While enjoying tea during a trip to the Mainland, a Hongkonger was astonished to learn that water had a definitive impact on beverages. Inspired by that experience, he took a course in Germany and obtained a professional qualification. As the first certified water sommelier in Hong Kong, he gave up his banking job to commit fully to a new career that promotes healthy drinking water.
Since childhood, water sommelier Ivan Lee has always been sensitive to the taste of water. His decision to study this unusual subject was inspired by a tea appreciation trip in the Mainland. He found that tea brewed with local spring water tasted particularly smooth. When he tried to brew the same tea using Hong Kong tap water, there was a significant difference in flavour. “We tend to think that water only plays a supporting role, but in fact it is the very soul. Water can bring out the essence of tea, coffee and spirit.”
Accreditation course in Germany
Lee took a water sommelier course in Germany. Designed and taught personally by the Chairman and Secretary of the International Sommelier Association, this course is highly recognized and places equal emphasis on theory and practice. The theory part covers many different topics, including water-related legislation and regulation in Europe, the effects of minerals, water tasting steps, water and food pairing, etc.
Lee says one must have a keen sense of taste to become a water sommelier. On the course, he learned that the taste of minerals varies. With professional training, his sensitivity to taste gradually improved.
Professional knowledge leads to enlightenment
Lee really learned a great deal from the course in Germany. He said: “Like most people in Hong Kong, I only knew that water kept the body hydrated.” Little did he realize that water has significant health benefits. Mineral water is one example.
Lee explains that the human body begins functioning normally at birth. Acquired disorders appear later because the body lacks the driving force of minerals. He points out that drinking mineral water is the best way to absorb minerals. Mineral water becomes rich in minerals from the rock strata along its flow path. By drinking mineral water, we can take in 80% or 90% of these minerals.
Lee says that most people drink tap water or distilled water. Neither of these contains any minerals. What is more, it is bad for health to drink a lot of water every day without supplementing minerals, because water flushes out the minerals in our body. He suggests that everyone should drink a bottle of mineral water every day to top up on minerals.
Old notions are hard to shift
To educate the public, Lee has been promoting this idea actively ever since returning to Hong Kong. Besides setting up a Facebook page to provide knowledge about drinking water, he also organizes courses to teach water sommelier skills and related knowhow. What he finds most striking is that relative to people overseas, Hongkongers know very little about water.
“The general idea in Hong Kong is that water is not precious. People are not willing to pay money for something that you can get freely from a tap. They also don’t know that water has health benefits. The choice of mineral water in the market is poor.” By contrast, most people in overseas countries are aware that there is good water and bad water. There are many water products in Europe and people are willing to buy water that promotes good health. “This is a challenge faced by water sommeliers in Hong Kong.”
To change the status quo, Lee founded a company to import water from Europe. He aims to offer a wider choice of quality mineral water to Hong Kong consumers. He is also working on a matching service that pairs suitable mineral waters with dishes and orders the right water for his customers. Other plans include a one-stop service comprising water delivery and water bottle recovery to promote healthy water drinking in an environmentally-responsible way.
In addition to expert knowledge, water sommeliers also need a sense of vision. Lee knows full well that changing water drinking habits in Hong Kong is not easy. Despite all the challenges ahead, this dedicated man is prepared to go all the way.
