Learn the basic principles of water tasting and identify the nuances of each product to determine its quality.
Water tasting
Con frecuencia se suele decir que el agua es inodora, incolora e insípida, pero realmente se trata de una afirmación repleta de matices. Cada tipo de agua tiene una huella físico-química que los paladares bien entrenados saben detectar sin dificultad. Las catas de agua se emplean para valorar la calidad del producto y resaltar esas sutiles particularidades que hacen que el agua sea diferente.
Why does water not always taste the same?
The terrain, temperature, hardness and salinity are variables that affect the taste, aroma and appearance of water. Even the water’s own journey, from its collection at the source until it is served in the glass, has a decisive influence on the final result.
For precisely this reason, the product is classified before any water tasting. This distinction allows the sommelier to assess the water in context:
- Natural mineral water: water that comes directly from underground springs. It retains all the mineral and biological characteristics of its source and does not require specific treatment. Because it comes from underground aquifers, it is considered protected from contaminants and has a consistent mineral composition.
- Spring water: its source is the same as above—the earth’s interior. It is therefore pure water consumed without human processing. The main difference is that this category includes water with a lower degree of mineralisation and less stability. Periodic monitoring may reveal slight variations in composition that affect its taste.
- Treated drinking water: all waters submitted for tasting are safe to drink, but this term refers to water that has previously undergone chemical treatment to guarantee microbiological stability and safety for consumption.
Stages of water tasting
1. Visual stage: The glass of water is held up to the light to check the brightness and transparency of its contents. This first stage assesses the water’s clarity—in other words, whether suspended sediment is present, something particularly common in harder water.
2. Olfactory stage: Unlike other liquids such as wine or oil, which are also tasted, the water molecule (H2O) is so stable that it does not release an intense aroma. Instead, the perception is more subtle and should be associated with the freshness or slight acidity it conveys. During the olfactory stage, tasters primarily identify less pleasant nuances, such as metallic, muddy or chalky notes.
3. Taste and tactile stage: The tongue, as the main examination tool, makes it possible to identify the particular characteristics of each water through comparison. For the tasting stage to be performed correctly, the liquid should rest on the tongue for a few seconds and spread across the gums and palate before being swallowed. It is also called the tactile stage because, in addition to flavour characteristics such as sweet, acidic or salty notes, this is when the taster can perceive the product’s smoothness or earthiness, its astringency or its level of carbonation in the case of sparkling water.
The water’s attributes during these stages are recorded on a “profile sheet”. This standard document is identical for all waters tested and records all their properties—fluidity, clarity, freshness, intensity, aftertaste and more—which are rated on a scale from 1 to 5. This makes it much easier to compare product types and determine which offers the highest quality.
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