OnTap Magazine

SIP ON A GLACIER While SA still doesn’t have any high TDS waters on the average supermarket shelf, there are a few locally available brands with a story. Icelandic Glacial, whose glacier-shaped bottles have won international design awards, has recently started importing to South Africa.. With a TDS level of just 62, it’s an extremely soft water that makes coffee beans and single malt whiskeys shine, according to in- depth research by the On Tap team. 800). I’m interested to learn that in South Africa, regulations dictate that all bottled water must list its TDS content on the label – a fact that has me beelining for the supermarket as soon as our chat reaches its end. I’m not sure what people think of me, scanning the back of water bottles and taking photos to compare at home later. My ndings quickly con rm what Candice has told me – most of the brands have a TDS of around 50 or 60, with one topping the pile at 227. But for a water to be considered interesting enough to use in a tasting, it would need a TDS level of more than 300, with some of Candice’s favourites topping 1300mg/l on the scale. TASTING NOTES After half a dozen questions on the topic, she tells me not to get too hung up on TDS, in the same way I might tell a beer novice that counting IBUs is not the be all and end all when selecting an IPA. “Although having said that, TDS can be a useful tool to tell you not only that this water has a higher mineral content but also to give an indication of avour,” Candice adds. I’m still ba ed by the idea of picking up di erent avours in di erent waters. Of course I have sampled overly chlorinated water, or tap water that tastes like it’s been pumped through musty old pipes that haven’t been replaced in centuries. But do di erent mineral waters actually exhibit distinct avours? “It’s di cult to explain,” says Candice. “ e tasting experience of water is very di erent to wine and beer. e taste of di erent waters will be clear and distinctive depending on the terroir and the TDS. ese are immediately noticeable in the water,” says Candice. “If you taste a high-TDS water, you’re going to know that it’s di erent. In comparison to regular water it could feel creamier or heavier. It will be loud and distinctive.” As someone who spends a lot of time describing beers, I’m keen to hear more about the avour descriptors you’d use for water so I press Candice for the sort of thing you’d be looking out for in a water tasting. “Iceberg waters have a light, airy taste like catching snow akes on the tongue,” she says, in a poetic description I would love to one day use with beer. “More mineral-rich waters can be sweet, creamy and smooth, with a silky mouthfeel, while a low sodium water makes the taste of the water more subtle and won't interrupt even the most delicate meals.” Tasting is only a part of the water sommelier quali cation though. As with any other beverage, there is a strong emphasis on serving – something that, when it comes to water, has long been overlooked in ne dining. “Water service etiquette is not there,” says Candice, “and that is something we as water sommeliers want to change.” e course looks at brand awareness, serving temperatures, garnishes and glassware, as well as tasting and pairing ne waters. But for someone studying in South Africa, one of the trickiest parts is actually sourcing the waters to begin with. “You’re trying to learn an industry that has no market at all where you are,” laughs Candice. “It’s quite a challenge!” TAPPING OUT For Candice though, it’s not all about getting people to appreciate ne water. She waxes lyrical about improving your water supply in any way you can. “I would urge people to invest in some sort of ltration system for their tap water,” she says. “Municipalities here provide safe drinking water, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good drinking water. Tap water can have traces of pharmaceuticals and that’s something you’re going to want to remove with a lter. It doesn’t have to be expensive. For around R1600 you can get a product that removes any potential bacteria and medicinal traces but that preserves the minerals.” Retaining the mineral content of water is something Candice is passionate about, declaring reverse osmosis water to be great – as long as all you’re planning to do is wash your car with it. “We don’t rely on water for You know those stores you visit to fill up vast containers with something they call “prepared water”? Well, it’s tap water. Sure it’s highly filtered and possibly passed through a reverse osmosis plant (which removes all minerals as well as any remaining impurities) but what you’re buying when you stock up is essentially the same stuff that’s coming out of your tap at home. PREPARED WATER Water for thirst is different than water for taste our minerals, but they are there and if you’re drinking it anyway then it makes sense to bene t from the mineral content,” she says. By the end of our chat I am something of a convert. I mean, I don’t think I will be swapping beer or wine for water in a food pairing scenario any time soon, but I have scrawled “buy water lter” on my to do list. And now, in addition to checking the nutritional makeup of foodstu s and how many of my purchases contain palm oil, I will also be skimming the labels of mineral water bottles, hoping to nd something with a TDS count that satis es my tasting needs. AGAINST THE GRAIN 38 | Spring 2021 | ontapmag.co.za