PurAqua Purified Water

Last Updated on September 25, 2020

Drinking water is, next to air, the most vital thing for survival. For most people, getting drinking water is as easy as turning on the faucet. Sometimes, however, there are reasons why a person needs to get water from another source, either because they’re traveling, or because, for one reason or another, their tap supply is either unsafe or unavailable.

Aldi, like virtually all grocers (and virtually all stores that sell food and drinks), has a few options for buying water as part of its everyday Regular Buy selection. Aldi sells “purified” water in both packs of bottles and in gallon jugs, bottled “natural spring water,” and gallon distilled water for things like nasal rinses. In addition, Aldi sells a selection of flavored and infused waters through both its private labels and some name brands, some of them as Regular Buys and some of them as Seasonal Favorites or Aldi Finds.

Here, I’m going to focus primarily on the purified water.

Before I continue, a brief word on the differences between purified and distilled water. Purified water is either tap water or groundwater that has been filtered or processed to remove bacteria, fungi, algae, pollutants, and most other things that are considered an impurity. It may still contain trace impurities, though, and may also include minerals. Distilled water is a form of purified water that uses evaporation and condensation to remove nearly everything from the water. There are pros and cons to both, so we’ll leave it to you to decide which you prefer.

PurAqua Purified Water (Bottled)

In our stores, Aldi purified bottled water comes in 24-packs of either 16.9-ounce bottles or smaller 10-ounce bottles. Oddly, the smaller bottles currently cost more ($2.29 per pack) than the larger ones ($2.99 per pack).

The packaging, as well as the individual bottles, say that the bottles are both BPA-free and recyclable. The individual bottles also contain other information, including the water source, the bottler, and a “best by” date. (In the past, our Aldi stores have sourced their purified water from our own municipal water supply, which feels as if Aldi is selling us water out of our own tap.) Our water is bottled by a company called Waters of America, but we assume Aldi also uses other regional bottlers in other parts of the country.

I’ve never been a big fan of the bottles used in generic bottled water, and these are no different. The Pur Aqua bottles are thin, bend easily, and make a lot of crinkling noise while doing it. They work, but I can’t say they’re my favorite option for travel water. (I prefer a stainless steel bottle.) On the plus side, the sealed cap is easy to remove and screw back on.

The taste, though, is fine. I sometimes find that water bottles, including these, taste a little funny if they’re left outside when it’s really hot, but if they’re kept at room temperature they taste about like the water I’m used to.

PurAqua Purified Water (Gallon)

In our stores, the gallon jugs run 79 cents per gallon. Like their bottled counterparts, the packaging notes the source as well as the bottler, adding that it is processed by reverse osmosis and / or distillation. Like our bottled water, the company Waters of America bottled the gallon jug. It also contains a best-by date printed on the bottom and is recyclable.

I like the gallon jug construction more than I like the bottled water. The jug is mostly firm, especially around the handle, and it pours about as easily as your traditional milk jug. The cap is sealed but, like most milk jugs, snaps the first time you unscrew it.

The taste is about the same, too. It tastes like tap water. Like the bottles, I’ve found the jug water to have a different taste if it’s in higher temperatures for a long time, but it seems to be fine if kept at room temperature.

The Verdict:

If you have a need for bottled or gallon water, Aldi sells it, and it tastes, at least in our area, like normal water. I like the gallon jug construction, although I don’t like the bottles as much. Still, both of them do the job.