GreenFish wrote:ps: If it wasn't for my husband's wily ways, I would probably just go back to using the 'ol Brita filter, which I always found acceptable for my use. Not only did it make the tap water taste better, but it was always nice to go into the fridge and be able to pour yourself a nice glass of cold water!

... a water-recycling device that will process the crew's urine for communal consumption.

"We did blind taste tests of the water," said NASA's Bob Bagdigian, the system's lead engineer. "Nobody had any strong objections. Other than a faint taste of iodine, it is just as refreshing as any other kind of water."

"I've got some in my fridge," he added. "It tastes fine to me."

Delivery of the $250 million wastewater recycling gear is among the primary goals of NASA's 124th shuttle mission, which is due to launch at 7:55 p.m. EST on Friday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

...

SHUTTLE SUPPLIES DRYING UP

Reusing water will become essential once NASA retires its space shuttles, which produce water as a byproduct of their electrical systems. Rather than dumping the water overboard, NASA has been transferring it to the space station.

But the shuttle's days are numbered. Only 10 flights remain, including a final servicing call to the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA is preparing to end the program in 2010, after which Russian Soyuz spacecraft will be the only way to ferry crew to the space station.

"We can't be delivering water all the time for six crew," said space station flight director Ron Spencer. "Recycling is a must."

NASA expects to process about six gallons (23 liters) of water per day with the new device. The goal is to recover about 92 percent of the water from the crew's urine and moisture in the air.

The wastewater is processed using an extensive series of purification techniques, including distillation -- which is somewhat tricky in microgravity -- filtration, oxidation and ionization.

The final step is the addition of iodine to control microbial growth, Bagdigian said.

David Hammond wrote:Fiuggi: I stopped by the Conte di Savoie and found two versions of this Italian brand which, though allegedly admired by Popes (Boniface VIII) and other Great Men (Michelangelo), was as flat as a pancake. It also bears the strangest Nutritional Facts I've ever seen, which lists things like Sugar, Protein, Tiamin, Niacin, and Riboflavin (?) for which all the ratings are zero! The front label boasts "Low Mineral Content" -- no lie, but it should also have said no flavor and minimal artificial carbonation. Cool blue bottle, though.

David Hammond wrote:Waterworld: One-person survey of common bottled water

I drink a helluva lot of water: probably 3-4 liters on some days. Having recently received some medical care that resulted in what is at the moment a four-day food fast (and continuing just for the fun of it), I decided to use my period of abstinence from food as an opportunity to try different waters. I figured, because I have no fats, proteins or other "pollutants" to muss up my taste buds, I might never have a better time to suss out the subtleties of different waters.

The main types of waters that interest me are the Frenchy, German and Italian, but I created a category for some other entrants from places like Wales and Bizzaro World (e.g., HiOSilver Oxygen Water). I include with this report My Favorite and if you don't want to wade through this whole thing, just skip to the end.

In most cases, I drank a liter of each type, going back and forth and tasting one against another. I went for sparkling varieties whenever possible, avoided flavored ones, and consumed all water chilled in a standard rocks glass (but added no rocks, of course).

Frenchy Types

La Croix: I used this as a baseline. I didn't expect a lot, and I didn't get it. This charged water lies flat on the tongue, tickling it with fizz but without the sensation of individual bubbles. No salt or mineral flavor or any kind. Still, if I came in after hot fun in the sun, this would be a good drink to go for: it's basically just bubbly water and that's just fine. La Croix, of course, is not from France, but rather Warren, Michigan, and I'm putting it here because it's such a basic and cheap water that I'm sure most of us have encountered it at one time or another--and it's got the Frenchy-sounding name.

Perrier: Much better bubble structure than La Croix. Although the mineral content is low, the water seems to have a little more "taste" than La Croix, and the carbonation is less heavy-handed (maybe because it's naturally carbonated), though it is still very aggressive, with a modicum of "sting." The Perrier website offers some insight into the cache Perrier continues to cultivate: "Enhance your look with sparkling water" and "Weave three sparkling water flavors into your wardrobe: regular, lemon and lime" (I have no idea what that means). This "lifestyle" approach to one's water is reflected in both La Croix and Perrier sites.

Evian: I defy anyone to distinguish the difference between this water and Dannon, Kirkland, or plain old Chicago tap water. It comes from the Alps, but like Fiji, which comes from the South Pacific, unless you own a lab that can help you distinguish subtle differences, your tongue is not going to find any. As known-felon Wynona Ryder pointed out in Reality Bites, "Evian spelled backwards is Naïve."

