Food Theory: Is Expensive Water Actually WORTH It? (Taste Test)

same? These are not different

water

s. They have to be. In the previous experiment there were distinctive differences. This one doesn't have that. And also different textures. So this is where I'm going to chime in and say that it was

actually

a placebo round. These are all the same

water

. I like that I still drink them just to prove the point. I didn't say a final answer. Deer park! Deer park. A new contender enters the field. Was this in the last round? Was not. That's why I couldn't locate any of them. Good? You shysters. Santi thought he was going to be clever.

He was going to play some mind games, trick us into drinking the same water six times. But it'll take a lot more than party tricks to prank the Patricks. But what that showed us was that flavor differences didn't just happen in our minds. We actively

test

ed them in our language. So, once we had passed that little control

test

, it was time to move on to our final round. I guess round number three is based on the fact that we have been exposed to the brands and are presented with another round of six cups. Are we going to match?

Are we playing a match game here? So what you're going to do now is find out what each brand

taste

s like. See if that influences your decision making here. So you will try them all and try to arrange them in the correct order. Well. Yes, I think there is still Aquafina. Do you think so? I know you're going to bubbles. No, I'm getting the after

taste

too. Are you? feel it in your mouth. Metal. mineral. I'm not 100% convinced, but we'll say yes for now. I won't lock you up. Alright. You don't have to commit. Star. Star. Oh yeah.

It's so soft. It's also sweet. It's like thick water. Yes. Thick water. Like, thick double c. So soft, so buttery. Is very good. It's really nice. Purple. Booop. Voss. It's not. Actually? I don't get much flavor from it. I'm feeling a lot of flavor on my tongue. Man, shouldn't I have taken a bite of that sandwich between takes? I'm going to tentatively assign this to SmartWater, but I'm not sure yet. Shoot. And in the meantime, I think it's Evian, but I also need to get rid of the taste on my tongue, apparently now. Oh I'm sorry.

Green. Here, drink some water. Oh. Oh, there's a taste on the front. I think it could have been the Dasani with a similar front end...but it's clean at the rear. Sorry, I'm desperately trying to clean my tongue. You know what I mean? Or is that the one you hated? Which I think...   Are we experiencing some taste bud fatigue? I wonder that. Is there a world where we are experiencing taste bud fatigue? Because there is a world in which you have a lot. Oh, I felt this one. There is a taste to this one. In the orange.

Yes. And it's a front taste, not a back taste. Right, exactly. The back ends smooth. I'm pretty focused on these three. Good. So Aquafina, the bubbly with the final flavor with a done-like aftertaste. I think Evian is clearly in the middle here, I think it's the blue one. We are very clear about Fiji. I can do this, I can do this. I'm so confused now. And we have very similar opinions about all of these waters. So it makes sense that I think our opinions would align here as well. It feels like a lot of pressure for something that is so inconsequential.

Aquafina, you are both right. Wooo Yes. Continuing with Dasani, who was in the Green Cup. Yeah! Evian then the Blue Cup. WOOOOOO Let's go! SmartWater, orange cup. Yeah! Fiji, it was the purple cup. Are you kidding me? No! No way, are you kidding? Yes, Fiji was on the purple star and Voss was on the red star. I left it there. We were talking and didn't bother to check. Oh, and we even said it too. We said it was sweet and Fiji has no taste *Distress* I need to remember Steve. Steve from high school who didn't want to taste the taste with his lips.

Oh, what fools we have been. Arrogance. Oh, we were Icarus and we were flying too close to the sun. What did Santi say about water poisoning? That you'll probably be fine. Don't quote me. I'm not a doctor. Not medical, Hashtag is not medical advice. I am proud of you for opening your mind and your palate to the wide and diverse flavors of water. Thank you. It's been a journey for me. I feel like I've come a long way. I developed an opinion in an area that I was unfortunately very happy not to have before. But I am much better educated to choose between water when I need to buy bottled water.

I'm very excited about that. Good? This is great. Yes. So, the next time someone says: do you like it?, bottled water tastes the same. Certainly not. No, not even close. Not even close. Not even for a second. What's your favorite across the board right now? The Fiji Water and *whispering* and I guess the Voss are favorites too. Yeah? I think for myself, Evian and Fiji. Made. If what you are looking for is a medium level, which is still quite

expensive

water, but medium level in this test. I think Evian would be the cheapest solution but still very good tasting.

Good. Oh Steve, why didn't I listen to you? And why am I suddenly so worried about water? Anyway, from our experiments, we definitely came to the conclusion that yes, you can indeed taste the designer waters of the rags, which, honestly, was a big surprise for both of us. I was blocking and loading my "oh it's all just water" shots. But I guess the joke is on me. Why though? If the taste difference doesn't simply boil down to marketing hype, what's going on here? Well, after returning from the experiment, I started digging deep underground. I wanted to see what makes

expensive

water taste so special.

