Water Reviews: Mg Mivela mineral water

Brand: Mg Mivela

Type: sparkling mineral

Rating: six drops (out of six)

Review: Okay, here's the scene: It is early summer and you are on a high speed train cruising through central Europe. You are 22. It is hot and you are hung over. The train stops at a town, any town, with a name you cannot pronounce, nor even properly read, thanks to funny accents over and beneath the letters, which make you realize you are not only hung over but very, very far from home. You disembark and make for the nearest tabac (or local equivalent) and there, in front of you, is a brand of mineral water you've never heard of. You buy a bottle. You go and sit on the marble steps of church that is older than your home country, and you drink. The cacophony of bubbles brings your mind back to life. The water re-hydrates your parched alimentary tract. The light refreshing sodium taste quenches your throat. The minerals begin to restore what the liters upon liters of Czech pilsener have sucked out of your cellular system since last night. You pause, and look at what you have in your hand, and it is a bottle of Mg Mivela...

This water is so good I had to add an extra "drop" to my rating system. A measly five drops just wasn't going to cut it.

Abnormally high concentrations of Magnesium (343 mg/L compared to 55.9 mg/L in San Pellegrino or 3.2 mg/L in Perrier) give this Serbian mineral water it's main selling point. Depending on how impressed you are with high Magnesium levels and/or how convinced you are that Magnesium actually does anything good for you, that may not matter too much. After all, there are only so many minerals a person can keep track of. Magnesium??? Okay sure, sign me up. Why not?

But, putting aside the whole "Magnesium" thing (which, let's face it, who knows wtf is actually going on there) this just flat-out seriously good, refreshing, fun mineral water. To me, it hits all the right notes: Just the right amount of carbonation. Clean, light flavor. And a certain fresh, invigorating, Central European robustness about it. It has a certain frankness, a utility about it, that other fancy schmancy mineral waters can't even come close to. I have no real idea but I feel sure bottles of Mg Mivela are right now being stuffed into backpacks and drunk in hostels all over Europe, anywhere young, free-wheeling continental adventurers are in need of hydration.

This has quickly become my water of choice. Sadly, it's not super easy to find. Nothing like the pedestrian ubiquity of San Pellegrino or Perrier, which are, let's face it, the Yankess and Red Sox of sparkling mineral waters. This is more like the Toledo Mud Hens of mineral waters. So far I can only find it at one grocery store in my area. Oh well. It's worth the trip every time.

Comments

fredrockingham said…
I have to agree that Mivela is a fantastic mineral water. Currently in Destin Florida enjoying a bottle by the beach....Fred
Lilot Moorman said…
Now that Appolinaris is no longer available in the US (thank you, Coca Cola Corp) Mivela is our fallback refresher. Just wish they would reveal whether carbonation is added...
Anonymous said…
Sold at Fresh Market stores in NJ
Unknown said…
The Spring is natural Carbonated. been drinking this water for 6 months, discovered at Kroger.
I drink it day and night, that means it will be illegal to buy soon because I love it. Thank You Russia.
Anonymous said…
Horrible. No carbonation at all.

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