German Types

Apollinaris: This was a super bubbly drink, naturally sparkling with carbon dioxide, but the medium-sized bubbles lacked the sting of Perrier's smaller ones. This is a heavy water and it spreads across the tongue with a warm mineral blanket. I thought I sensed a little more sodium and sulfur with this water than with some of the others I tried. When you sip this water, it's not like you taste salt--rather you feel the salt (and perhaps calcium) by way of tongue-feel. Apollinaris has more total dissolved solids (TDS) than most other waters, and I don't think you'd want to drink this water first thing in the morning; it's got a little too much weight and character to be refreshing. I could see this as a good with-dinner water.

Gerolsteiner: like Apollinaris, this water has a fair amount of TDS (maybe a characteristic of German waters?). The label advertises "High Mineral Content," and I assume they're referring to calcium and sodium, which seem to be the predominant minerals present in most mineral waters. This naturally sparkling water is really sparkly -- perhaps the most and biggest bubbles of any I tasted. As with Apollinaris, I think this would be a good water to pair with food.

Italian Types

Pellegrino: This is the Perrier of Italy (though the French water may have just a slightly more mineral-y taste and more aggressive bubble action.) I was ready to like this most of all, but was generally unmoved by it.

Panna: an Italian natural uncarbonated spring water, and after a few sips I thought I detected a VERY faint hint of sulfur, which could have been imaginary as this is billed as spring water and not mineral water, and there is not even any sodium in it. SteveZ tells me that Panna is also available in a carbonated version, which I was not able to locate but would like to try.

Fiuggi: I stopped by the Conte di Savoie and found two versions of this Italian brand which, though allegedly admired by Popes (Boniface VIII) and other Great Men (Michelangelo), was as flat as a pancake. It also bears the strangest Nutritional Facts I've ever seen, which lists things like Sugar, Protein, Tiamin, Niacin, and Riboflavin (?) for which all the ratings are zero! The front label boasts "Low Mineral Content" -- no lie, but it should also have said no flavor and minimal artificial carbonation. Cool blue bottle, though.

Radewska : A Slovenian "naturally sparkling mineral water" (a phrase I'm seeing a lot and that I'm beginning to think is a term of art, perhaps posted in accordance with FDA or other requirement). The bubbles were less aggressive and bigger than Perrier's, and the water seemed to have a slight and not unpleasant metallic undertone. I'm grouping this in Italian because, well, Slovenia is close enough to the center of Western Civilization to be put in that group.

Other

Ty Nant: This is an entrant from Wales, and it is one bubbly beverage. I had this water for breakfast this morning, and it's medium weight, relatively low in minerals and high in bubbles. It's spring water, unnaturally carbonated and its primary selling point may be its dark blue bottle, which won the British Glass First Glass Award for Excellent several years running. What I am now firmly convinced of is that bottled water may represent one of the most powerful marketing triumphs of our time: many products are indistinguishable from the competition--except in terms of packaging. Here's how the Ty Nant company goes on about their product "Ty Nant, in its distinctive proprietary blue glass bottle, entered the market not only as an excellent natural beverage, but as a highly desirable aesthetic commodity. The bottle, with its lustrous blue colour and unique shape"-- you get the idea. It's marketing, babe.

HiOSilver Oxygen Water: This is a "Spring Water Turbocharged with Pure Oxygen." I sh*t you not. This non-carbonated water is designed with "10 times the oxygen of ordinary water" for "enhanced athletic performance." It tasted faintly of olives, and of all the waters had the least satisfying finish. We never found out what kind of sparkling water they serve at Moto, but this high-tech water-treatment would be an obvious choice.

My Favorite

Santa Lucia. This naturally sparkling Italian mineral water was the winner based on bubble structure: more subtle than Perrier (the bubbles are so small, you can hardly tell it's carbonated water when you look at it through a clear glass) However, when you take a sip and hold it in your mouth, it just keeps softly sizzling for as long as you care to hold it there. There's a lot of life to this water. I think this would be a very good water to drink with food because of its consistently smooth palate cleansing effervescence and clean taste. All that plus, it has the picture of the Italian girl drinking from the wall fountain that used to hang in my grandmother's living room and behind the counter at Ferrara bakery.

My Conclusions

From my limited sample, I arrogantly draw the following conclusions:

-- For drinking with food, I recommend German sparkling waters with high TDS; their weight and presence would help them stand up to grub.
-- For thirst quenching, I recommend Italian sparkling waters, because they're "softer" than the German varieties but still have some "taste."

As is probably evident from the above, I think "naturally sparking" is better than artificially charged water because the bubbles seem less aggressive and burning.

David "Soon to devolve into a bromeliad" Hammond

DixMay wrote:Actually cavities are making a comeback

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David Hammond wrote:I Paid for a Water 'Tasting Flight' Because I'm an Asshole and I Can

"it all tastes exactly the same. I mean, maybe slightly different, but the overwhelming similarity is the taste of water. "

http://jezebel.com/i-paid-for-a-water-t ... 1051240099