Water in Brazil, to drink or not to drink?

I have had a few people ask me if the water is OK to drink here.  That question gets a bit complicated when you take into consideration that MOST Brazilians drink filtered or bottled water. It is rare that you will be offered water from the tap. I can't speak for the states in the north of Brazil, but I can speak for the region I have been living in.

One thing you will find strange is that "cold" water isn't really as cold as we like it in the USA. I was used to having a glass of water that was 90 percent ice cubes before I moved here. It took me about 2 years to get used to the temperature of the water served here. If you buy water from a street vendor and ask for it "Bem Gelado" (very cold). You will get a bottle of water that has been sitting in water that may have at one point in the day had ice in it.

Most people believe that drinking anything cold will cause you to get sick, so it isn't very common for someone to ask for "Bem Gelado".  The first few times I purchased water from a street vendor it was warm. I could not stomach drinking warm water. Nowadays, I keep a bottle of water in my room and drink it warm most of the time.

Something that is very common is for a household to have a terracotta water filter. The clay base usually keeps the water at a cooler temperature. I have not gotten used to the water from these filters yet. There is a slight after taste of moss. I think the pots tend to grow a moss over time and the water then tastes a bit like pond water. One of my friends said that is why she loves the water from the clay pot, because it tastes earthy. I don't know about that, but the water from the clay pots does mess with my intestines, so I avoid it when I can.

We buy our water like most businesses do in the states, we spend about 4 bucks to get a 20 liter jug delivered every week. The water jug is more popular than the clay pot filter nowadays, because it is cheaper and more readily available than it used to be.

So, to answer the question , to drink or not to drink... It depends on where in Brazil you are, if you are in the São Paulo region,  It is very unlikely you will be offered water from the tap. Even if you ask for water at a restaurant, you get charged for a bottle. So go ahead and drink and don't forget to ask for "Bem Gelado". Outside of this region, I can't speak for, so don't write me if your trip is spoiled by a bad case of the runs.