Research on testing mineral level effect on brewing extraction

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John_B
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Wed Jan 16, 2019 2:11 am

To me this could've shifted focus, methodology, and output format slightly and told a more detailed and interesting story but it's still interesting for what it is. The title tells the story:

The Influence of Water Composition on Flavor and Nutrient Extraction in Green and Black Tea

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/1/80/htm

They tested tap water high in calcium and magnesium, bottled water with moderate mineral content, and what they called deionized water that was basically stripped of most mineral content.

Oddly people noted differences in results, broken out by aspect identification, but final preferences didn't vary that much.

The main finding was that using tap water with that high mineral content suppressed EGCG extraction in green tea (in addition to resulting in cloudy looking tea), so it seemed more bitter and people liked it less.

It seems likely test subjects just weren't all that into tea, and not really suitable for making finer distinctions in aspects and preference.
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