Finally Friday, TeaDay TeaDay TeaDay, 2.22.08

[Chip]

I hope everyone is having a great Friday version of TeaDay!!!

We are glad you stopped by TeaDay, stay a while, see what other TeaChatters are sipping, share with all of us what is in your cup. Stop by as often as you can and share as many times as you want.

All are welcome to participate in TeaDay!!! So, if you are new to tea or TeaChat, don't let that stop you from sharing with us.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic is all about water...the water we use to brew our prescious tea leaves. Proinsias suggested today's question...thanx Proinsias!!!

So, in Proinsias' words...let's talk water:

"I was just curious as to what water most folks use most of the time; tap, filtered tap(what filter), bottled(what kind), bamboo charcoal, reverse osmosis, or some lucky so and so who lives at the base of mountain stream etc...(added own well)"

[Pentox]

I totally wish I could have marked the "Own spring" one. That would be coool.

[olivierco]

The tapwater in my town is very good to drink, but it is very hard. So when I have a new tea, I brew it with tapwater and with bottled water determining whether it is worth to spend some money on bottle water on this tea.

The bottled water I use is one of the less mineral on the market in France. Only 19mg/l total dissolved solid. You can see its composition: here
I use it with quite all Japanese and Chinese greens. For Puer and Oolongs too if I brew them in my zisha and duanni teapots. So I chose bottled water in the poll.

This morning, nonfiltred tapwater Keemun Mao Feng with my breakfast

[omegapd]

Well water here, although I could use "spring" too, It's just easier to turn on the faucet.

You gotta love livin' in the country...

Just brewed up some Mate to start the day.

EW

[Trey Winston]

Thankfully, my tapwater is both soft and pure, so at least one aspect of my already expensive white tea habit doesn't cost much.

[TexasTea]

We recently installed a Brita filter on the kitchen tap so that we could stop adding empty water bottles to the landfills... So that's what goes in my tea kettle.

First tea this morning - sampling Adagio vanilla oolong for the first time. Mmmmm.....

[Ladytiger]

For my tea brewing water I used non-filtered tap water that comes from my well which comes from the natural spring that runs under my house.

[CynTEAa]

It's a snow covered morning here, perfect for my Yunnan Gold. Think two cups are in order. Yum!

Using filtered tap, for the most part.

[LavenderPekoe]

Mostly I just use unfiltered tap water. Ours is pretty decent.

First cup today was cocomint green. Just trying to get rid of that stuff. Second cup is genmai cha. Also just trying to get through it. I think I have discovered that I am not a huge fan of roasted teas.

[Victoria]

I use either filtered tap or bottled water, depending where I am. But never from the tap, not here in Southern Ca.

This morning's brew is a surprising free a sample I received from the New Mexico Tea Company. This White Tip Oolong is a decent brew with a nice fruity finish.

[scruffmcgruff]

I use filtered tap water. It tastes okay (not great), but the real selling point is the convenience. Bottled water would taste much better, but its a pain to buy a huge thing of bottles and always have to deal with the space they take up-- in a dorm room, space is a precious commodity.

[cloudyday]

I buy gallon spring waters from the local grocery store. Since they're under $1 each, it's fairly reasonable. Of course, the perversion of the situation is that I currently live in a residence that has its own well, but this turns out to be bad since our water often smells like it is contaminated by sulfur and/or some other unsavory contaminants. This may be the fault of the local Dupont plant (which, from what I hear, they engage in the vital role of processing the materials used for creating the white pigment in white plastics, which is apparently a complicated process - among other things, probably - how wonderful ).

Enjoying Golden Puerh this morning.

[RussianSoul]

Unfiltered tap lake water here. It is pretty decent, tastes good from the faucet. It's Lake Michigan, btw.

I just finished a cup of Irish Breakfast from Adagio with milk and sugar. Wondering what to brew next... I have too many teas...

[TaiPing Hou Kui]

I am starting off the morning with a Genmaicha.
*I have a 1gallon Brita Pitcher that I use with my Tapwater. We have good tap initially here, and you can barely tell the difference between bottled water and the water here once I filter it through the brita.

[GeoffK]

It's an Earl Grey morning. Nice one from the UK that is floral and balanced. Yum.