The sun is appearing more frequently, the weather is getting warmer and we're all in need of some refreshments. But, as many of us know, we're meant to drink a certain amount of water to keep us hydrated throughout the day.
According to the NHS, health experts recommend that we should drink six to eight glasses of water every day. For some people, this is more easier said than done, as it's no secret that water isn't the most tasty or appealing of beverages to opt for.
Nonetheless - it's vital, it's good for you and we need lots of it, so we may as well find out which brand tastes better. After all, life is too short to drink dull water, isn't it? So, I went in search of the tastiest water to try and find out if some brands are worth splashing (geddit?) the cash on.
Read more: I compared Cravendale to Tesco and Asda milk and the price is the only difference
Well, firstly, it's not easy to get your hands on some of the supermarkets' own brand waters as, often being the cheapest, they seem to fly off the selves in Cardiff city centre by lunchtime. But, aside from that, I also discovered that water doesn't taste exactly the same from every bottle.
This is my in-depth analysis of water (yes, you read that right) that features some pretty cool party cups, as I couldn't find clear plastic ones at the time of writing this. All I needed was some ham sandwiches cut into triangles, and a bowl of jelly and ice cream to make the children's party scene truly complete.
Brecon Carreg Natural Still Mineral Water
I'm going to start off by saying I'm not a fan of overly-cold water. It should be chilled, but not freezing, as far as I'm concerned. By the time I got back to the office from the shop, this Brecon Carreg water by Boots was at a nice temperature. A little cool, but not overly chilled. Coming in at 60p a bottle I thought it was a really nice bottle of water. It leaves you feeling refreshed, it has a very clean taste and is pleasant to drink.
Marks & Spencer Still Mountain Water
Coming in at 90p, Mark & Spencer's own brand wasn't quite as good as the Boots option for me. I tried to assess the ingredients list to suss out why this may be, but there wasn't much to go on as the quantities weren't clear. It was fine. I'd drink it, but was it worth the 30p more than the bottle from Boots? Absolutely not. Save your pennies.
Buxton
You can pick up this bottle of Buxton for 59p. In comparison to the Boots water, it tasted a little saltier, which I thought may be because it contains just over 20 mg/l more bicarbonate.
When I thought it tasted salty, I wondered if it was the right description to use, and exclaimed in the office: "Can bottled water taste salty?" After some laughter from colleagues, and a bit of Googling, we decided it could be possible.
According to Google, bicarbonate is not a mineral. Rather it describes it as "part of the salts contained in carbonic acid – it is a very typical substance in mineral waters that have permeated limestone stratum, such as dolomite."
Therefore, after a little advice from my good friend the big G, I decided I wasn't mad, and that the Buxton water did seem to have saltier tones. Maybe this was the reason why, but if you have other theories as to why it may seem a little salty, feel free to let me know.
Evian
At the slightly higher price of 85p for a 500ml bottle, Evian was probably my least favourite of the batch. It contains 360 mg/l of bicarbonate, which is a considerable amount more than the Buxton (which contains 248 mg/l).
During the taste test, I found it to taste a lot saltier than the other brands. Even if you wouldn't use the word 'salty' to describe the taste, I think most people would notice that it doesn't taste as refreshing.
The Boots water left me with a much cleaner palate.
Highlands Spring
For 90p you can bag a 750ml bottle of Highland Spring, and it's quite a nice water. The label said it contains 150 mg/l of bicarbonate, which is quite lower than some of the other brands.
Not only that when you think the smaller bottle from Marks & Spencer was the same price, you're getting much better value money for this bottle, as it's bigger in size.
Voss
First thing's first, I admit I made a blunder with this one. It was one of those moments when I took a sip and realised I had picked up a bottle of sparkling water (I blame Marks and Spencer for labelling their shelves ineffectively. As much as I love Percy Pigs and Colin the Caterpillar, this water was definitely picked up from the section labelled 'still', yet I was left with a bottle of sparkling that exploded all over me.)
Anyway, I decided to include it because it set me back £1.50, and I believe both the still and sparkling versions were the same price. I'm not usually a fan of sparkling water, as it's in acquired taste, but to be honest this was drinkable.
I don't think I'd get through the whole bottle, but it's probably worth splashing the cash a bit more (as splurging on water goes) to sample a finer tasting sparkling water. The Voss doesn't leave you with that bitter, distinct taste that many sparkling waters often do.
As fizzy waters go it was actually quite refreshing, and it comes in a posh bottle.
Tap water
It wouldn't be fair to do the taste test without comparing some well-known brands to good old-fashioned council pop. I have to be honest, I've never been a huge fan of tap water, as I've always thought it has what I describe as "a bit of a taste".
I can't put my finger on it but, generally, I've always thought there's a bit of a weird aftertaste. To be honest though, when compared with the other options, it's not that different overall and - let's be honest - with the cost of living rising it's going to be most people's go-to option.
Also, if you're out an about a bit more now, but don't fancy spending on a few bottles a day there is a cool app you can use to help get your hands on free refills. If you download the Refill App you'll be able to see the locations near you where you can get free water refills.
If you're not convinced by the taste test at least you know the app is on hand to help you know where you can refill your bottles, and use less plastic at the same time. But if you ever want to pick up a bottle, I'd go for the 60p option from Boots.
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