Aerator for water

[thirtysixbelow]

I stumbled up this http://www.wineenthusiast.com/vinturi-r ... erator.asp while browsing around today. It's an aerator for wine which oxygenates single servings "on-demand" which removes the need for decanting for hours. I read people saying that at their wine parties they did some blind testing and everyone picked the aerated wine as the better version. It really made me wonder if it would do anything for water that's going to be used for tea. Surely someone has tried something along these lines

[TIM]

http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail. ... 2518978&c=

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... it=skymall

[thirtysixbelow]

http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail. ... 2518978&c=

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... it=skymall

I don't get it. I was referring to using the aerator to oxygenate water for tea use. I don't know much about wine so I don't know if this is like the joke of the wine community or what your post was intended to convey.

[TIM]

http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail. ... 2518978&c=

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... it=skymall

Well, I am not a wine or tea connoisseur, but just someone who is still learning the more finesse things in life. Traditionally Asians do age water in a Mizusashi (Water Jar) because fresh drawn (oxygenated) water is lesser than Soften (aged) water for making a better brew. Perhaps the skymall device I suggested could counter this measure after you pass the water through the Aerator?

Maybe you pass the tea, not the water, through this device.... But then, you might lose the high and mid notes/aroma? Could this Aerator do the same to finer wine? I don't know. What do you think?

[Victoria]

I have one I think it might be fun to try it out.
It would definitely have to be done on prepared tea.
I don't think the effect lasts long.

[wh&yel-apprentice]

http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail. ... 2518978&c=

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... it=skymall

Well, I am not a wine or tea connoisseur, but just someone who is still learning the more finesse things in life. Traditionally Asians do age water in a Mizusashi (Water Jar) because fresh drawn (oxygenated) water is lesser than Soften (aged) water for making a better brew. Perhaps the skymall device I suggested could counter this measure after you pass the water through the Aerator?

Maybe you pass the tea, not the water, through this device.... But then, you might lose the high and mid notes/aroma? Could this Aerator do the same to finer wine? I don't know. What do you think?

Passing water through the "Aerator", might result in more dissolved oxygen in the water, skymall device you linked to apparently uses strong magnets like the one I'm linking to, which supposedly helps to accelerate binding of tannins. The Aerator supposedly allows more oxygen contact with the wine, quickening the amelioration process of decanting a wine... ie. undesirable sulfur complexes that mask some aroma/tastes of the wine.

I'm a serious wine enthusiast, not a 'connoisseur'. I do find fault in one of the links I'm posting; were it was said that 2hrs after decanting a tasting panel could not tell the difference between a freshly opened bottle and one decanted 2hrs earlier. Not sure what wine that is, but I've had hundreds of examples where 2hrs of aeration makes a *huge* difference.

Easiest way they could have done their 'trial tasting' is with a very floral white wine like Viognier, you could probably do this even with Trader Joe's 2 Buck-Chuck version. Open a bottle and pour out a glass in the morning, leave the bottle uncorked. Come back at dinner time, open a new bottle, pour out a glass and taste it. Then pour a glass from the bottle opened up earlier in the day...if it's not already oxidized too much, then you should notice a marked difference between the two opened bottles.

Poof! You're now a rich and silky wine
http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jun/07/food/fo-wine7

The secret of Farrell's device is powerful magnets that are molded into the plastic sleeve of the BevWizard. Magnets, according to Farrell, can change the molecular structure of a wine's tannins. Tannins are compounds found in the skins and seeds of all grapes, and in oak, that turn up in red wines and some whites too (as well as black tea and coffee).

Tannins structure the wine, and their natural astringency is a very important aspect of how a wine feels in the mouth and how it finishes. Though they're said to have no taste, tannins seem to greatly affect flavor; they can, for example, contribute a sensation of bitterness, pleasing or not, to the wine.

Most wines with a lot of tannins feel more tannic in their youth, but tend to soften with age because with time, the tannin molecules bind with each other for a softer, more burnished mouth feel. Farrell's gizmo accelerates that process dramatically. The magnet encourages the binding process and wines taste softer.

^ There are tannins in any tea, not just black tea. I could see how the magnet device *might* provide some benefit to tea.

Aeration tends to also bring out the tannins in wine, ie make the tannins more noticeable; not something I would think you'd want to do with tea> make it taste *more* astringent. Since tea has not the same 'mercaptans' as in wine (unless someone can post a link to research on this :p ) as wine, I can't see how the aromas will benefit from further aeration/exposure to oxygen. I would think it would be detrimental, like having a cup sitting on your table for an hour...even if you reheated it, it would not taste as good as a freshly infused cup, yes?


