Reasons to Love Memphis #18: Memphis Water
Memphis Water. Yum!
When I moved to Muncie for college, I was prepared to miss a lot of things about living in Memphis. I wasn’t prepared to miss something as mundane as the tap water. I’m not sure where the water in Muncie came from, but it seemed like it had to settle a little bit before you could drink it and it had a very specific, slightly oily taste.
Not to get all hyperbolic, but Memphis tap water is hands down the best tap water I’ve ever had. It’s crisp, clean, clear and doesn’t taste like anything.
Memphis water comes from a huge underground aquifer (not the Mississippi River). When you turn your tap on to brush your teeth, the water that comes out is the same stuff that companies bottle and sell in vending machines. I’d be really interested to compare the bottled water sales figures for Memphis and another city of its size.
Memphians, don’t take your amazing tap water for granted. Put down that bottle of Dasani and raise a glass. Cheers!
One of my favorite things about Memphis!
As a homebrewer, I must say that Memphis water is truly excellent for making beer. We need more local microbreweries.
Love, love, love that Memphis water. I moved to Memphis from a small town where I wasn’t ever surprised to lift a toilet lid and find a bowl full of pink or brown “water”. Now I carry a CamelBak bottle full of Memphis tap water all the time.
OMG, agreed! After I lived in Florida for about 6 months, my best friend came to visit me & asked me if I wanted anything & all I asked for was MEMPHIS WATER. I told her I didn’t care how she smuggled it on the plane, just get it to me!! Tampa area water is referred to as City Punch… *puke* And my mom still talks about the good ol’ days of Memphis water before they started putting Floride in it!
I never thought much about Memphis water either until I moved to California, first Los Angeles, then San Diego. I drink almost nothing but sodas and hot tea because I can’t stand the water. I also never feel like quite all of the soap is out of my hair or off my body. I don’t have to worry as much about mildew as I did in humid Memphis, but it sure is tough cleaning mineral build-up off of faucets and shower doors. I love Memphis water.
Does anyone remember how about twenty years ago someone tried to bottle it and sell it? Because of Memphis’ image, they were laughed right out of business.