And then I realized that it's

actually

the ground. As I mentioned above, more expensive brands like Evian take supposedly pure water sources, like those found in freshly fallen snowcaps, and then let them flow along and through the ground until they're packaged for people like we buy them. The other luxury brands? Yes, they practically do the exact same thing. While Evian comes from the French Alps, Voss comes from an isolated stream in southern Norway and Fiji... Well, it comes from Fiji, which is pretty self-explanatory. And it's actually probably the coldest water we tested. Fiji's water, instead of flowing through a silly little mountain, is actually filtered naturally through a freaking volcano.

Yeah, they just put a giant volcano in the bottle and accepted how awesome it is. Jokes aside, though, it's the volcanic rock that really makes the water have, quote, “twice as many electrolytes as other waters” and also gives it that smooth taste. But then how do rocks add flavor and smoothness? Well, imagine that volcanic rock is like a sponge, a very hard sponge that was once hot liquid magma. Hot liquid magma. And it has since cooled into porous rock. The pores in the stone increase the surface area where a biofilm can develop. Basically, a biofilm is a buildup of microbes or microorganisms that act as a rebounder for flowing water, keeping out all the nasty sediment and bacteria and allowing the good minerals to enter directly into the VIP section.

The water then simply sits there in an intact chamber of volcanic rock, a chamber that limits any other contaminants and retains what's important for that pure mouthfeel. Honestly, when you think about it and hear it said this way, it makes sense why it's so expensive, something I thought I'd never say about bottled water, but here, it makes sense. As for all the cheaper brands, since they don't have access to, you know, a volcano or a mountain; These pure, unadulterated water sources simply take fresh water from wherever they are located. Then they have to filter out all the nasty bits and, if they're like SmartWater and Dasani, both Coca-Cola brands, by the way, they add some of those tasty minerals back into the water to give it a consistent taste.

Consistent? Yes. Tasty? I'm not 100% sure about that anymore. In general, the cheaper brands are very affordable because they don't just take water from a super rare, important, pure source and ship it around the world for us to enjoy. Since they filter water into oblivion, it doesn't really matter where they get the water from. Therefore, any location where a stream is accessible can be a new starting point for a watermark. That's why I tend to think we see so many water bottle brands that are region-specific, like our Deer Park here in the Southeast or Northeast. Polish Spring. all you need is a source of water, a way to filter it and dream.

So what does all this mean for you and me? If expensive water really tastes better, does that mean I'm suddenly going to break the bank to get the best culinary experience with my water? Either way, the answer is no, probably not. These premium waters taste better, but that comes at a high price. I'm perfectly fine with fresh tap water or, you know, cold, lightly filtered water from the refrigerator. Would I recommend that you go out and buy a supermarket-sized packet of Fiji water for your refrigerator or start putting Voss in the water coolers for your little league games?

Of course not. Remember, cold water actually covers many sins across the board. But, you know, if you're at the airport and you're going to need to buy a bottle of water for your long-haul flight across the pond anyway, they'll grossly overcharge you in the process. It might make sense to splurge on that buttery mouthfeel from Fiji's volcano water. Your taste buds will thank you. But hey! That's just a

theory

. A THEORY OF FOOD! To the bottom. Or you know, you could avoid all the plastic waste that came from this episode with one simple solution, and that's Air-Up, a reusable plastic bottle that can flavor your water basically any way you want.

Simple as this, boom, remove the top, fill it with regular tap water or refrigerator water, whatever. There, fill it up, running water. The secret ingredient, the flavor pods. Good? Just a smell. Just there. You are a pod of delicious flavor. I know I'm about to change your world. I know you are a flavor capsule. I know. Get prepared. So check this out. If I want that, just normal water flavor. Boom, I push it down. Soft, simple. It just tastes like water. Wow, filtered water tastes like nothing filtered. Amazing. But you open it. Suddenly it activates, the aroma permeates it.

And so as you drink, you get this little bubbly solution, as you drink it. You have some air that mixes. This little bubbly solution is created as it passes through the straw and into your mouth. In those bubbles, that aroma is mixed, which tricks your mind into thinking it tastes without artificial sugars or artificial flavors. Nothing. It's all based on brain chemistry. Some might call it magic, but you know what? No. I call it science. Delicious. So in this case I have opted for a raspberry lemon, which is delicious. It reminds me of summer. It's like, like a delicious spa water, I imagine myself lounging on the beaches of Mexico with a little bit of lemon in my glass of water, sweltering in the sun.

And I'm like, Oh, I'm sunbathing. MMM. When I want to end my beach vacation in Mexico, I simply throw it to the person off-screen, who catches it and then throws me a new flavor. And he misses my hand completely. Oh, you gave me the wild berry, you gave me the good. Oh, that's the business. Save the environment, help save your taste buds, and stay hydrated along the way with Air-Up. Thank you for sponsoring this Air-Up episode and for our year's

worth

of content. He has been a great partner for us. So if you want to join me in pretending you're at the beach or the clubhouse, click the link in the description below and use the code.

MATPAT will receive a 15% discount on the entire site. That way you can buy your own bottle in flavor packs. Thank you Air-Up again for being such an incredible sponsor for us this entire year. And as always, my friends, we'll see you next week.