Whats the difference between water and sparkling water

It’s a great big sparkling water world out there, but amid the club sodas, seltzers and sparklers, Mountain Valley Sparkling Spring Water is uniquely delicious. 

Sparkling waters have exploded into our home pantries and office refrigerators in recent years, serving as a healthful, zero-calorie replacement for sugary sodas and soft drinks. 

But simply because a water sparkles doesn’t mean it’s Mountain Valley Sparkling Spring Water.  

In the same way that only bubbly wines from the Champagne region of France can be labeled Champagne, only sparkling waters that are naturally sourced and naturally mineral-rich can be labeled “sparkling spring water.”

Mountain Valley Sparkling Spring Water is exactly that: spring water bottled from Mountain Valley’s protected, mineral-laden spring deep in the heart of the Ouachita Mountains, then infused with gentle carbonation for a refreshingly award-winning flavor. Mountain Valley isn’t in the soda water industry, nor does it manufacture seltzers or tonics. 

Mountain Valley is in the business of sparkling. 

What’s sparkling water? 

Any still water to which carbonation is added becomes sparkling water. Also called seltzer water and soda water, sparkling water has no additives and no special sourcing. Tap water can be carbonated and then called sparkling water. Well water can also be carbonated — and then called sparkling water. If it’s water, and it has added bubbles and nothing else, that’s sparkling water. 

Sparkling water vs. club soda 

The difference between sparkling waters and club soda is simple: additives. 

Club soda is not only infused with carbonation, it can also have trace amounts of sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate, disodium phosphate and sometimes sodium chloride — aka table salt — added to it. These additives are meant to balance and neutralize the acidity imparted to water during the carbonation process. Due to this neutrality, club soda is often used for cocktails for better and more consistent flavor. 

Sparkling water vs. sparkling spring water 

Sparkling water has no additives, and neither does sparkling spring water. But sparkling spring water does have trace minerals that give it a naturally rounded and naturally refreshing flavor that’s hard to top. The difference is, sparkling spring water comes by these rich trace minerals the natural way. 

This natural mineralization makes sparkling spring waters such as Mountain Valley’s unique. Mountain Valley Sparkling Spring Water started its journey to these emerald-green bottles some 3,500 years ago when it fell from the skies as rain. Over millennia, that rain collected in aquifers 1,600 feet below the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, filtering through striations of shale, sandstone and limestone until it reached these deep, granite-based natural holding tanks. As the aquifers filled, excess water would be pushed back to the surface, up through beds of Ordovician marble lined with veins of quartz.

This journey, down into the aquifer then back up through layers of marble and quartz crystals, is what gives Mountain Valley Sparkling Spring Water its unique mineral content of calcium, magnesium and potassium, as well as its pure, refreshing and award-winning flavor.

Mountain Valley doesn’t need to add sodium bicarbonate or sodium citrate. Its water is naturally alkaline, which is helpful for balancing the acidity imparted by carbonation. This natural alkalinity, and the deliciously rounded flavor it imparts, makes Mountain Valley Sparkling Spring Water the sparkling water of choice for craft bartenders across the U.S., from Brooklyn to Denver to San Diego. 

Is sparkling spring water naturally carbonated? 

The short answer: It can be. 

The vast majority of sparkling waters, even sparkling spring waters, are carbonated after they’re sourced. This process is simple and relatively easy: carbon dioxide gas is forced into still water under pressure. To maintain carbonation, that pressure needs to remain, which is why sparkling waters such as Mountain Valley are tightly bottled. When the pressure is released, with the satisfying twist of a cap, all those tiny, nose-tickling bubbles spring to life.

Sparkling waters can, however, come by their carbonation naturally. In some cases, naturally occurring carbonic acid and/or carbon dioxide gasses infused into rocks by nearby volcanic activity can give mineral spring waters natural carbonation. Natural carbonation also requires pressure to remain intact and is often less bubbly than waters that are carbonated after sourcing. 

Is sparkling spring water healthier than soda water or seltzer? 

Unlike soda water or seltzer, sparkling spring water comes by its trace minerals and refreshingly neutral flavor naturally and without additives. But any sparkling water will be far more healthful than sodas or other sugary, high-calorie beverages. 

According to research from Harvard, despite the relative acidity of sparkling water, it has not been associated with decreased bone mineral density, nor has unsweetened sparkling water been linked to tooth decay. As the university’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health put it, “Bottom line: Carbonated waters, if unsweetened, are safe to drink and a good beverage choice. They are not associated with health problems that are linked with sweetened, carbonated beverages like soda.”

Ready to sparkle? Have Mountain Valley Sparkling Spring Water delivered to your home or office 

There’s a reason Mountain Valley Sparkling Spring Water has been named among the best in the world year after year: it sparkles in all the most delicious ways. Taste for yourself. Get started with home or office delivery by clicking here.