TeaChat

I live in Sweden and have own well too, and I get film on black teas but only in cups/pots from my parents, who like to wash theirs with detergent.
But I get a lot of residue very fast on my teaware. Like this glass fair cup that I've only had for a week. It's already brown. Acid cleans it away though so it's probably calcium. I don't know if the two things have anything to do with eachother.

This happens to me sometimes, but only when I add milk. The milk forms a film on top.

I live in Florida, and I have the same problem. I don't know where the oil comes from.

REALLY TRULY folks, it's only minerals, probabaly calcium. Filtered tap water will get out most of it. It really doesn't do much to the taste.

I wish the OP would reply about his water experiment. I'd really like to know. I don't, however, see a film on my black tea. We have a water softener and filtration system, but we never put salt in the softener because it takes these super heavy block of salt and it's just super inconvenient to buy them, haul them into the house and then haul them down the basement stairs and put them into the tub thing.

I just moved from Ft Collins, CO to Madison, WI. I've been drinking tea for years, and in CO I never saw any film on my tea. The first day that I moved out here I noticed the film, and it continues to appear on every cup that i drink (i've been here for a month). My tea also stains my cups out here, so i really have to scrub them. This had NEVER happened to me in CO, even after letting my darker teas sit in the cup overnight. In CO i used both regular tap and reverse osmosis water. Out here I do have a filter on my tap, and I've tried without the filter just in case.
The film doesn't seem to affect the taste, but it looks a little gross. My conclusion: it's something in the water. Dangerous? I doubt it. It's just visually...unpleasant, which somewhat affects the otherwise enjoyable tea-drinking experience. I drink several cups per day, so i don't really want to buy water... maybe I'll get used to it? If anyone comes across a filter that removes this, or figures out what it is, please pass it along.

Thar doesn't sound too sanitary....The oil spill has reached our tea!!!!

I found this article maintaining that it's the minerals in the water reacting with the tea. Apparently if you add lemon juice it takes care of the issue. I'm off to buy some lemons.


http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m ... _14365029/

I added a quarter of a teaspoon of lemon juice to my cup of tea (oil slick visible) and stirred, and voila! Oil slick gone. I keep checking my tea to see if it has returned, and it has not. Fantastic.

I have been having this problem since July. I live in GA and just recently moved to county water from city water. I never had the problem with the city water but now do. I have done several trials to find the reason, used my sisters well water - no oil, used my mom's city water-no oil. Just had the water department test the water they said nothing is wrong with it. I am going to keep going to find the problem will let you know what I find.

Try lemon juice! It has worked 100% of the time for me. You have hard water now. Hard water has calcium and bicarbonate ions in them, which reacts with the tea. If you add lemon juice, the hydrogen ions in the acid react with the bicarbonate ions, which stops the scum from forming (all of this info is in the link i posted above). I add a quarter to a half of a teaspoon of lemon juice and have had zero scum. It is awesome.

Wouldn't a filter pitcher render the desired results w/o adding lemon flaor to all your tea?

I use the graviTea by Adagio (similar to Brita pitcher filter) which virtually eliminates all scale. I never checked the ph before and after.

I would think the right filter would do the trick. I use a Pur water filter, but it obviously leaves in some minerals. I think a water softener system would also work.

also, for me, I don't really notice the taste of the juice- i use just a little bit. My housemates are using lemon juice too, and have commented that they do not taste it. still, it's personal preference. It would be great to just have a filter that eliminates the issue.