White Tea Stains

One of the intentionally aged teas, Pu-Erh has a loyal following.


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Jan 15th, '14, 14:52
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Re: White Tea Stains

by William » Jan 15th, '14, 14:52

Tead Off wrote:
miig wrote:This is how my pots would look if i didn't use Brita Filters - water in this region contains a large amount of minerals. And they somehow combine with the tea to form these brown stains that are really hard to remove, and of course the white crystals especially in the kettle.

I don't have them because i'm filtering the water, even though I don't like the idea of further 'denuaturalizing' the water by running it trough the Brita filter. But i was worried that these stains might in the long run clog the Zisha pots and take away their special characteristics... do you folks konw whether thats a real danger?
I used Brita filters for years. They do a good job preventing scale in the kettles. But, until I changed my filtration system, I realized the water from Brita didn't taste as good and this had something to do with the lower ph. Most public water systems have chlorine added to the supply. If you're lucky enough to have tap water without added chlorine, and no other 'additives', I don't think this is going to affect teapots. I've never developed scale in any teapot nor any odd staining other than tea. Of course, each drinker must evaluate his/her water and decide if its suitable for tea or needs tweaking.

I also usually pour boiling water into my empty teapots before any tea session. This is a very hygienic step and keeps the pot from developing any bacterial problems.
Hi Tead Off,

What type of filtration system are you using now?

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Jan 15th, '14, 18:16
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Re: White Tea Stains

by 茶藝-TeaArt08 » Jan 15th, '14, 18:16

miig wrote:Thanks Ted, no there's no chlorine in the water here.
I wasn't worried for hygienic purposes, but since these stains are so tedious I was afraid they might 'lock up' the pores in the clay. The water tastes better without filtering, but as I said, theres a large amount of chalky deposits in the kettle and teaware very quickly.

And i won't buy bottled water because I feel sorry for mother nature... there's no alternative to have the tea flown here, but the transporting of the water.. somehow I wouldn't feel to well about it.

We spend a fair amount of time in the mountains (Sierra Nevada) nearby. When we are there I gather stream water in sealed containers and either use my mountain/charcoal filter to filter the water or I leave it unfiltered and let the heat take care of any little bugs. But the water in these mountain streams has been great for tea. Within an hour drive there is also a natural spring where we gather water in glass carafes and then I seal them and place them in the refrigerator. Within two hours drive I know of a hidden spring on top of a mountain of volcanic soil. I take trips there to be in the silence and also gather the spring's water and bring it home for tea. Do you have a natural spring source nearby?

Otherwise at home we use a Shacklee water filter. My wife's sister works for the company and we get Shacklee products for free. I prefer the taste of the water from our Shacklee filter over water from our Brita. I have not had any scale build up but then, water is different everywhere. Our tap water is pretty decent here and I filter it mainly to remove the chemicals from the water.

Blessings!

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Jan 15th, '14, 22:25
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Re: White Tea Stains

by Tead Off » Jan 15th, '14, 22:25

William wrote:Hi Tead Off, What type of filtration system are you using now?
I use a countertop filtration system made by a British company, Doulton. It connects to the faucet of my tap in the kitchen. There is a switch that I turn when I want filtered water that pours from the filter's own spout. If I don't turn that switch, the water flows from the kitchen's faucet for dishes and such. Here in BKK, the water is atrocious. You have to have some kind of filtration.

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Jan 16th, '14, 11:18
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Re: White Tea Stains

by William » Jan 16th, '14, 11:18

Tead Off wrote:
William wrote:Hi Tead Off, What type of filtration system are you using now?
I use a countertop filtration system made by a British company, Doulton. It connects to the faucet of my tap in the kitchen. There is a switch that I turn when I want filtered water that pours from the filter's own spout. If I don't turn that switch, the water flows from the kitchen's faucet for dishes and such. Here in BKK, the water is atrocious. You have to have some kind of filtration.
Congratulations, the water will be delicious. You made a great choice!

I am currently using Brita filters, with good results, but I think with a filtering system such as yours, I could get better results.

Have a nice day!

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Jan 16th, '14, 12:22
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Re: White Tea Stains

by MEversbergII » Jan 16th, '14, 12:22

Wishing I had access to a spring.

Well, I do, actually - I'm looking at it right now outside my office window. However, the discharge ends up in a concrete drainage ditch which also tends to collect rain water, oil and garbage blown by the wind. Pretty gnarly.

M.

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Jan 16th, '14, 12:40
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Re: White Tea Stains

by Tead Off » Jan 16th, '14, 12:40

William wrote:
Tead Off wrote:
William wrote:Hi Tead Off, What type of filtration system are you using now?
I use a countertop filtration system made by a British company, Doulton. It connects to the faucet of my tap in the kitchen. There is a switch that I turn when I want filtered water that pours from the filter's own spout. If I don't turn that switch, the water flows from the kitchen's faucet for dishes and such. Here in BKK, the water is atrocious. You have to have some kind of filtration.
Congratulations, the water will be delicious. You made a great choice!

I am currently using Brita filters, with good results, but I think with a filtering system such as yours, I could get better results.

Have a nice day!
I much prefer mineral water like Volvic. But, this is a lot cheaper in the long run.

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Jan 16th, '14, 12:56
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Re: White Tea Stains

by William » Jan 16th, '14, 12:56

Tead Off wrote:
William wrote:
Tead Off wrote:
William wrote:Hi Tead Off, What type of filtration system are you using now?
I use a countertop filtration system made by a British company, Doulton. It connects to the faucet of my tap in the kitchen. There is a switch that I turn when I want filtered water that pours from the filter's own spout. If I don't turn that switch, the water flows from the kitchen's faucet for dishes and such. Here in BKK, the water is atrocious. You have to have some kind of filtration.
Congratulations, the water will be delicious. You made a great choice!

I am currently using Brita filters, with good results, but I think with a filtering system such as yours, I could get better results.

Have a nice day!
I much prefer mineral water like Volvic. But, this is a lot cheaper in the long run.
.. and more respectful of the environment. :D

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