Jonathan Bellingham, A Water Tasting Judge

Do you think you could tell the difference between 21 different bottled waters?  Jonathan Bellingham has had to do just that as a preliminary judge for both the 2019 & 2020 Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition.  Because of his connections with the festival founders as well as his experience with Capon water,  he was recruited to help determine which of the entries from around the US, as well as several countries, would earn the title of best tasting bottled water.

Turns out, a distinguishing palate can evaluate something as simple as water by its 5 distinct qualities: visual appearance, odor, flavor, mouth feel and after taste.  “There were definitely 3 or 4 that stood out as great experiences for how they tasted and how they felt on my tongue,” explained Jonathan.

Besides the traditional bottled water category, another 45 total were entered in the municipal, purified and sparkling groupings.  This Berkeley Springs, WV event draws journalists from around the mid-Atlantic region.  Last year, a small film crew covered the proceedings for an upcoming documentary on Netflix.  Nationally known water experts gather to share their findings on water-related topics such as pollution, packaging and product enhancements.  This year, one speaker was Frostburg University professor Dr. Jonathan Flood, who discussed his research on natural groundwater chemistry and healing cults in ancient Greece.  Both of these had relevance to Capon as they proved to be lithiated springs and our spa derives its name Hygeia from the daughter of the Greek god of health.  Jonathan shared Capon water with Dr. Flood, who was curious to investigate its effects for both personal and professional purposes.

While Capon water did not compete in this event because it is not a fully commercial product, an informal private water taste test was conducted a few days later by Jonathan, his wife Betsy, daughter Katie, nephew Sam Brill, and niece Megan James.  Six samples competed in this blind tasting with Capon water, including past winners, new participants and international entries.  The result?  Most everyone agreed that the local waters tasted better, and Sam Brill even correctly identified Capon water as the “best in show!”