Meet Lakshitaa Khanna, India’s first female water sommelier. After being fascinated with the changing tastes of water across the globe, she decided to share her joys of fine water with people through her company, Bodh Bhutan. Khanna hiked up to the Himalayas for research and studied the different sources of water found in the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan, the land of the Thunder Dragon.
We quizzed her on what inspired her towards this field, her company Bodh Bhutan, and more.
ELLE: What pushed you to take up water sommelier as a profession?
LAKSHITAA KHANNA: I have been following Martin Riese who is considered to be the world’s first water sommelier along with Michael Mascha. It was upon the onset of Bodh waters from Bhutan that I found the perfect opportunity to educate myself, undergo training in this field and become a water sommelier.
ELLE: Where do you source the water from for your company Bodh Bhutan?
LK: Bodh Bhutan comes from the only carbon negative country in the world. Our water benefits from superior nitrate levels enriched with natural minerals and Ph levels that imbue the water with a hint of sweetness
ELLE: What is that one striking, common difference between all waters?
LK: Different sources of water hold unique characteristics, different Ph levels and vary in their TDS (total dissolved solids) giving them a distinctive taste.
ELLE: Tell us a little more about the different types of waters you have tasted.
LK: I have been fortunate enough to taste Svalbardi iceberg water from Svalbard (1000 kms from the North Pole) and other being ROI from Slovenia, considered to be the world’s most magnesium rich water.
ELLE: What’s that one thing you wish more people understood about water?
LK: There is no such thing as the best water, just as there is no such thing as the best wine. Fine waters provide an epicurean experience and promote wellness.
ELLE: How do you explain your job to people who aren’t able to grasp the concept properly?
LK: A water sommelier is someone who is able to detect, recognise and differentiate between different types of water, based on its mineral composition, Ph level, carbonation, hardness, origin, age of the water and suggests how to pair different waters with different cuisines.
