What is the best Water for Tea?

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May 31st, '10, 23:20
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Joined: Apr 18th, '10, 02:57

What is the best Water for Tea?

by chittychat » May 31st, '10, 23:20

I do not know if this topic was discussed. A search for tea and water yields too much to go thru.

What is the best water for tea and how much does the water influence the resulting taste of the brewed tea?

For most of my teas I use our tap water which is loaded with lime. For fine green and green oolongs I use bottle water since I then use my glass tea pot in order that I can "see" the temperature and the bottle water will not mess-up the pot with lime deposits. I could never find a difference in taste between the 2 waters. Sometimes for the last 2 infusion I use the tap water if the tea gave more than the usual and again there is no difference.

I have tried rain water and that made the tea taste flat. May be not enough oxygen and no minertals in it.

In Tokyo there is a railroad station called O-Cha-ni-Mizu, Teawater. May be there was once a spring giving better water for tea :?:

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Jun 1st, '10, 16:58
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Joined: May 27th, '09, 16:55

Re: What is the best Water for Tea?

by teaisme » Jun 1st, '10, 16:58

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=10899

Here is link to same topic

Basically something not devoid of minerals, soft but not toooo soft, cold when put in kettle, nothing too acidic, and not overboiled

Because of where I live I ended up using bottled spring waters, filtered in a basic pur pitcher , sometimes letting it sit in some bamboo charcoal

If you go with bottled spring water I would not recommend any water that is packaged in those non transparent gallon milk style bottles , they really make the water smell bad plus most times those waters are cheaper and come from a city tap.

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Jun 1st, '10, 22:47
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Joined: Apr 18th, '10, 02:57

Re: What is the best Water for Tea?

by chittychat » Jun 1st, '10, 22:47

Thanks for the link!

Your description as for the best water confirms the experience at the place I grew-up. The water we had in the house came from a granite rock spring fully unadultereted. Even in summer ice cold. It was so soft that just looking at the soap one had problems getting rid of the bubbles. :wink:
When sisters of my mother would come for a visit and bring with them some black tea they never could believe that it was the same tea they are drinking at home where the water source came from Jurassic lime stone formation. It became a totally different, pleasant tea at our place.

My bottle water comes basically from the same geological formation as my tap water, therefore it even taste less having been thoroughly filtered. I only use it since the lime has been removed. In fact our deep well tap water is quite sweet. I just filter the silt out.

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