To many people, explaining the taste of water is nearly impossible. It’s the foundation of human life, takes up 71% of the Earth’s surface, and makes up 50-65% of the human body… and I couldn’t even describe its taste (Helmenstein). While I do not claim to be connoisseur of water, I have had my fair share of aqua. The debate over the taste of water spans thousands of years. The esteemed and revered philosopher Aristotle once wrote about water, “The natural substance water per se tends to be tasteless.” Aristotle may have jumped to the conclusion that water has no taste and is merely a “vehicle of flavor” (Engber). The unique and extraordinary feature of water is that after the water is in its purest state, two hydrogen molecules paired with one oxygen molecule, no water is the exact same. The reason no two waters can be identical is because water, also known as H20, is the universal solvent. As the universal solvent, water is able to dissolve at least a little bit of anything it comes in contact with. Therefore, the closer to the source the water is, the more pure it will be.
This brings us back to the question– what is the taste of water? Taste may be the most difficult of the five senses to pinpoint because a flavor cannot be quantitated; flavor is a sensation that is the sum of smell and taste. The flavor that everyday drinking water produces can be attributed to the minerals and elements that water absorbs as the universal solvent. A typical, commendable drinking water will typically have traces of Potassium, magnesium, calcium and even small amounts of sodium give water its fullness potassium, calcium, magnesium, silica and even some sodium in order to give water a full flavor that is neither dull nor flat. “Good” water cannot be a water that is totally distilled of any impurities. I placed good in quotations because preferences in water flavor vary from region to region and person to person. If distilled water tasted the best, it would be the most commercially sold water (Pomento).
Additionally, recent research suggests that pure H20 may produce a flavor that cannot be created by lingering minerals in water. At the beginning of the current century, a team at the University of Utah discovered that the taste cells in mammals create proteins called aquaporins, which serve to channel water through cell membranes. The aquaporins provide a possible way for water to stimulate taste cells directly (Engber). Currently, the taste buds that are designated to be stimulated by pure water have not been found. It will take further investigation of all areas of the tongue to precisely identify the region of taste buds that taste water. Until then, stay hydrated.
Works Cited
Engber, Daniel. “Ask Anything: What Does Water Taste Like?” Popular Science (2014): n. pag. Popular Science. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
Helmenstein, Anne Marie, Ph.D. “How Much of The Human Body Is Water?” About Education. N.p., 18 Oct. 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.
Pomento, Joe. “Taste of Water.” Editorial. Aqueduct Magazine CubedDec. 2001: n. pag. A Celebration of Water in Public Spaces. Aqueduct Magazine Cubed. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
I have always wondered this as well. Water does have to have some sort of flavor because no two brands of water taste the same. Well at least to me, I asked my dad the same question and he said he can taste any difference. This might be the case for purified waters, but one thing is for sure tap water does tastes significantly different from bottled water. This article shows an excellent debate on if water has a flavor or not, http://www.debate.org/opinions/does-water-have-a-flavor
This is such a cool topic because I’ve always said this! I’ve always wondered why other drinks (soda’s, juice, etc.) have a specific taste but water is always something you can’t describe. I assume from all the additives that all drinks are basically water but with added sugars, proteins, calories and etc? Lemme know what you think! http://www.popsci.com/article/science/ask-anything-what-does-water-taste
Interesting–I wonder if at one time humans (or other animals) were able to taste water, but have evolved to no longer have those taste receptors because water is such a vital part of our diets?
This was a very interesting topic to do a blog about! I have always wondered if there was a specific taste that water was categorized with. It’s interesting to know that not all water is the same because it can have different amounts of minerals in it. I wonder if these minerals have an effect on water’s taste and if water can taste different to other people?