral Water" on the label.
  E) If TDS <= 1500 mg/l, then "High Mineral Content" is added to the label.

Those different TDS values will definitely impact flavor and also how it may impact your health, usually for the better. However, TDS is not the only thing; TDS is just a number but it doesn't tell you the nature of the solids and that will have a major impact on flavor as well.

Natural carbonation occurs in mineral waters too and that will affect flavor. For instance, a bubbly soda tastes better than a flat one.

Here are some TDS values:
https://finewaters.com/the-story-of-fine-water/key-concepts/minerality-tds

Distilled water has a TDS of 0 mg/l

Seawater has about 34,000mg/l.

Most bottled waters fall within a TDS range of 50 to 800 mg/l

• Acqua Panna, 188 mg/l
• Fiji, 210 mg/l
• Evian, 357 mg/l
• Perrier, 475 mg/l

Many well-known waters have a much higher TDS

• San Pellegrino, 1,109 mg/l
• Badoit, 1,200 mg/l
• Contrex, 2,032 mg/l
• Gerolsteiner, 2,527 mg/l

Personally, I would love to get some mineral water from Russia that I've had only once: Essentuki. Essentuki is a city in Russia and they have two prominent wells and bottle the water labelling it by the well number, Essentuki-4 and Essentuck-17. Both have significantly higher TDS. Allegedly, Essentuki-17 has a TDS range of 10,000 to 14,000 mg/l. The first time you drink it, it is a shock to your palate, but you quickly realize the impact on your health. It's sort of like drinking Alka-Seltzer. Indeed, putting an Alka-Seltzer tablet in the recommended amount of water will give a TDS of about 1500 to 2500... like a Gerolsteiner.

[ohsheeT]

Yes 100 % the sad part is that most of the bottled water and are drinking tap water

Is so polluted with chemicals and bacteria and our government and city governments is allowing us to drink it

I would not drink bottled water even my tap water I filter

Water is our Lifeline that is for sure and did you know that water holds memory it knows each and every one of us

To me that is a God in a roundabout way for water to know each and every single one of us

And if you want to know about your bottled water that you're drinking just look it up online it'll tell you how disgusting it is and the chemicals bacteria that are in it

[Calyptomaniac]

I could always tell Dasani very distinctly from everything else. Arrowhead was a little different too and Icelandic. None of them quite taste exactly the same.

[Anonymous]

Yeah if u are used to drinking same water and changed the current one it will taste different.

[AI Opinion]

Yes, you can taste differences, especially when comparing them side by side. Minerals, carbonation, source, and temperature all change flavor and mouthfeel. Spring water can taste slightly sweet or earthy, tap water might have chlorine notes, and high‑mineral waters can feel heavier or even salty.

I once did a “water tasting” in Japan with onsen waters and bottled brands, and the contrast was surprisingly dramatic. 🥤

[DryGermanGuy]

Yes, we always had very distinctly tasting mineral waters.

[Lliam]

Yes. My well water tastes the best!

[Iron_Man]

Yes, of course you can tell the difference between your local tap wider and springwater from the store

[NathanDavis]

yes.. and right away

[lilBigPotato]

Yes not all water tastes the same.

[LC75LC71]

Like spring water? Yes.

[NovaSpawn]

I've noticed differences

[eagle1951]

yess