Water Cafe Opens in NYC: Reasonable or Ridiculous?

We love niche food stores. But an entire café devoted to water? That seems a little over the top to us.

Last week, the Molecule Water Café opened in New York City’s East Village. On a basic level, the shop sells filtered tap water—$2.50 for a 16-ounce glass bottle (only $1 for up to 50 ounces in your own container.) According to The Wall Street Journal, the tap water is streamed “through a $25,000 filtering machine that uses ultraviolet rays, ozone treatments and reverse osmosis in a seven-stage processing treatment to create what they call pure H20.”

For an additional cost, you can purchase water infused with pH and electrolytes, vitamins and supplements, or all natural blends. NYC residents can also get 3 and 5-gallon jugs of Molecule’s “pharmaceutical grade water” delivered to their homes by tricycle. So far, reports have varied regarding whether Molecule’s water really tastes all the different from a water bottle or even unfiltered tap water. “I mean it's subtle, but if you have a sensitive palate you can totally tell," said co-owner Adam Ruhf.

But beyond taste, Molecule claims that their water is safer than regular NYC tap water. The company’s website states, “Current reports show NYC tap water to contain a variety of dangerous chemicals, including Chloropicrin, Trihalomethane, Dalapon and lsophorone- all extremely toxic. Not to mention fluoride and chlorine, about which you can make up your mind.”

However, NYC officials strongly disagree with their claims. Christopher Gilbride, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection said, "Public health experts agree that New York City tap water is among the safest, highest quality in the world, a standard we confirm through more than 500,000 tests each year."

We’re sure Molecule’s water is totally awesome. But we’re just not convinced that a water café is going to succeed in this tough economic climate. But then again, maybe this kind of thing can fly in the East Village and we'll see the development of new water connoisseurs.