Di growing trend of luxury water wey rich pipo dey buy for hundreds of dollars

You don ever hear of restaurant wia dem go sell you luxury water instead of fine wine, abi you don ever go wedding wia dem do toast for di happy couple wit fancy water instead of champagne or fruit juice?

Dis water wey we dey tok about so get far more dan di standard mineral or tap water, and one bottle na hundreds of dollars.

You fit take am wit food - from meat to fish - just like wine.

Dem dey call dis high price water fine water and e dey come from different kains of natural sources like volcano rocks, melting ice from iceberg, or drops of mist. Dem fit even draw am from cloud.

Each water dey get di characteristics of di place wey e come from, and unlike typical bottled water, dem no process am at all.

Today you fit find hundreds of fine water brands around di world, and dem even get experts wey fit give you advice on dem.

Water get taste?

Just like wine tasting, e also get water sabi pipo wey dia work na to torchlight each product, tell you how dem be, and dem fit tell di difference as par minerals, taste, and mouthfeel.

"Water no be just water. Evri single water for our world dey different and get different taste," Milin Patel, wey be water consultant and water waiter wey dey operate one store for London tok.

Im dey do tasting sessions for pipo wey dey interested in exploring water, including tap and bottled water varieties.

Patel tell BBC say im dey on mission to educate pipo, especially di younger generation, about di different types of water and dia tastes.

"Remember for school, we learn about natural hydrological cycle - evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. However, we miss out one point - remineralisation," im tok.

"So, once dat rain fall for ground, e go absorb den soak enta different rocks and soils to provide minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, silica, etc. Dis process na wetin dey give water im taste of minerals," Patel add.

Water from sources like icebergs or rain, wey never naturally pass through ground, usually get lower level of total dissolved solids (TDS) compared to water from springs and wells.

Patel get collection of different waters from around di world, from tap water to fine water wey cost up to £250 ($318) a bottle.

Afta pipo taste am finish for im sessions, dem go attempt to describe how each water take taste unique.

"We provide pipo wit chance to see water not just as tasteless. Wen you begin to explore and mindfully drink water, you fit dey surprise di kain words wey e go jinja," Patel explain. "We get dis beautiful word - soft, creamy, tingly, velvety, bitter, and sour sometimes. I call am aquatasteology."

"And many pipo dey usually say - 'Oh, dis dey remind me of wen I small', 'dis remind me of one holiday' or 'dis remind me of my grandparents house'," im add.

Water tasting competitions

Fine Water Society dey gada evri year, bringing togeda fine water producers from all over di world - from Bhutan to Ecuador - and hosting international tasting competitions.

Most of di pipo wey dey attend di annual summit come from family-run businesses wey dey produce water from far areas.

"Water tasting bin be like yeye idea for di beginning," di co-founder of Fine Water Society and Fine Water Academy, Dr Michael Mascha, tok.

"I bin start di whole process about 20 years ago wen I bin stop drinking alcohol," im tell BBC. "Wen dem suddenly remove di wine, I look around di table, and suddenly anoda bottle dey dia wey I neva see before, na water. I come tink am say maybe I fit use my epicurean curiosity and apply am to water instead of wine," im add.

Fine water dey provide somtin wey pass ordinary replacing bodi fluid, im believe say: "na opportunity for pipo to explore somtin wey different, and you fit do am wit children, somtin wey wine no fit to provide."

More and more pipo dey now demand for fine water, Dr Mascha claim, and im beleive say na di trend of drinking less alcohol and carbonated soft drinks, especially among di younger generation wey dey more into healthier lifestyles.

Additionally, you fit market dis rare, unprocessed waters wit di special tori behind am, similar to vintage wine, dis dey help dem dey more appealing.

Water and food

Some restaurants for kontris like Spain and United States don begin offer menus wey dem conmbo wit specific types of fine water wit dia dishes.

"I dey currently create water menu for one three-star Michelin restaurant for US. We dey plan to feature 12 to 15 carefully selected water wey go complement di food and ambiance," Dr Mascha tok.

"Wen you chop fish, dem go serve you different water dan wen you chop meat. E need to get lower mineral to avoid interfering wit di fish."

Dr Mascha dey also work wit super-luxury housing and apartment projects wey get 'water experience rooms' instead of wine cellars.

Fine water also dey popular among cultures wey dey avoid alcohol for religious reasons, Dr Mascha say, especially for weddings. Na also great alternative gift to replace expensive champagne, im claim.

But di trend, of course, get pipo wey dey criticise am.

'Ethically wrong'

E get millions of pipo for world wey dey struggle to access clean water, and many no agree wit di way dem dey monetise di most basic commodity like dis.

According to UN, for 2022, 2.2 billion pipo dey still lack safely managed drinking water, including 703 million wey dey live even witout basic water service.

Oda argue say dis fashion na just yahoo moves; water na just water and e no get any difference between drinkable tap water, bottled water and so-called fine water, except di price, while environmentalists point out say any kain of bottled waters dey damage our planet as dem dey end up as dirty.

Carolyn Roberts, Professor Emerita of Environment for Gresham College, London, believe say e dey unethical to spend hundreds of dollars for one bottle of water, while millions of pipo dey struggle to access clean water.

"Na almost like you dey show off your your money wen you go out to eat wit pipo. If you say, 'Well, I dey pay for dis wonderful bottle of water wey fly come from Antarctica or somwia from Hawaii,' pipo fit feel good about am. However, in reality, e no benefit anybodi. Na all about di money," she tell BBC.

"Also, more importantly, e dey very environmentally damaging. Weda na plastic wey dey degrade into microplastics, requiring fossil fuels for production, or glass wey dey veri heavy and need make dem transport am thousands of miles from far areas, causing damaging effects on carbon emissions," she tok.

"So, no be just about di money. Na also about di environmental damage wey dis so-called fine water dey cause."

But Dr Mascha argue say dem dey produce fine waters not only for rich pipo as dem get some quality fine waters wey cost only $2, and im draw line between natural fine water and processed water, wey fit get negative environmental impacts.

"From sustainability point of view, e no make sense to put processed tap water for plastic bottle. You drive wit your SUV for supermarket, carry di plastic bottles go home, drink am, and troway di bottle. E dey unbelievably wasteful."

Instead of using processed bottled water, im suggest say make pipo use tap water for hydration.

"We dey often forget say to get drinkable tap water na truly privilege wey many pipo for world no get," im conclude.