bostonbuzz wrote:My main point, and I think we can mostly agree, is that most Americans have far too great a faith in the quality bottled water.

I have no idea what "most Americans" believe about bottled water and so have no basis to compare it with reality. But, if you'd ever visited a water bottling plant, you would understand how silly it was to make a blanket statement like "bottled water is simply local tap water put into a bottle."

In Los Angeles I think most people who can afford it are happy to buy bottled water just to avoid the chlorine smell from our tap water. I used (and tested) bottled water for years for my espresso, before I bought a plumbed-in machine. We still use bottled water for tea and drinking. My wife is a (retired) water treatment chemist, and not much gets by her.

A dirty little secret about Los Angeles water concerns the incorporated city of Beverly Hills. Though surrounded on all sides by their larger neighbor they arrogantly chose to import their own electricity. Their water, though, is the subject of jokes.

It smells faintly of sewage. I don't know if the city draws from its own wells. But it stinks. So every resident is forced to explore ways around it. Bottled water is a must. And, given the wealth of the residents, I would imagine more than 90% of the homes have an installed purification system on the water main.

The chlorine smell and taste can be avoided by having the water sit in an open container for a few minutes. But if it is easier to open a bottle of water, great. May I suggest getting a water cooler if you don't already have one, since the amount of waste generated by those 500mL water bottles is staggering.

I was speaking of 3 or 6 gallon jugs delivered to the home throughout Southern California. Small plastic bottles are an environmental nightmare. The jugs are re-used.

Ditto. I think that's the usual form of delivery around here.

Good to hear. We have such an abundance of fresh water here in Canada that these issues hardly come up. Most of our bottled water is sourced from springs less than an hour away from where I live (Montreal). Things may change in the future, the water companies keep trying to convince our government that selling our fresh water would be a good thing. I tend to be scepticle of the advice of large multi-national corporations whose only interests are the almighty dollar.
Rant over, thanks for listening (reading?).

It's true that the tap water quality in Montreal is pretty good. No smells or off flavours to complain about and it is only moderately hard according to my tests and the water FAQ (at least downtown).

I started out using Labrador bottled water with my first (and current) serious espresso machine because it had a mineral profile suitable for the job and relatively safe for the boiler and piping, plus it was locally sourced. But when comparing the cost to other venues, i decided to explore.

Turns out i am now getting RO water from a dispensing machine in a reuseable 18 liter bottle. I've tested this water for hardness and alkalinity a couple of times over the last year and it seems reliable. I use this water and mix in some tap water to get some level of mineral that gets me a bit over "boiler safe" water. My first descale after a year of use seems to have confirmed that my calculations are ok; that is little scale accumulation (but a shot brew valve is giving me some grief ). Seems like descales are never un-eventful!

However, lugging around 18 liter bottles is getting tedious, especially using an Hx machine with its longish flushes. So i am seriously thinking of plumbing it in and getting some form of filtration system such as the one Marshall is using.

I can't say i noticed any changes in the taste of espresso going from bottled to RO/tap. That may simply be due to my specific tap water and choice of bottled water. Or i just don't have the palate to distinguish a difference. In the end, do whatever fits your routine and beliefs best!

I actually moved to Laval a year and a half ago and according to the city, the water here has just the right amount of hardness not to need any treatment (40-60mg/L CaCO3 and 27mg/L alkalinity). I have tried filtering with Brita and just going with straight up tap water and haven't notice a difference in taste.

On a completely unrelated note, Marc-André, do you know of any places in Mtl that sell coffee from US roasters for reasonable prices? Every place I have been to is charging 17$ and up for 12 oz bags. For example, I picked up a bag of Counter Culture Appollo 7.0 yesterday for just under 18$ when it lists for 12$ and change on their website. I feel like we are getting fleeced here, its already hard enough to get a hold on these coffees for me, I don't want to have to pay an arm and a leg for them as well.

Hey Mario,

Hopefully this will get split off into another thread but pretty much all the new coffee places in mtl sell beans from US roasters. To be honest, i don't pay much attention to the price. Ordering it directly from the roaster entails delays and shipping costs that are probably not much better. The list of 3rd wave places is in another one of my threads: Top cafes in montreal. Check em out and see if the price is right!

You can also try Cafe Saint Henri. They roast their own beans but the espresso blends are pretty darn good and i think less expensive than the imported stuff. PM me if you wish to discuss further. Cheers.

There is a pull-off label on the top of the Sparkletts jug bearing the following legend:

Crystal-Fresh Purified Water
minerals added for great taste

"Purified by reverse osmosis and/or deionization, filtered and ozonated to ensure quality. Contains purified water with selected minerals (sodium bicarbonate, sodium sulfate) added for taste. Mineral amounts are not nutritionally significant."

You might take note that this message does not specify the source of the water. As they say on the International Space Station, "Drink up and don't ask questions".