Why Do Bottled Water Brands Taste Different?

In scientific terms, water is a colorless, odorless inorganic compound with a relatively simple structure: H2O, which is a combination of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. So all drinking water must be the same, right? 

Well, not quite. As anyone who drinks a lot of bottled water might be able to attest, different brands of water can taste different. Not massively so, of course—after all, water is often said to be tasteless; but there is often just a barely perceptible something that makes one brand of water different from another. So what is it? 

What Makes Bottled Water Taste Different

On the side of a bottle of water, you’ll likely see some facts and figures variously classed as “parts per million” (or PPM), “total dissolved solids” (or TDS), or “dry residue.” These are all measures of the various kinds of minerals—calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium among them—that can safely occur in water obtained from natural sources. 

Different brands of bottled water acquire their water from different locations and different sources, including natural springs and runoff streams, wells, aquifers, and underground reservoirs. These brands also tend to use different filtration and purification techniques in their bottling processes, with some removing more of these naturally occurring minerals than others. As a result, different types of bottled water ultimately tend to end up with slightly different combinations and concentrations of minerals in their products.

Although the PPM figures for these minerals are often tiny (America’s most popular brand, Aquafina, has a typical total dissolved solids value of just 4 PPM), they can nevertheless occur in just sufficient amounts, or in just the right combination, to impart an ever so slightly noticeable and distinctive taste and mouthfeel to each brand. 

Some waters can have a slightly sour, acidic, or even metallic taste, for instance, while others might feel smoother, subtler, milder, or more rounded. Expert water tasters, known as “water sommeliers,” might even be able to pick up even more detailed flavor profiles from bottles of mineral water, just like connoisseurs of fine wine. 

Why There Are Minerals in Bottled Water

Where do these minerals themselves come from? Happily, it’s all perfectly natural. 

As freshwater soaks down through layers of earth, porous rock, sand, sediment, and other materials—often over a great many years—it naturally picks up trace amounts of minerals and elements from them. Calcium, for instance, can be leached into water that flows through limestone rock, while water collected from sources in granite-rich landscapes tends to have higher levels of potassium. 

When the water is then collected by manufacturers, these minerals can either be removed (using various filtration techniques) if they occur in high enough concentrations high enough to negatively affect the taste. Or they can be intentionally left in the water—in which case you’ll see them listed on the side of the bottle!

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