Carbonated Water/Seltzer Poll and Thread

[RevolverRob]

I'm sitting here drinking the last of my stash of Italian San Pellegrino and thinkin' about whether or not I really do like seltzer water.

I like it some, because I have a tendency to drink a lot of water in a single gulp and bubbles make me slow down a bit. It also has helped me virtually eliminate soda from my diet, by giving me a bubbly drink, but one that has 0 calories and sugar. If I pretend hard, I can pretend it's the beer I can't drink right now. Finally, CO2 is the debil to some people and anything that uses it and makes me belch more, particularly in front of my disapproving colleagues, gives me a small amount of schadenfreude.

So - carbonated water - yay or nay?

Also, there is a distinction, tonic water has quinine and often corn syrup in it - and therefore is a beverage akin to soda and thus excluded from this conversation.

[MickAK]

In Germany, I was surprised to learn that at a restaurant you have to order water specifically 'without gas', non-carbonated, or they will just bring you seltzer water by default.

Of all the important machinery I have had to deal with, diesel engines, refrigeration compressors, guns, the German machinery has been the best engineered and implemented.

So perhaps they know something about water that the rest of us don't.

[0ddl0t]

Plain carbonated water tastes bitter to me. I don't mine carbonated juice, soda, beer, or wine.

[RevolverRob]

In Germany, I was surprised to learn that at a restaurant you have to order water specifically 'without gas', non-carbonated, or they will just bring you seltzer water by default.

Of all the important machinery I have had to deal with, diesel engines, refrigeration compressors, guns, the German machinery has been the best engineered and implemented.

So perhaps they know something about water that the rest of us don't.

That's more or less how I got into drinking carbonated water. I spent a summer in Germany doing some of my master's research and I bought a couple of bottles of mineralwasser by mistake at a Lidl and ended up drinking carbonated water for most of the trip. When not drinking beer, of course.

I do like mineral water, but also can see the 'bitter' taste that 0ddlot is talking about. I'm kind of a fan of bitter/tart flavors in general, but definitely some brands are better than others. San Pellegrino is one of the best for being kind of a neutral plain (also their 'sodas' are really great), by contrast I couldn't drink Perrier plain unless I was literally dying of thirst, flavored lemon or lime Perrier is much better.

PS: I've heard but cannot confirm that @LittleLebowski only uses the finest seltzer water for his personal bidet. Apparently the bubbles add an extra scrubbing effect. @Tom_Jones can you confirm?

[MickAK]

That's more or less how I got into drinking carbonated water. I spent a summer in Germany doing some of my master's research and I bought a couple of bottles of mineralwasser by mistake at a Lidl and ended up drinking carbonated water for most of the trip. When not drinking beer, of course.

I do like mineral water, but also can see the 'bitter' taste that 0ddlot is talking about. I'm kind of a fan of bitter/tart flavors in general, but definitely some brands are better than others. San Pellegrino is one of the best for being kind of a neutral plain (also their 'sodas' are really great), by contrast I couldn't drink Perrier plain unless I was literally dying of thirst, flavored lemon or lime Perrier is much better.

I think it tastes awful. But I thought coffee tasted awful the first time I had it, and now I restrict my daily consumption based on how many pots I brew.

Apparently it's cultural. https://www.thetravelersbuddy.com/20...arkling-water/

Makes me wonder what else we like because rich people originally only had access to it. In America, much of our delicacies come from things poor people had to make do with. BBQ and Cajun cuisine come to mind. Of course, the French eat horse, and that probably didn't come from Versailles.

[Duelist]

I quite like San Pelligrino, but I only discovered this recently. Other soda water is universally not worth drinking by itself.

[AKDoug]

I drink LeCroix and Canada Dry club soda. Maybe they're the Budweiser of sparkling waters? I have no clue.

They've completely replaced sugary soda's in my life and helped me lose weight. Jameson and club soda is my go to drink that has replaced beer in my life. Low carb and more refreshing. No way I'm stooping to drinking hard seltzers like White Claw, I have standards (I think).

[RevolverRob]

No way I'm stooping to drinking hard seltzers like White Claw, I have standards (I think).

According to our local White Claw expert, @Baldanders, it's not half bad.

For me if I want to drink something cheap, a Miller Lite it is. I do love me some Miller Lite...A garage, a toolbox, an American V8, and an ice cold Miller Lite is heaven on Earth. Like a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning in a deer stand or a piece of pecan pie after Thanksgiving dinner...

[AKDoug]

According to our local White Claw expert, @Baldanders, it's not half bad.

For me if I want to drink something cheap, a Miller Lite it is. I do love me some Miller Lite...A garage, a toolbox, an American V8, and an ice cold Miller Lite is heaven on Earth. Like a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning in a deer stand or a piece of pecan pie after Thanksgiving dinner...

[Joe in PNG]

It's my go to for liquid refreshment. As some comedian once quipped, it's water that has taken a self-empowerment course, water with ambition.