In Honor of National Coffee Day, I am re-posting this article I published in 2013.

Do you remember life before filtered water or bottled water? Those were the good old days when you turned on the kitchen tap for a glass of water – that probably didn’t taste too good.

A little History

In many parts of the United States, water may have been potable, meaning it was disease-free and safe to drink, but that didn’t mean it tasted good. That bad taste in a glass of water translated into an off taste in anything cooked, with water added, and beverages like coffee brewed with water. Water taste was, and is, determined by the raw material, the natural water, and by the disinfection process used by your local water authority. Though strides have been made to create better tasting water, not all water systems have succeeded in this effort.

The “recipe” for drinking water at most municipal water treatment facilities is still heavily influenced by the need to kill bacteria and other living organisms in order to make it safe for the population. That’s why so many municipal water systems produce water that smells, and tastes, like the aqua blue stuff in a swimming pool. Chlorine is the chemical of choice to kill organisms in water.

Safe to drink? Yes. Good to drink? Not so much.

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