Badoit vs Gerolsteiner

Two naturally carbonated bicarbonate heavyweights, one French and one German, and the German is more than twice as dense (TDS 2500 against 1200). Gerolsteiner leads on nearly every ion, 347 mg/L calcium against 190, 1808 bicarbonate against 1300, 104 magnesium against 85, which puts it over the roughly 100 mg/L line where magnesium turns bitter and leaves Badoit just under. What Badoit has instead is sodium, 165 mg/L against 117, savory rather than salty, and a softer, finer bead.

Pick Gerolsteiner for the maximum mineral payload that still drinks round, since the bicarbonate carries the weight. Pick Badoit for the dinner table, where the savory edge and the gentler fizz flatter food instead of competing with it.

Full profiles: Badoit · Gerolsteiner. All values mg/L from the analyses cited on each water’s page.