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This is an ongoing test I am doing when I purchase new brands of bottled water. I have read about how alkaline water is good from various sources, and then, there are skeptics that wonder if it makes a difference.
I’m not here to debate that; just show a couple brands I tested. There are plenty more brands I have not tested, and will add any more that I purchase.
For me personally, I would prefer to drink alkaline water over acidic water, just from the things I have heard about it over the years, and another plug for it, for me personally, is numerous pro athletes post about alkaline water on their social media properties, and so, that’s enough for me.
After seeing a video of someone doing this on YouTube (posted below), I decided to test my own water. I was surprised at some of the brands, at how they read quite acidic, and so I had to find out for myself.
pH Test Method
I looked up pH drops on Amazon, and found this product:
Anyways, beyond that, I just tested a few brands, and took some pictures of them. The color in the pictures looks slightly different, but not by much. It was hard to capture the exact color, maybe because of the light in the room I had, but for the most part, you can easily tell about where they each are, as you can see the difference between green, blue, purplish, and the other direction, when acidic, when there is a yellowish hue. I did these on separate days, so the lighting may be slightly different, for anyone looking for very exact results.
Here is a close up of the pH chart from the back of the box:
Disclaimer: this is just my own personal test. I have no preference here, and so, if you want to know with more certainty, just order a test kit and test some for yourself, the test kits aren’t very expensive and last quite a while. I will also make note that I am not a doctor, and the rest of this article is just my personal results and opinion.
Essentia vs Poland Springs pH Test
Results:
- Poland Springs has a pH of around 4.5-5
- Essentia has a pH around 9-9.5 (in person I can see a purplish hue to it).
This was the first test I wanted to do after seeing the video. Right away I ordered a case of Essentia from Amazon, and then I already had Poland Springs, since I pretty much always have some Poland Springs, for coffee etc.
I had to see for myself if it was true about Poland Springs being on the acidic side, and also of Essentia being quite Alkaline, and my test results showed that to be the case.
Trader Joe’s Alkaline Water vs Noah’s pH Test
Next I wanted to try out two brands that claim to be alkaline, that I drink regularly. I always pick up a few bottles of Trader Joe’s alkaline water when I go there, and I have also ordered Noah’s a few times. I was glad to see they both tested Alkaline.
Results:
- Noah’s has a pH of around 8-8.5.
- Trader Joe’s has a pH of about 9-9.5 (it’s slightly darker and purplish, very close to Essentia).
I actually was inspired to try this after seeing Trader Joe’s test alkaline in the video, since when I used my own pH test strips, it was hard to tell with them; maybe the strips are old or something, but I like the test with a few drips in water.
Claimed pH Levels
Here are the labels of these first three, and what they all claim to be, which are pretty consistent with my test results. Noah’s label is less obvious, it is in the small box that resembles a nutrition chart, and says 8.4. The others both say 9.5+.
Aqua Hydrate pH Test
Results:
- Aqua Hydrate has a pH of about 9-9.5
This is a brand that i found at Target, one of the only alkaline waters they carry, at least the only one labelled so. I was happy to see this there as I am switching to alkaline water, since I prefer it. They only had a couple bottles, and I grabbed them!
Core Hydration pH Test
Results:
- Core Hydration has a pH of about 7-7.5
On the bottle, they claim a pH of 7.4 – ‘the perfect pH level for the body’
I would say they are pretty spot on from the results of my test.
Absopure pH Test
Results:
- Absopure has a pH of about 7.5-8
I decided to check this one. It came with a pre-made snack box from Target, and so I figured it would likely be on the acidic side of things, and to my surprise, it tested alkaline.
Where To Buy Alkaline Water?
My best source has been Amazon for more than one brand. I get Essentia and Noah’s from there.
My local Target stocked the Aqua Hydrate, and my local grocery store had the Core Hydration.
The Walmart near me only carried Fiji, which is slightly Alkaline.
Of course Trader Joe’s has their own line, and their other water, Mountain Springs I believe is the name, is slightly alkaline according to the video below.
Last Words On Alkaline Water
Besides all that, I don’t have too much to say about it. Is alkaline water better for you? I think so. Is it proven to be so? Not that I know of, so take that for what it’s worth.
I personally like drinking it because its smoother than the more acidic brands. I always wondered why some water was easier going down, and for me, the more acidic it is, the harder it is to chug it down.
I’m not writing this article to factually state whether alkaline water is better or not, but rather just post the results I found, with a few extra thoughts etc., so hopefully this was helpful for anyone wanting a comparison of the pH levels of some brands of water.
Here is the video I referred to earlier that inspired me to get these pH strips at Amazon:
What do you think?