In pubs, cafés, bars or restaurants, drinks are usually served by the glass. However, this is not the case with mineral water: provided the service staff adhere to the rules, the mineral water first ends up in the unopened bottle at the table and only then is it poured into the glass.
And that is not in the gusto of the restaurateur, but is just as prescribed in the Mineral and Table Water Ordinance (MTVO). There it is regulated, among other things, that mineral water may only reach the consumer in sealed prepackaged packaging.
Because natural mineral water has to meet the highest quality standards – and these differ from those of table water, for example. This is how the MTVO defines the special requirements for natural mineral water:
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Test by Öko-Test: German mineral water is so good
And the recently published test by the magazine "ÖKO-TEST" (issue 7/2021) also showed that the quality of German mineral water is very good. Of the 50 classic waters tested, every second one scored "very good". Here you can find more information and the results of the mineral water test by Öko-Test.
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Alternative: just bubble the water yourself
But no matter how good the mineral water in this country may be: since Sodastream made the sparkling water maker acceptable in Germany in recent years, millions of households in Germany have been sparkling their own water.
The tap water mixed with CO2 has nothing to do with real mineral water. However, for reasons of convenience, cost and the environment, consumers are increasingly turning to the home-made alternative. Our partner AllesBeste took a closer look at the sparkling water maker. We have summarized the test results for you here in detail, the compact recommendations of the test can be found in the following table:
The best sparkling water makers in the test by AllesBeste
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Quality of the tap water in the sparkling water maker
Tap water is one of the most strictly controlled "foodstuffs" in Germany. In view of the boom in soda makers triggered by SodaStream, this is basically good news. Because in addition to CO2, the water from the tap is the main component. But although German tap water is subject to high requirements and quality standards, this does not automatically mean that it comes out of the tap in the same quality in every household. For example, outdated pipes or fittings can have a negative impact on the water quality – and heavy metals may get into the tap water. If you want to get an idea of "your water quality", you can do this relatively cheaply using test strips available online. Alternatively, you will also find somewhat more expensive water test sets, such as those from Ivario or Aquakaiser, where the results for almost 20 test values are determined by a laboratory.
Ivario laboratory water test combination (19-in-1) at Amazon
