This April, your water needs will be twofold: for rehydrating yourself in the heat and for splashing on innocent passersby. We round up six types of bottled water all under B10 for a blind taste test. And, for you trendy types who want to be armed while walking the streets, we also appraise how good they will look in your hand.
Tops (WINNER)
B5/600cc
The bottle: The short and stout shape might make it cumbersome to carry around without a giant handbag. We like the green garden-like design of the wrap—even if it’s not as minimal and chic as Aura’s.
The taste: Perhaps it means that it is utterly low-quality and we don’t know what’s good for us, but it tastes exactly like a glass of cold water would taste at home, and we find that comforting. And it’s also the most bang for your baht.
Nestle Pure Life (RUNNER UP)
B7/600cc
The bottle: We don’t really like the bizarre torpedo shape, the pink stick figure family on the wrap or their advice to drink eight glasses of water a day. Too pedantic.
The taste: A cool taste on the tongue, like fluoride, almost minty, pretty sterile. No unpleasant aftertaste.
Singha
B6.5/500cc
The bottle: It’s short, but not as small as those absurd celebrity-sized bottles, though we’re not crazy about that stumpy boxy shape—might chafe our soft palms. And what’s with the boring design of the plastic wrap?
The taste: There’s something unnatural about it: chalky with a lasting alkaline aftertaste. This might be best for dousing others with rather than for drinking.
Minere
B8/500cc
The bottle: It’s not high art, though we do appreciate the tapered bottom half for an easier grip and the little birdies cut into the plastic for anti-slippage.
The taste: Reminiscent of Singha in terms of the soft alkaline taste, but not too bad. Perfectly drinkable for bottled water.
Namthip
B6/600cc
The bottle: No silly shape, and there is a helpful grip on the bottom half. But what’s with all the bottled water and their blue packaging. Yes, we know it’s water. We don’t need it color-coded. All it does is make the brands difficult to tell apart.
The taste: Though not as toxic tasting as Aura, Namthip is still pretty plasticky, with that same chalky aftertaste. It’s not awful, though. If we were dying of thirst, we would probably drink it.
Aura (YUCK)
B8.5/500cc
The bottle: A change from the usual blue, the top and the wrap are green and chic. It will pop nicely against your white linen outfit.
The taste: Leaps and bounds worse than the rest, this tastes vaguely poisonous and very chemical, like you’re drinking the plastic wrap around the bottle. Aura may look green, but certainly doesn’t taste that way. We’re not even sure you should splash this on anyone.
