Which HU bottled mineral water is the best?

I found that the quality of drinking water was appalling. I doubt if there are any serious purity control regulations enforced in their entire water bottling and food processing industry,nor would that bottled water be considered legally entitled to drink in England.

You might be right but what can one do? Can't fly in water from the UK.
I am in Las Vegas right now for a visit, the tap water is the worst tasting stuff I have ever had,
You can taste every chemical that has been  added.
We get 5 gallon bottles of filtered water here for drinking and cooking.
I think people who might have a fresh water well on the property  in Hungary might have it the best.
I heard the water in lake Balaton has been tested and is pure enough for drinking as is.
Not so sure I would like to give it a try though, summertime for sure not.

This made me laugh. Ten days without wine. I find that the water in my budapest apartment is fine and very drinkable.
In the countryside I have my own well but drink whatever is the cheapest bottled water . I use bottled water to cook with too. It is water from my own well but has a very high mineral content. I am also suspicious of the way septic tanks in hungary are not very far away from the cottages, unlike the standards set in the UK.
I would like to fit a purifying system at some stage because I do not want to financially support the companies that produce bottled water and I am left with hundreds of non recyclable plastic bottles.

When I go to Balaton biking, I usually stop to fill up some bottles here: Balatonfüred Spring

A bit of a strange taste but very popular with many people and it's free.  I see a lot of people filling up containers.  Supposed to be good for your health.

fluffy2560 wrote:

A bit of a strange taste but very popular with many people and it's free.  I see a lot of people filling up containers.  Supposed to be good for your health.

There is a water source within 100 m where I live that has been ruined many years ago by people washing their wine spraying tools in it.

Another, further away but within walking distance, which is very well known and very popular (it even was renovated in the last decade), has also been tested from time to time and has had elevated bacterial counts (E. coli I was told) at different times. Signs where put up many times to warn people, but someone constantly removed the signs, and the local government, to my current knowledge, no longer bothers to put up signs.

I personally suggest to go the local government office and ask for the latest test results from any source (the source should be tested monthly). If the source was not tested in the past 30 days, I personally would not trust it. But that is just me.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Any thoughts on the tap straight from the source?

Bottled water in "developed" countries is a scam. Not uncommonly, it is also just water from taps simply bottled and sold at huge markups. Lots of articles online about it.

In most countries in Europe, as far as I know, tap water is fine. Old iron pipes may add a taste to the water, however.

But, meanwhile and sadly, in the US, I would not drink the water in Flint Michigan.....

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I know not drinking wine for 10 days may also account for the fresh healthy feeling I had.

Well, it would depend on how much wine you drink each day, but yes, this may be a factor.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I heard the water in lake Balaton has been tested and is pure enough for drinking as is.

Under the very strict regulations about what is "drinking water" in Hungary, the Balaton does not qualify.

But it is "drinkable", in that if you go swimming and swallow some it probably will not hurt you. (But there were some local cases when boats have dumped waste resulting in locally undrinkable water).

The idea that there is a "best" is a matter of personal preference.  You like still water, I like sparkling, for example.
The packaged waters all have some amount of surety in quality, no bacterial counts, etc.  The waters from Balaton and many areas may have no such surety but it would obviously be contrary to common sense for local municipalities to allow people to get sick drinking their water.  Plus all serviceable water fountains are assumed to be safe (potable), even though we can't be sure.

I definitely think your improved health feelings were a combination of expectations and lack of alcohol. As you know, alcohol is a depressant, so simply not drinking any will make you more alert.  Although current medical standards state that 1-3 glasses of wine a day is certainly healthy and may even be desirable.

By the way, those minerals add a particular flavor profile to the water. Water with no minerals at all is tasteless.  The profiles of those mineral contents often impart desired flavors in beers, for example. High gypsum contents make a malty beer like Guinness more tasty, while they do nothing for a hoppy beer like an IPA.

I buy the water that's on sale.  That tastes the best to my wallet. 
:-)

Sad thing is I hate to be too alert most time when In  Hungary.
I have a great relationship with Hungary when  I am slightly under the influence.
I really wish grass was legal in Hungary!
in my 'old age" wine,wine makes me feel fine.
red, red
Not an alkie as of yet, no worries...
Living in a strange and sometimes very backwards country makes me sometimes test the limits of my sanity.
Think we have all been there, if not then something to look forward to!
In general we all need to take the red pill...

We need a few new threads. ie

Living in a strange country and developing the best coping mechanisms.
Best and cheapest wine in hungary.

