Taste, water in Paris

Paris tap water is "hard" (lots of dissolved calcium), which can interfere with coffee and tea. So is most mineral water. If it bothers you, you should look for water brands with low mineral content, Volvic is one such brand.

Or go to the hardware section of the supermarket (sometimes it's the ironing aids section) and buy eau déminéralisée

If you are in the 13th you can get fabulous artesian well water for free at Place Verlaine --- we always fill up a bunch of plastic mineral water bottles when we are there and drink it with meals. It is the best water we have had in Paris.

I now travel with a Brita sports bottle that I bought in Europe. (It has a different filter than the U.S. version. I find it removes the bad taste from most palatable drinking water. Although I haven't used it in Paris.

Mont Roucous water has the least minerals in it.

The French distilled water, l'eau déminéralisée, specifically warns against consuming or using in a CPAP machine. I have seen additives on the bottle label.

That's interesting Bets. The stuff from Intermarché/Bricomarché I'm sur is just distilled water. I've used it for all kinds of stuff.

I had read other people's warnings about not using it for CPAP machines due to additives, so I looked at a bottle I had at home, and saw that this particular brand had one additive. I haven't bothered to look at others since. I know the bottle labels always say not to use for CPAP machines, but I could never figure out why

This is quite unlike the US where the gallon bottles of distilled water say nothing on the labels.

Fwiw Linda, I’m also a tea drinker and I had the same problem. My cold drink of choice is unsweetened iced tea. When I make it in Paris, it’s just awful. Now I know why.

Demineralized water and distilled water are different products, created by different processes. The water you find amongst laundry supplies in supermarkets in France is demineralized, not distilled. I can't say why CPAP and BiPAP machine manufacturers tell you to use distilled water, but if you want to follow those instructions, you can buy distilled water at a compounding pharmacy (a pharmacy which mixes ingredients to create medicines, as opposed to one which simply sells the medicines.)
I don't believe that these Pharmacies are identified differently in France by their street signage or name. I asked for eau distillee at quite a few Pharmacies on our trip last summer and was told they didn't have any. Then I found a compounding Pharmacie on Avenue de la Motte-Picquet at the foot of rue Cler in the 7th arrondissement. The very helpful English-speaking owner explained why they had distilled water while some other Pharmacies did not.
I don't know if this will help with the taste issue, but wanted to be helpful about how to find distilled water in France.

HappyToBeHere

This may, or may not, be helpful, but I’ve noticed that when I order black tea at a cafe it tastes fine. Perhaps you could get some iced tea that way. I LOVE black tea. It is relaxing and rejuvenating at the same time.

Thank you to everyone for your responses.