Taste test

Can the average sipper tell cheap water from the pricey stuff?

Three staffers who aren’t expert tasters tried four waters (with identities hidden): a pricey “ultra-purified” water ($2.99 per liter); a national brand of purified water ($1 per liter); a store-brand spring water (89 cents per gallon); and tap water from our Yonkers, N.Y., office filtered through a Brita carafe ($22.49 for the carafe and one filter; replacement filters, about $40 per year).

One staffer correctly guessed all the waters; one got half; and the third got one out of four. Try it yourself at home. Your humble tap might make the grade.