My wife calls me a water snob. Eating out, instead of sweet tea, I order water. The water arrives. I sniff it like a fine cabernet, only to be put off by the smell. I might take a quick taste but only with a slice or two of lemon. The food may be great but without good tasting water the overall meal may be a bomb. Yes, I am a Water Snob, are you?
As we all know, water is a key part of life. Bathing, washing, cooking, and drinking all involve the use of water. Most of us depend on our local utility board for safe, clean water. But what is safe and what is clean?
By law the board is required to add chlorine (bleach) to our water as a disinfectant. I don’t typically drink the water from a swimming pool but in most cases, the chlorine level in tap water is as high or higher than pools requires. Local water also contains dissolved solids like calcium, phosphates, nitrates, sodium, potassium and chloride. We can’t see them but they are there. They affect the taste of our water, coffee, tea, pasta and even water cooked vegetables.
Having lived in Europe and Seattle you would think I would be a coffee guy. But nope, my English heritage surfaces as a devout tea lover. It is not uncommon find a partially consumed cup of the liquid on my desk in the morning. That oily sheen that collects on the surface used to make me wonder “was I drinking that stuff yesterday”? The answer was YES! It is the dissolved minerals bound together with the natural fatty acids in tea and coffee! YUK.
So my answer was to remove the chlorine and dissolved solids in my water. Now, I get great tasting water, wonderful tea and they tell me the coffee taste much better. The only down side is that I am a Water Snob. My wife won’t admit it but she is too.
Randy Anderson
Aon Water Technology
