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Meet the guardians of great-tasting water

The Water Sommeliers Championing Quality and Taste

The health and beauty benefits of staying hydrated are well-documented, as is the fact that not all water is created equally. But what does it really mean, who is best placed to advise us on the best hydration habits, and can we really improve on that great British staple – the incomparable cuppa? That’s where BRITA’s dedicated team of 14 water sommeliers can help.

They will even be able to sway that person in your life who is convinced they don’t like water – the ultimate challenge for a water sommelier. At the heart of their work is a commitment to water quality, with an emphasis on taste and the delicate balance of minerals.

BRITA’s Head of Beverage, Samantha Scoles

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Here, BRITA’s Head of Beverage Samantha Scoles – now a certified BRITA Water Sommelier having recently completed an 18-month training programme – shares the secrets behind water science.

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Ingredients in the mix

Whether you’re serving water cold, or using it to create a delicious hot beverage, there’s so much to understand about water. What you are tasting is a series of ‘ingredients’ which fall within three categories: minerals, organic compounds, and disinfectants. These include the likes of calcium, magnesium, sodium and chlorine.

These ingredients, and the interaction with the natural acids within coffee and tea, helps to explain what’s involved in creating a great cup of coffee or tea. The key is something called buffer capacity (hydrogen carbonate) which needs to be at optimum levels in the water to create a great tasting drink. This sounds like something that you need a chemistry set to achieve, but a BRITA filter has been designed to take the guesswork out of the process for you.

The variations in taste caused by different components can often be subtle, so I’ve had to train my taste buds to detect this. And, like all BRITA water sommeliers, I take part in regular refresher sessions to ensure I’m still able to identify the various mineral compounds.

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Making sense of it all

Your tongue, and how you perceive taste, is as unique as your fingerprint. Factors, like saltiness, sweetness, and chalkiness of water, are likely to be perceived differently and, essentially, it’s what we mean when we refer to personal taste.

If water is pleasant to drink and has a balanced taste, you’re more likely to enjoy it. What’s more, if the water in your workplace tastes good, you’ll be motivated to stay hydrated throughout the day, along with any colleagues who have previously been convinced they don’t enjoy the taste of water.

Similarly, your experience of a meal at a restaurant can be elevated by the water you drink alongside it. If the water leaves an unpleasant taste in your mouth, it can negatively impact your taste buds and your perception of the food.

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Filter out the bad taste

Water is the largest component in a cup of tea, which is why it has such a big impact on the flavour of our brews. Using BRITA-filtered water and brewing at the optimum temperature for the correct time is always the key to the best tasting tea – whether that is green tea, a breakfast brew or fruit infusions.

Water filters – from those used on dispensers, to the filters you would have for hot beverage equipment – will help achieve the best quality water because all the unwanted minerals, organic compounds and disinfectants are removed.

Our extensive research has given us even more insight and data into water types than ever before, which has helped us to develop an industry first, one-of-a-kind, digital water map, which provides regional information on water quality – from water hardness, the exact type of water, to the risk of corrosion.

Find out how BRITA can improve the taste of your drinks by checking out our range of water filters and dispensers here or contact us today to access one of our expert water sommeliers.

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