Going back to the bottled water thing. The water in Mauritius ( on holiday)  is very pure but even here it is suggested to drink bottled water for the first week while we get used to it.
I am assuming that the bottled water industry is very strong the world over. And I hate lining their pockets and contributing to the litter created by the bottles.
I only buy bottled water when I am in the countryside but if I knew how to I would fit my own filtration system because my well water has a high mineral content and I don't think I will ever get used to the taste. Or the sulphur smell.
When I first lived in Derbyshire I didn't like the taste of the tap water but over time I adapted to it and really miss Buxton water now.

The tap water in Budapest is really not all that bad, at least it's allot better then the tap water here in Las Vegas.
One can taste every chemical used , really horrid tasting water.
Bought a small water filter system for drinking and cooking with in Hungary.
Also got tired of all the plastic bottles and the hassle of carrying 6 packs of water upstairs every week.
Neighbor gets home delivery in Hungary from Tesco, not doing that yet, still enjoy doing my own shopping.'
If I had a country home with a well, I think I would look into a filter system .
Not sure how expensive it would be though, maybe just a unit that filters the water coming into the kitchen taps.

Oh my God the water at that spring tastes the worst!! I had some locals laugh at me after I tried it. Personal , though.

Yes the water from the spas has a nice egg like taste.
Suppose the sulfur is good for the old body.
At least it tastes like medicine, hard to swallow.

I do the same.  There are actually 7 different springs around Balatonfured including 2 in Csopak. It is high in sulfur and magnesium but very healthy.  The heart institute water is also slightly carbonated. Our water in Balatonfured is spring fed and not treated and perfectly healthy but we live up towards the hillside so it is kept in tanks on the hill. Sometimes there is sand but I believe it is very clean although extremely high in calcium. I think this is the hardest water I have ever experienced. We do not drink our well water as it is only from a depth of 4 meters and is from above the bedrock so contaminated. I have a lot of experience in water purification and testing and am confident the water we drink here is extremely clean and healthy with the exception of the plastic they are bottled in.  That is the largest risk having estrogen analogues in the esters used for the plastic. Glass bottles are the best and safest for storage.

Typically I purchase Szentkiraly or Theodora for drinking and I keep a couple bottles of Salvus for heart burn as I have bad gastric reflux disease. I no longer take medications (imeprizone and the like) which also cause severe osteoporosis. I prefer no medications and since moving to Hungary 6 years ago take nothing now and am far healthier than when we left the US.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Yes the water from the spas has a nice egg like taste.
Suppose the sulfur is good for the old body.
At least it tastes like medicine, hard to swallow.

One has to be careful around those spas. I got a serious viral foot infection at the Gellert Baths way back in the 90s.  Specialist burnt it out  in about 6 sessions with liquid nitrogen using a copper "iron" about the diameter of a 20ft coin.  It really hurt and in the last sessions I had to have anaesthetic injections in my soles to stand it. Injections hurt too.   Now I always wear sandals at these places. 

Warm water and people and inadequate hygiene equals a shared bacterial and virus laden soup.

Absolutely true and a big problem in the US as well.  Naegleria fowlerii infections are rapidly fatal as it is an amoeba that infects the brain and lives in slightly brackish water. It was first discovered in Australia and then several outbreaks in Texas and now occurs pretty much everywhere.  It hasn't yet happened in Hungary but has in Italy. So, you have to be very careful about getting water in the sinuses in untreated mineral waters.

As for foot infections this is an enormous problem and there are several very painful viiruses which can cause planter fascitis. As usual fungal infections are also a problem so yes, you must be very careful when using public facilities anywhere. Even the ocean near cities is a big problem with sewage and can cause fatal illness as well. This such a problem it is now common to advise people to wear earplugs when swimming at most beaches.

borschelrh wrote:

..... As usual fungal infections are also a problem so yes, you must be very careful when using public facilities anywhere. Even the ocean near cities is a big problem with sewage and can cause fatal illness as well. This such a problem it is now common to advise people to wear earplugs when swimming at most beaches.

Best to avoid falling in as well.  Olympics in Rio sailing events very difficult due to pollution.

Yes have to be very careful at public pools, just like gym class in school, wear some slippers.
If one has a cut or injury on the foot it is best not to swim that day.
My younger bro went to Hawaii for his honeymoon a couple years ago.
He loved to walk around barefoot and must of had a cut on his foot or small point of entry.
He got a staff infection really bad on his honeymoon, spent several nights in the Honolulu hospital where they wanted to remove one of his toes. Wouldn't be allowed to fly home for weeks afterwards,
He decided to leave his Hawaiian honeymoon early and got treatment in Cal. 2 years ago he had to get his toe removed anyways, no more barefoot walking for him.