In Dubai, 'Gourmet Water' Injected with Minerals
2023-07-31
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1New kinds of drinks like smoothies, lattes, beers, and cocktails have become popular in recent years.
2Now a place in Dubai is serving what it claims to be "gourmet water."
3Thirty different kinds of it.
4The Aqua Water Bar by Luqel gets its water the traditional way - from the pipe that runs water to your house.
5The government of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates says water from the pipe, called tap water, is safe to drink and meets international standards.
6But people in the Middle Eastern city still prefer bottled water.
7The water at Aqua Water Bar is said to be different.
8The bar says it injects a very small amount of minerals, called micro-dosing, into the water.
9The system is designed by the German water filtration company Luqel.
10And its water is compared to costly water like Alpine or Arctic-sourced.
11Roia Jabari is a director at Aqua Water.
12She said experts have designed its water to fit your "needs and mood."
13And she added, "We can give you the perfectly mineralized recipe."
14One drink, "Runners Heaven," is high in sodium and potassium to help runners after being in the desert heat.
15Another, "Vegan's Choice," offers minerals that could be lacking when not eating meat.
16Buyers can fill up their bottles with any of the mineral combinations for around 50 cents per 500 milliliters or pay more for a nonalcoholic mixed drink.
17It is not an entirely new idea.
18A water bar serving what it said was heavily filtered New York City tap water opened in the city's East Village area in 2012.
19It received heavy criticism.
20Another briefly opened in Washington, DC in 2019.
21It also did not get the best reviews.
22Neither appears to have stayed open for very long.
23But Dubai, a modern city built on desert sands, could be such a place for the product.
24Alcohol is available in bars in the UAE, but the Muslim country's population does not drink alcohol.
25As a center of international business, it brings in wealthy, health-centered people who support the wellness industry.
26Although Aqua Water is often visited by businessmen who work in the surrounding Dubai Media City, Jabari says that the bar is not just for wealthy buyers.
27She says the water, which sells for 54 cents per 500 milliliters, is not too costly.
28To help the environment, buyers can either fill their own bottles or buy a reusable one starting at around $2.50.
29Early reviews appear to be good, with the bar having 4.6 stars on Google reviews based on around 12 reviews.
30"(The water) was actually different," said Bilal Rizvi, who stopped in to try it out recently.
31Jabari was born in San Diego, California, and is a designer who has lived in the UAE for 24 years.
32She designed the bar around ideas based on water.
33Additionally, the bar also serves Persian food as a way to honor her ancestry.
34Jabari hopes to expand the business.
35She sees room for growth in neighboring countries.
36She said, "Saudi Arabia is a huge market for us. I believe that Abu Dhabi is our next step."
37I'm Gregory Stachel.
1New kinds of drinks like smoothies, lattes, beers, and cocktails have become popular in recent years. Now a place in Dubai is serving what it claims to be "gourmet water." 2Thirty different kinds of it. 3The Aqua Water Bar by Luqel gets its water the traditional way - from the pipe that runs water to your house. The government of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates says water from the pipe, called tap water, is safe to drink and meets international standards. But people in the Middle Eastern city still prefer bottled water. 4The water at Aqua Water Bar is said to be different. The bar says it injects a very small amount of minerals, called micro-dosing, into the water. The system is designed by the German water filtration company Luqel. And its water is compared to costly water like Alpine or Arctic-sourced. 5Roia Jabari is a director at Aqua Water. She said experts have designed its water to fit your "needs and mood." And she added, "We can give you the perfectly mineralized recipe." 6One drink, "Runners Heaven," is high in sodium and potassium to help runners after being in the desert heat. Another, "Vegan's Choice," offers minerals that could be lacking when not eating meat. Buyers can fill up their bottles with any of the mineral combinations for around 50 cents per 500 milliliters or pay more for a nonalcoholic mixed drink. 7It is not an entirely new idea. 8A water bar serving what it said was heavily filtered New York City tap water opened in the city's East Village area in 2012. It received heavy criticism. Another briefly opened in Washington, DC in 2019. It also did not get the best reviews. Neither appears to have stayed open for very long. 9But Dubai, a modern city built on desert sands, could be such a place for the product. 10Alcohol is available in bars in the UAE, but the Muslim country's population does not drink alcohol. As a center of international business, it brings in wealthy, health-centered people who support the wellness industry. 11Although Aqua Water is often visited by businessmen who work in the surrounding Dubai Media City, Jabari says that the bar is not just for wealthy buyers. She says the water, which sells for 54 cents per 500 milliliters, is not too costly. 12To help the environment, buyers can either fill their own bottles or buy a reusable one starting at around $2.50. 13Early reviews appear to be good, with the bar having 4.6 stars on Google reviews based on around 12 reviews. "(The water) was actually different," said Bilal Rizvi, who stopped in to try it out recently. 14Jabari was born in San Diego, California, and is a designer who has lived in the UAE for 24 years. She designed the bar around ideas based on water. Additionally, the bar also serves Persian food as a way to honor her ancestry. 15Jabari hopes to expand the business. She sees room for growth in neighboring countries. She said, "Saudi Arabia is a huge market for us. I believe that Abu Dhabi is our next step." 16I'm Gregory Stachel. 17Nick El Hajj reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 18________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20gourmet - n. a person who enjoys and knows a lot about good food and wine 21bar - n. a building or room where alcoholic drinks and sometimes food are served 22mood - n. the way someone feels 23recipe - n. a set of instructions for making food 24filter - v. to pass (something, such as a gas or liquid) through a filter to remove something unwanted 25review - n. a report that gives someone's opinion about the quality of a book, performance, product, etc. 26_________________________________________________ 27What do you think of this story? 28We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 29Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.