The Personal Trainer

Still, full-bodied and squeaky clean, finishing crisp and dry with a faint bitter snap. This is water with a program for you.

The dry finish comes from sulfate dissolved out of gypsum, the calcium sulfate facies, stacked well past the 250 mg/L body line. Sulfate in quantity is mildly laxative, which is exactly why the French spa tradition prescribed these by the litre.

Contrex and Hépar built careers on this chemistry. Drink it for the minerals and the discipline; the pleasure arrives later, once the taste is acquired.