Tap water vs bottled water Tap water of top-quality should have no taste or odour in it, whatsoever. It should taste as good as any of the best bottled waters (which is mostly the case here in Finland). If the taste of tap water in your area is of poor quality, either filter your water or use bottled water in all cooking. Several water filter systems, like the German-origin Brita, are efficient in reducing unwanted qualities like limescale, chlorine, metals and other substances causing unpleasant flavours, odours or cloudiness in regular drinking water.