Think you’d shell out $3 for a swig of salt water?
A Hawaiian company is betting yes, rolling out its bottled ocean water this summer in hopes it will become New York’s hottest status symbol.
But judging from a Post panel of taste testers, DeepSea International’s Kona Deep – set to compete against high-end Fiji and Jana – will have to navigate some tricky waters to win over the high-end H2O market.
The company says it uses a pipe to funnel water from 3,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific, taking out the salt through “reverse osmosis.”
“The water has traveled thousands of miles for thousands of years and along the way has picked up minerals from volcanic eruptions, which are very nutrient-rich,” said Steve Bretschneider, DeepSea International’s chief marketing officer.
“New Yorkers will want to have this on their desks. It will become more like a status symbol.”
Some of The Post panelists testing the water agreed.
“This is good stuff – it’s crisp, clean, no aftertaste,” gushed Jeff Cave, 30. “I would definitely go to the gym with it.”
Med student Tara Pratt, 26, was another convert. “It has a little more edge, more of a natural taste.”
But a flood of complaints included a chlorine-like aftertaste and plastic smell.
“It tastes like a penny,” groused paralegal Robert Soloman, 20.
Jewelry designer Portia Peters said, “It tastes like a swimming pool. I’d take a bath in it but I wouldn’t drink it.”
Makers hope Kona Deep will hit U.S. shelves in August – but are still awaiting New York state approval.