Wine decanting: Give wines some air
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la ... full.story

A German glass company, Eisch, claims its glasses are treated with "oxygen waves" that make them "breathable," so that wine poured into them is fully aerated in two to four minutes.

The Culinary Institute of America uses the Eisch glass, but MacNeil says she doesn't fully understand how it works. She does, however, like the Eisch glass' durability.

Riedel goes even further; the Austrian company would like you to buy different glassware for each varietal. Maximilian Riedel claims that specific designs enhance the aromas of each.

Waterhouse says glass design does have an effect, but mainly because of the size of the opening. A larger opening allows more aroma-laden air to accumulate above the wine.

"You have to let it sit for a few minutes to let the aroma in the liquid evaporate into the head space," Waterhouse says.

MacNeil says there might be subtle differences from glassware shape, but when she goes out for a meal, she keeps it simple: Bigger is better.

While I don't know if I agree with Francois Audouze unscientific reasoning below, I have double decanted some high-end wines before and I'm not so sure such rapid aeration results in a 'good' decanting. I'm sort of on a hunch that not decanting or gentle slower decanting, results in a better tasting wine. I do think such an application of aeration to tea, would result in 'spent', 'old', 'tired', 'fatigue' tasting tea; ie. not pleasant tasting.


Slow Oxygenation Method
http://www.winereader.com/wines/audouze.html


I do wonder if the shape of tasting cup, can make more of a difference, especially with more subtle teas. I know I used to taste at a famous Sonoma winery in the 1990's, with the owner; who had boxes of tasting glasses from a restaurant supply company that looked very much like the very small brandy/whisky snifter tasting glasses. Those glasses allowed you to notice subtleties in the aroma of the wine, by concentrating with a small opening.

Would white, green, more subtle oolong; have more noticeable aromas, if tasted from certain types of wine glasses??? There are the tall narrow aroma tasting cups as part of a gaiwan tea set. Yet I wonder if with the straight cylinder walls in the gaiwan set, having a narrow opening , collects/concentrates aroma better than a wine glass; which has walls curved inwards at it's opening to collect/contain aromas?

Maybe we should get the famous Riedel wine glass company to expand their portfolio into ceramic/porcelain tea "tasting" cups?

I have one I think it might be fun to try it out.
It would definitely have to be done on prepared tea.
I don't think the effect lasts long.

greater exposure to air/oxygen, which is what the device accomplishes, *should* be permanent

[ABx]

The way to aerate water is to disturb the surface. That's how the bubblers in aquariums work, and why some filters spray the (clean) water across the surface instead of pouring directly (and quietly) in. So when you bring water to a roiling boil, it's probably going to be aerated as much as it can be.

[Rainy-Day]

I keep water in gallon-size poland spring jugs and shake them for 30 seconds before heating. This really improves the taste of tea for me. If I forget to do this, the tea is very noticeably flatter, very boring.

[justs]

I know that this is a really old thread but I think the topic continues to be relevant even years later and since I didn't see any definitive comments on this I thought I would chime in. I didn't even know this site existed before today so if nothing else I have discovered a cool community.

I have used wine aerators to activate water for tea, coffee, and supplements for many years, specifically in some of my commercial environments (spas, gyms, studios.) Anecdotally feel that it makes a significant difference. After finding a new product for water treatment, I began searching for something more scientific to validate my assumptions about aeration and came across this teachat post. I don't have any proof to add to this discussion other my own experiences but wanted to share what I thought was a very interesting product.

This is a water aeration pitcher that just launched as a Kickstarter (and the impetus for my search for aeration validation .) Anyway, it looked interesting to me and I thought I'd share in the event that any of the tea enthusiasts here might have an interest. Mayu with Natural Swirling Motion It is a little spendy but I think I am going to take a flyer on one and see if it makes a difference. I drink a lot of water and a lot of tea so this might end up being a very good investment. Or I waste $89 on a semi-useful glass pitcher. LOL

[charleshook6]

I am wine drinker and the Purpose Of Wine Aerators is Other liquors lose their integrity when exposed to the air but not red wines. It needs to “breathe” to refresh and perk it up but most importantly, to soften the tannins from the grapes and develop more flavor and aroma. While decanting can achieve this in at least an hour or more, wine aerators can do this in seconds. [read more]

So, my final call for aerator will be that it can be used for low cost drink and decanters used for your expensive stuff