Florida Bakery Recreates Brooklyn Water for Bagels

It's conventional wisdom that the most important ingredient in New York bagels is NYC tap water. So today a south Florida company, The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co., has started selling bagels that owner Steve Fassberg claims taste just like our bagels—because they're made with "Brooklyn water." The effect isn't achieved by a tap water pipeline from Brooklyn, but by an elaborate water filtration system, enclosed behind a glass wall in the restaurant. Fassberg, a Flatbush native, tells the Sun Sentinel, "We have scientific proof to back up every state of the process." And the man behind the water system, Alfie Lipshultz, declares, "By the time it gets past our systems, it's Brooklyn water. We make it ultra pure to begin with and then we reinsert those nuances that make it Brooklyn water." He declined to elaborate on just what those nuances are, but we detect strong notes of B.S. and chutzpah. Back in 2006, the owner of Terrace Bagels hauled 150 gallons of filtered New Jersey water to Brooklyn, made a batch of bagels, and declared, "The bagels came out just as good. In towns in New Jersey you can’t find a decent bagel. I don’t know if that’s the water or the people that make them."

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By John Del Signore in Food on August 10, 2009 3:49 PM

Comments [rss]

cnote56017

I came to New York to get a job in show business, obviously, like

everyone else. Of course, like everyone else, I could only get a job

in a coffee shop. Making coffee for New Yorkers is seriously no way to

spend a day. However, there is one bright side in my miserable, latte

filled existence. The incredible, only found here in this city of

dreams, New York Bagels that the coffee shop serves. Every

morning, by the time I arrive there are heaping trays of New York

bagels, everything, sesame, poppy, cinnamon raisin, just waiting for

consumption by coffee addicted consumers. And every morning, the small

glimmer of light in my otherwise long and boring day, is a free New

York City style bagel, hot and fresh, just for me. It makes the

barrista life worth living, you know?

www.BestNewYorkBagel.com

Kevin Bracken

I think people take the "it's the NY water" a little too literally. New York bagels are good from the whole metro area, and if it is true, it is our mineral content that makes it that way.

If you go to places with a lot of minerals in their water, the bagels suck.

I am going to say the lack of Jews is probably the real cause though, which means Florida should be able to produce a decent bagel.

Mr Mel

I believe after Pizza, bagels are the most popular snack food.

Moist_United

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that it's probably the people that make the bagels good or not. Not every place in NYC has great bagels. In fact most do not, while I can only think of a few places that actually have great bagels. It's just like our pizza situation, where for every one good pizza joint, there are literally hundreds of places where the pizza is completely mediocre (and overpriced). I must say, however, my favorite bagel and pizza joints are both in NJ.

saucy

completely agree. lived in the village for 2 years and never found a bagel as good as the ones i tried in Bay Ridge. some were even worse than out of state bagels. then moved upstate near the Catskills and actually thing those trumped the Bay Ridge bagels.

And for every good pizza place in the city, there are 3 terrible ones!

Tpooh2

Moist, you should try this bagel spot on York Ave and...72nd I think. I know its near the New York Health and Raquet club on York Ave.

I once had a wheat bagle there...good Lord...it didn't need butter, cream cheese...nothing! It was SO good.

Mr Mel

The sweat on the bakers hands give it the flavor.

PKinNYC

and 1% Fresh Kills for texture.

Son of Spam

We make it ultra pure to begin with and then we reinsert those nuances that make it Brooklyn water.

3% Gowanus.

SC

The everything bagel has onion, salt, garlic, poppyseed and gonorrhea.

NannyState

And the "garlic"...ain't garlic.

Rocknrope

With a dash of Coney Island Whitefish.

Jen Chung

There was a great bagel place in Fair Lawn NJ when I was growing up—Hot Bagels. So I think it's about the people making the bagels, so I would venture that, in Florida, bagels from a Brooklyn guy are better than bagels from a Florida guy.

Joe Schumacher

Exactly. Marty's Bagels in Rockland County makes bagels as good as, or better than, any place in the city. The water comes from Rockland County, not the NYC water system.

JenChungsBaby

There are something like 7 or 8 upstate counties that get their water from the NYC system, so don't be so sure that your bagel guy doesn't too.

matty

Is there the same water in NJ as NYC? Cause NJ seems to have most of the same food as NYC.

So I don't get the whole deal with the water thing.

Though I will say that NYC has really great tap water.