[cssinate]

I had a roommate like this. So I set up a blind taste test. I set up 10 tests with two glasses each, most of which had one of each type, but I think 3 had either both bottled or both tap. Regardless, it came out int he end, that he couldn't even tell them apart, let alone have a favorite. For some reason, even after the test, he continued to drink bottled water.

[lylejantzi3rd]

> For some reason, even after the test, he continued to drink bottled water.

Most people don't change their minds based on new information (dialectic). You have to appeal to their emotions (rhetoric). This is something Aristotle observed 2500 years ago. It's crucial to understand if you want to understand how people make decisions and how you might be able to change their minds about something.

... I say, doing the exact opposite. It's a difficult habit to break.

[smaccona]

Penn & Teller did an episode years ago where they tried to debunk the claim that there was any difference between tap and bottled water. They colluded with a New York City restaurant where the waiters told customers that the restaurant was trying out several new waters and asking customers to taste test each one before deciding which one they should ultimately go with. They made up fake bottle labels such as "Arctic Mist", "Himalayan Snow" and similar (I can't remember the actual names), and in reality Penn and Teller were filling the water bottles from a garden hose in the back of the restaurant with New York City tap water (though admittedly NYC water is very good).

Not only did the customers like the waters, many of them claimed that one was much better than another, expressed a preference, and justified the preference with comments along the lines of "I can really taste the difference in this one, it's more XXX". There was even one customer who refused to believe Penn and Teller when they revealed that all of the bottles contained NYC tap water, and insisted that the waters were different from each other. A true testament to how the mind can fool itself.

The episode in question used to be available on YouTube, but now appears to be paywalled by Paramount+ unfortunately.

[NoZebra120vClip]

I hope that they didn't pull this on devout Jews.

A little-known controversy about NYC tap water is whether or not it is considered Kosher, due to containing live copepods.

Some Jews still insist on filtering their tap water at home, for this reason.

[93po]

clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2qydjVbLJk&t=2s

[TylerE]

There are valid reasons that could be the case.

Maybe what they actually don't care for is some slight aftertaste from the cleaning products used on the glass?

Also, your nose plays a rather big role in your sense of taste. Using a small mouthed bottle that doesn't tend to waft towards the nose as you drink will have an effect.