Every fine water has a number. TDS tells how it behaves on the palate, how it interacts with what is on the plate and beside it, and where it fits on a list. Gathering these numbers in ascending order replaces marketing with comparison — and makes clear that a high-TDS water is not worse than a low-TDS one. They are different profiles, for different functions.
How to read the comparison
The values below are public — they appear on the label, the official site or the report — but they vary between batches, and should be taken as a reference, not as fixed truth. The Fine Water Society bands serve as a guide.
Comparison by ascending TDS
Super Low (below 50 mg/L). AWA, from Brazil, with TDS 6 mg/L. Voss, from Norway, between 22 and 44 mg/L.
Low (50 to 250 mg/L). Acqua Panna, from Italy, around 140 mg/L. Fiji, close to 210 mg/L.
Medium (250 to 800 mg/L). Evian, from France, around 310 mg/L. Perrier, also French, in the 470 mg/L range.
High (800 to 1,500 mg/L). San Pellegrino, from Italy, close to 960 mg/L.
Very High (above 1,500 mg/L). Gerolsteiner, from Germany, and European thermal-spring waters, which comfortably exceed that mark.
What each profile delivers at the table
Super Low waters have a near-neutral palate and compete with nothing — they serve delicate dishes. Those in the Low and Medium bands have a perceptible mineral presence and support dishes of more body. Those in the High and Very High bands are waters of character, which call for robust dishes or a specific moment, such as the cheese service at the end of the meal.
AWA's place in the comparison
AWA sits at the floor of the Super Low band — at 6 mg/L, it is among the lowest-mineralization waters ever measured. The number alone, however, does not tell the story: what distinguishes AWA is its origin, harvested from the humidity of the Amazon Rainforest — a provenance no other water in this comparison shares. On a list, TDS places the water on the technical rung; it is the narrative of origin that decides which one enters in each context.
How to use the comparison
For the sommelier, it is a tool for building a list. For the buyer-curator, it is support for the choice at the dinner itself. For the journalist, it is the map that situates any water — including the Brazilian one — within the international conversation.