Harrogate Water Bottles
Dec 22, 2019, 12:22 pm
#31
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: North Yorkshire, UK / Pasadena CA
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 1,311
I frankly wouldn't care if I got water from a simple tap connected to the public water supply, but so many people are very precious about wanting glorified water instead of thinking they are drinking the same as the hoi polloi that I'm sure it would receive complaints.
Dec 22, 2019, 12:47 pm
#32
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: London
Programs: BA Blue
Posts: 124
I believe Harrogate water is a spring water and not a mineral water and therefore it wont be as stable over time. Also it could be that both odour and taste chemicals have not been added unlike general potable water in the network and hence it can be susceptible to these issues.
Dec 22, 2019, 1:12 pm
#33
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: UK
Programs: Lemonia. Best Greek ever.
Posts: 2,271
The first commercial bottlers of Harrogate water in the twentieth century were ICI, which then owned Crimple House, just South of Harrogate. That was where a natural stream was found.
Crimple House was the HQ of the ICI Fibres Division. It is now part of a Hospice Charity.
ICI got rid of the natural water business quite quickly. I have no idea who owns it now!
Crimple House was the HQ of the ICI Fibres Division. It is now part of a Hospice Charity.
ICI got rid of the natural water business quite quickly. I have no idea who owns it now!
Dec 22, 2019, 2:51 pm
#34
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,210
I frankly wouldn't care if I got water from a simple tap connected to the public water supply, but so many people are very precious about wanting glorified water instead of thinking they are drinking the same as the hoi polloi that I'm sure it would receive complaints.
Dec 22, 2019, 4:20 pm
#35
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: MSN
Programs: AA, BAEC Gold
Posts: 3,928
Harrogate is, after all, a spa and spa water is meant to taste vile as this means it is good for you. That said, I have not found it objectionable but if is economic to provide filtered water in terminals and lounges then it could help the plastic waste stream a lot.
Dec 23, 2019, 12:11 am
#36
Join Date: Apr 2008
Programs: Confirmed
Posts: 1,091
Neither would I, most of the time, and it would be far better for the environment than shipping the stuff round the globe in bottles. I think the main obstacle is not snobbery but inconsistency. In some places what comes out of the tap is heavily chlorinated. I can't see that going down well with BA's customers. On balance its probably best to stick with whisky.
Should we stick to gin in BA lounges for health reasons too?
Dec 23, 2019, 4:39 am
#38
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: London
Posts: 201
I know what you mean but I’m certain what you’re describing is taint from the plastic bottle if it has been left in direct sunlight or somewhere warm. It’s quite common on Virgin Trains (the water isn’t Harrogate anymore) & I’ve also noticed it in some hotels. You are correct that Evian & Volvos seem to escape this problem as the plastic they use seems more robust than the slightly “crinkly” plastic used by Harrogate & others.
Dec 23, 2019, 6:09 am
#39
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: UK
Programs: BA GfL & GGL, FB Platinum, MB Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,402
I know what you mean but I’m certain what you’re describing is taint from the plastic bottle if it has been left in direct sunlight or somewhere warm. It’s quite common on Virgin Trains (the water isn’t Harrogate anymore) & I’ve also noticed it in some hotels. You are correct that Evian & Volvos seem to escape this problem as the plastic they use seems more robust than the slightly “crinkly” plastic used by Harrogate & others.
Dec 23, 2019, 8:34 am
#40
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: BOS
Programs: BA Silver, Mucci
Posts: 5,289
I thought it had a strange taste on Thursday. Ice and lemon may have helped but I opted to just not drink it. Harrogate water on board tasted better.
Dec 23, 2019, 10:55 am
#41
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Malvern
Programs: BAEC Gold, VS Red, HH Gold
Posts: 93
It does seem that many places use Harrogate as their free water (Hilton check-in being another big one), which is down to the fact that it is one of, if not the cheapest to source in bulk, but this cheapness would appear to come at the cost of it tasting a bit like tap water from a bad area
Dec 23, 2019, 12:52 pm
#42
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: All over the place often South Wales and Lake District
Programs: BA Gold for Life Accor Platinum
Posts: 4,552
I remember watching a documentary on a BA flight some years ago where the sommelier from The Langham in London sand from other hotels blind taste waters. Among them were Voss (which at the titme was a designer water selling for around £15 a bottle in some restaurants and Fiji water. London's own tap water won.
Munich has a reputation for the tap water being better than mosst bottled.
Munich has a reputation for the tap water being better than mosst bottled.
Jan 2, 2020, 4:20 am
#43
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: UK
Programs: BA GfL & GGL, FB Platinum, MB Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,402
So I tasted the water from the glass bottles and found that there is still an unpleasant taste but no way near as bad as from the plastic bottles. i also noticed that the plastic bottles have a green/brown tinge to them.
Jan 2, 2020, 4:30 am
#44
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: BAEC GfL, currently GGL
Posts: 233
Dasani used to be sold in the UK... until it was discovered that the bottling plant in Sidcup took the feedstock from the municipal (Thames Water) supply, de-chlorinated and de-mineralised it, and then added back the "special Dasani blend" of salts.
Oddly enough the market collapsed.
~edit - ignore me... already covered in #29 above
Oddly enough the market collapsed.
~edit - ignore me... already covered in #29 above
Last edited by furryman; Jan 2, 2020 at 4:33 am Reason: too slow!