'Water sommelier' says not all H2O is the same

Clear choice: Water sommelier picks best water Canada's only water sommelier, Christina Li, finds and tastes the best water and even consults on the best pairings with food.

You’ve heard of a wine sommelier, but how about a water sommelier? Apparently that’s now a thing.

Christina Li of Toronto claims to be the first water sommelier in Canada. Her job is to recommend to restaurants the best brands of water to pair with specific foods.

You may think water is all the same but Li says the taste and health value varies based on the compounds within. The water she prefers contains magnesium, calcium, hydrogen carbonate and sodium. She doesn’t like brands that use a process called reverse osmosis to remove such minerals.

Some of Li’s favourite water costs up to $15 a bottle. For those unwilling or unable to spend that, Li says Toronto tap water is among the world’s best. She does, however, recommend filtering out the chlorine added as a disinfectant. Health Canada says chlorine in drinking water is perfectly safe.

When it comes to food, Li says that light dishes pair best with flat water while more savoury foods go best with sparkling.

With a report from CTV Toronto’s Dana Levenson