Eau! What a great Water! (Evian)

Member Name: ian22

Product:	Evian
Date:	30/07/06 (1690 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Refreshing, natural tasting

Disadvantages: Quite expensive

With the warm temperatures of late, all I want is to do is keep drinking lots of ice cold water...but not just any water, I hasten to add! It has to be still mineral water, not the disgusting stuff that comes out of the tap. I normally buy bottles of mineral water from Lidl, as a pack of 6 costs a mere 99p. However, whilst out today, I stopped off at a local shop and bought a bottle of Evian.

This isn't the first time I have bought Evian mineral water, but it is not a brand I buy regularly, purely because I find it quite expensive. A single bottle (0.75 litre) will set you back around 79p and a pack of 6 x 50cl bottles costs around £2.05 from most supermarkets.

WHAT IS EVIAN?

Evian is a natural mineral water filtered from the French Alps. It is named after the village of Evian, which is situated on the banks of Lake Geneva. Back in 1789, it was discovered that the water had certain health benefits when a visiting Marquis found that drinking the water cured his kidney stones! The water is fed by mountain snow and percolates through the ground for 15 years before it emerges from an underground spring.

Today, Evian is an internationally renowned spa town, where people still flock to taste the famous Evian mineral water. The factory which produces Evian churns out an incredible 1.5 billion litres of water a year, and ships it to 150 countries worldwide. Since 1991, the Evian brand has been owned by the Danone group, one of the largest companies in France.

WATER, WATER...WATER EVERYWHERE!

Drinking water is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle. It is recommended that we drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and more in warmer weather to avoid dehydration.

One water molecule (H2O) is basically composed of two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen. But mineral waters, like Evian, are more complex chemically. They contain a whole host of minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium, each of which has its own health benefits.

PACKAGING

Bottles of Evian come in several different sizes: 0.5 litre, 0.75 litre, 1 litre and 2 litre are the most popular, but you can also buy some bottles in multipack format. Depending on the size, the bottles are shaped slightly differently, but the main packaging is the same. The 'Evian' name appears in red, lower case writing across the front and back of the bottle, and there are three mountain peaks which protrude from just over the name.

The 75 cl bottle of Evian I bought is a clear, hourglass shaped container with a red flip-top lid. The plastic is moulded so that the surface is full of grooves and different textures, which make it great for the tactile among us!

A lot of thought has gone into making the bottle look and feel appealing. The plastic has a slightly blue tinge to it which reflects in the water, making it look fresh and enticing to drink.

The red flip-top lid is also very easy to open and close. A quick click and the lid is securely shut. To test it, I turned the bottle upside down and I'm pleased to report that there was no unwanted leakage!

THE TASTE EXPERIENCE

In my opinion, describing the taste of water has got to be one of the hardest things to write about. After all, how exactly can you describe it? Water is tasteless, odourless and colourless, and is not really something we think of in terms of taste. However, as you might expect, Evian does taste different from everyday tap water, so I shall attempt to describe it as best as I can.

In my experience, mineral water is always best enjoyed chilled, and Evian is no exception. The minerals present in Evian give it a distinctly crisp, clean taste, which immediately cleanses and revitalises your palate. It has a very refreshing taste, which is neither too chalky nor too sharp in terms of flavour. Evian tastes so pure and natural, and this is mainly down to the fact that it has taken so many years for it to mature - rather like a good wine!

HEALTH BENEFITS

I cannot comment empirically on Evian's long-term health benefits, as I don't drink enough of it! However, I can say that I felt slightly less bloated after drinking a couple of glasses of Evian and generally quite refreshed and alert. I would not say the water has any mysterious healing powers, but it certainly seems to detoxify the body of unwanted substances which may make you feel ill.

Let's have a closer look at some of the minerals which you will find in Evian.

The main one is calcium. This constitutes 78mg per litre and is obviously an important one because of its function in maintaining strong, healthy bones.

Next is magnesium. This makes up 24mg per litre. Magnesium is particularly important for women as they get older, because it helps muscles retain their subtlety.

Then there is sodium and potassium, but these constitute much smaller amounts - 5mg and 1mg/litre respectively. Sodium helps to prevent allergies, and potassium works to regulate the body's metabolism.

Other ingredients include bicarbonates, sulphates, chlorides, nitrates and silica.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I am very impressed with Evian mineral water and, although it is a bit pricey, recommend it very highly. In fact, I can't honestly see how anyone could dislike it because it is so natural tasting and refreshing! If you haven't tried it, please do so. C'est fantastique!... as the French would say.

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