I had to perform the test twice; I had to be sure it wasn't just a $40 bias.

We don't drink enough water. We can only haul so many 10 liter jugs of drinking water per grocery trip; and when we run out of that, we're left with the swimming pool that drips from the faucet. That's usually not an incentive to hydrate. We've considered getting the Brita system for a while now, but if you know either of us, you know it can take a while to get from concept to fruition.

The Brita dispenser holds 18 8 oz. servings of water. I don't know why they just didn't state 144 oz. or 4.25 liters; no one really drinks water in 8 oz. servings.

The filter is supposed to process 151 liters which, the manual approximates, is two months of drinking water for an average family. On the lid is a liquid crystal display that tells you how close you are to the filter's expiration; simply put, a two-month timer in two-week increments. Pretty useless when, between the two of us, we go through the 151 liters in a month.

I'm always confused when people claim to have good-tasting water. Does that mean it is sweet? Maybe with a hint of basil? I did the taste test to see if the filter actually improves the taste. Tammie, the chemist, was skeptical. A swished around a swig of the tap water to remind myself of the chlorine flavor we're trying remove. Then the contender. The water that came out of the Brita dispenser tasted like nothing. I couldn't detect any flavor at all. But in comparison with our tap water, it's delicious.

Is this an endorsement for Brita? No, not really. It's an endorsement for using any filtration system that works over hauling jugs and jugs of drinking water from the grocery store.

·