Restaurant guests are used to seeing a wine sommelier. A mineral water specialist, on the other hand, is something you don’t encounter every day. What exactly does a water sommelier do? And how did you develop a taste for it?
Timo Bausch:
In general, a water sommelier is someone who works intensively with water and therefore has a deep understanding of it. The professional background can vary greatly. For example, a water sommelier could come from the hotel industry or the beverage market, recommending water to guests and customers. Alternatively, they could be employees of mineral springs looking to further their education.
I became a water sommelier after reading about it in a trade magazine. At the time, I was still working at Tetra Pak and was responsible for, among other things, a mineral water bottling plant. From the very first moment, I was fascinated by the diversity of mineral waters, so I successfully completed my training in 2017. The training really helped me to better understand the topic of water, and I was able to help Tetra Pak further expand the category.
Today, I organise tastings for companies and winemakers, give talks on the benefits of drinking water, and motivate both children and adults to drink more water.
Where do the differences in the taste of water come from?
Timo Bausch:
The minerals are primarily responsible for the flavour. Water absorbs these as it passes through various layers of rock. The slower and deeper the water flows, the more minerals it can absorb.
Generally speaking, the more minerals water contains, the more intense its flavour. Depending on the amount of individual minerals, water can taste salty, sweet, bitter or sour. For example, if water contains a lot of sodium chloride, it tastes salty. If calcium is the main component along with magnesium, it tastes sweet. On the other hand, if water is very low in minerals but contains carbon dioxide, it tastes sour.