An Unusual Job: Water Taster

Is water tasting a real job?

Yes, it is! Well, to be honest, let us say it is more of a role than a job... But although the job of water taster is little known, it does exist! This job, considered part of the environmental professions, is even critically important to us all, since a water taster's role, as the name suggests, is to taste and evaluate the water from our faucets or the bottles we buy. Water tasters thus monitor both the taste and the sanitary quality of the drinking water we consume every day, which shows just how important they are!

What water tasters do

Water tasters are employed by multinational mineral water companies or drinking water distribution networks. 

They take part in routine checks to test water quality during production or treatment, always according to very precise standards. They may also be called in following consumer complaints.

While water tasters analyze the liquid, they may also step in to test its container: some plastic or iron tanks can give water a strong taste or odor, making it unfit for consumption, not to mention the hazardous substances it may contain.

Essential qualities for becoming a water taster

A good “nose” is essential, as is a finely tuned palate, but water tasters must nevertheless have a level of sensitivity that allows them to detect what the average person will smell or taste. Like wine experts, water tasters detect suspicious flavors (odors and tastes) and deliver their verdict on water “vintages,” with the aim of continually improving drinking water quality.

It is quite impressive to realize that despite our technological advances, which offer increasingly sophisticated and reliable analyses and tests, nothing can match… a human being! Detection devices reveal the chemical components of water and the often harmful substances it contains, but are completely unable to tell us more about its taste or smell… 

How water tasters work

Water tasters generally work in groups in a very organized manner, and their reports are subject to European legislation. Their study of water covers its appearance as well as its taste and odor qualities. 

Like wine experts, water tasters begin by observing the liquid in a clear glass to determine the water's turbidity (the amount of material that makes the liquid cloudy). Then they take a sip, swirling it around their mouths to reach all their taste buds and also to aerate the liquid, allowing it to release all its scents (or rather odors, since with water, these are more often unpleasant scents than aromas!).

These professionals then use very precise terms to record their findings and collectively define the organoleptic qualities of the water they have tested.

Next, to quantify the quality of the water tested, water tasters determine its dilution threshold by diluting it with ordinary bottled water. They reach the water's dilution threshold when they can no longer detect the abnormal odor or taste of the tested water (double, triple, or 10 times its volume, for example).

How do you become a water taster?

If you have a sensitive palate and nose, you can become a water taster. But not everyone can do it: while we can identify chlorinated water, for example, few of us can perceive water's characteristics precisely enough as defined in the Afnor NF EN 1622 standard. Being a professional water taster is therefore a real job. But let us admit it: it is a job performed only alongside another job in the water sector. 

Water taster training teaches candidates to detect different tastes and odors, as well as variations in water color. Note that to preserve the sensitivity of their noses, tasters must be nonsmokers.

At the Eau de Paris laboratory, 8 people serve as water tasters in addition to their main roles. It also seems that water tasters are not paid, but volunteer within their organizations.

There are also assignments given to volunteer tasters during tests generally conducted by large water companies.

So, ready for a new assignment? How about enjoying the great taste of water produced by a home RO system?