Aquamiria, does it taste bad?

Like all tastes its purely subjective. I personally dont taste anything unless I up the dose more than usual and I dont find it to be all that unpleasant- not good -but not that bad either. The same goes with all the chlorine Dioxides Ive tried. Iodine tastes the strongest and is the least pleasant IMO. Some people seem to hate the taste and be able to taste it in even small amounts. So youll have to try it for your self.

OK so if I don't like it I guess I'll just add some Powerade/Gatorade mix to it.

Thanks!

> Iodine tastes the strongest and is the least pleasant IMO

True, iodine tastes bad.

BUT… there's a "magic trick" you can perform to remove the taste (and colour) completely. A tiny pinch of vitamin c powder (calcium ascorbate) added to your water bottle (*after* the iodine has already done its work) causes the colour and bad taste to vanish instantly.

You can buy bottles of iodine tablets which are sometimes accompanied by bottles of "neutralising" tablets (vitamin c). But the tablet form is slow. You can use iodine drops instead, and vitamin c powder instead (available from the chemist/drug store).

Water treated in this way tastes perfectly fresh (providing the source water tasted that way before the iodine was added). I've always avoided chlorine based drops or tablets because the ones I've used in the past made the water taste like I was drinking from a pool.

I would rather drink from a swimming pool anyday than drink Iodine – I tried it once – without flavoring and almost puked, then tried it with flavoring and still did'nt like it.

I've never been bothered by accidentaly swallowing swimming pool water – and isn't chlorine dioxide more effective anyway?

-Evan

I tend to only really taste it if the water gets warm in the sun or I overdose.
Even then, I don't mind.

Switch!!!
So much better than carrying a brick of a filter.

"I would rather drink from a swimming pool anyday than drink Iodine – I tried it once – without flavoring and almost puked, then tried it with flavoring and still did'nt like it."

The vitamin c powder is not "flavoring"! It actually creates a chemical reaction between the iodine and the ascorbic acid. So the iodine taste is not merely hidden or masked… it is gone! Same with the colour. Add a pinch of vitamin c powder and it turns instantly from brownish (iodine) to perfectly clear.

Like I said, it's a chemical reaction which neutralises the iodine. Unless you've done it properly (with the powder) it's hard to appreciate. I'm a fussy water drinker so believe me when I say that there is NO iodine taste. If anything, there can be a *very* slight taste of vitamin c powder (orangey) if you put too much powder in. You only need a tiny tiny sprinkle.

Evan:

As above, taste is subjective — so you'll have to try it for yourself to really know. Personally, I can't stand A.M.'s swimming pool taste. Others have agreed with me. However, there are still others who either can't detect any taste — or think the chemicals actually improve water taste!

I would like to caution about using iodine.

After a month of using iodine to disinfect drinking water, and that only on weekends, I developed a horrible rash, consisting of deep lesions (lichen planus) that itched horribly, took months to heal and left permanent scars.

That was 22 years ago. To this day, I cannot eat any seafood, anything prepared with iodized salt or any multiple vitamins with minerals (nearly all of which contain iodine). Even sea salt (which contains only a tiny amount of iodine) causes reactions. I spend a lot of time in stores with a magnifying glass reading food labels. Should I ever have to have a diagnostic procedure using radioactive iodine, such as an angiogram–well, forget it, I'll have to drop dead instead. I have been told by several doctors that iodine allergy is not uncommon.

Iodine is recommended only for emergency use, and it is generally ineffective against cryptosporidium. This latter protozoan is becoming more common as more and more people visit Asia and bring it home with them.

While I've used Katadyn MicroPur (chlorine dioxide tablets) without problems, after my experience with iodine, I prefer to steer clear of chemicals and use a filter.

I also like the fact that Aquamiria is so cheap – $13

I actually like the taste – takes some of the iron taste out of the water where I hike most. The slight chlorine taste is, well, "cleaner tasting" to me. Iodine = barf to me – I can handle it but only in an emergency.

Next hike, either:

1) bring your PUR and Aquamira and try both to determine the difference and if you can deal with the 'mira taste

2) as you suggested, bring a Propel mix or whatever to remove all doubt about taste.

It has a slight but sweet taste. I've never had a craving for it, but it isn't bad. While few things can compare to clean crisp water, the AM treated water still pretty much tastes like water.
Any drink powder can cover it up if you don't like it.

I used it for the first time on the first day of a 300 mile trip. I really had no idea what to expect, having used both filters and iodine in the past. I was very pleasantly surprised.

I barely notice it. Overdosing and/or drinking it soon after mixing will make it more noticeable. I like to wait a couple hours as I'm often mixing with ice cold water and I'm concerned with getting the protozoa.

IMHO, the chlorine dioxide name has a strong placebo effect and people imagine all kinds of things. It is an entirely different molecule than the sodium hypochlorite we all know as laundry bleach.

The chemicals are lighter by far and the initial purchase price is lower. Filters don't get viruses either. I use liquid/drops and keep 4 foil-packed tablets taped to my water containers for backup. I keep 4 packets in my first aid kits too. If your filter malfunctions, it is low drama if you have the backup supply. The foil packs back up the liquid as well, as you watch your "part A" container go down the stream, etc.

I do prefer filters for a group, where the weight and cost spread out and you need large amounts of water in a short period. Going solo, I need just a few cups of water at meal time; add the rest of the family and you need a few liters.

"IMHO, the chlorine dioxide name has a strong placebo effect and people imagine all kinds of things."

Curious, what do you mean by placebo effect?

Using drops, I do not taste it. Actually, I think it makes the water taste better. Using the tablets, I get a faint chemical like taste. I also think the tablets odor are stronger.

For overnight treatment on the JMT I used one ClO2 tablet in 2 liters of water. With the extended contact time you don't need as much, and by morning the water tasted perfectly fine.

Reginald:

The tablet form contains a higher concentration of chlorine dioxide than the liquid droplet form. This is why tablet forms can advertise effectiveness on treating protozoa cysts but NOT the liquid form.

Treatment time for viruses and bacteria is identical for both solids and liquids (15 minutes). However, solids can also treat protozoa cysts — albeit a longer treatment time is required (30 min. up to 4 hours for water that's just above freezing). Liquid forms are not meant to treat protozoa — unless you triple the number of droplets.

Benjamin Tang wrote:

"Curious, what do you mean by placebo effect?"

pla·ce·bo (pl-sb)
n. pl. pla·ce·bos or pla·ce·boes
1.
a. A substance containing no medication and prescribed or given to reinforce a patient's expectation to get well.

In this case, the person imagines that there is a taste of chlorine because there is chlorine in the chemical name.

I had friends who had a large herd of dairy goats and of course all they used for milk was goat milk. They kept an empty cow milk carton around for those guests who claimed that they couldn't stand the taste of goat milk, yet drank quantities of it when served in a cow milk carton.

So, I say that if you can detect a strong taste of Aquamira when properly dosed and left to work for a couple hours, I think there is a strong chance that it is imagined.

It would be very interesting to do a controlled double-blind test. It is well known that some people can taste or smell compounds that others can't.

The next order is some people are more (or less) sensitive to a particular stimuli, like a background noise, smells, taste, clothing tags, etc. I have a son with Asperger Syndrome and these things pop up all the time.

Dale:

Knowing that we all taste differently (I can assure you that the strong taste I perceive is NOT just a placebo effect) — just about the only conclusion is that OP will need to try it out himself to know for sure. As I wrote above, some people like the taste, others dislike it, and still others can't pick it up.

I don't believe the chlorine dioxide taste has to do with placebo effect. You are simply not as sensitive to it as others.