Pectin and Tea
This month, the Ultracrepedarian gets into a jam. Speculations on the role of pectin in tea https://tillermantea.net/2020/04/pectin/
@Tillerman, I thoroughly agree and it’s something I’ve been aware of since my first bag of dong pian as nothing else could account for the velvety smoothness of the thick tea.
I brought this bag of dong pian out to my tea teacher and brewed it using a water with a high TDS (200+) as that was the water I liked the taste of. This is around 2005. She tasted the tea and in such a delicate manner suggested I use her water. We tried it with her water and the tea was even better. Looking into it, I found that her water had a lower TDS so it started off with a thinner mouthfeel.
Using a thick water with a thick tea resulted in a kind of tone on tone phenomenon. My prepared tea was too thick.
After being aware of this I tend to prefer thinner waters but I am conscious of matching tea to water. A low pectin tea will benefit from a thicker water, for example.
It’s yet another aspect to be aware of.
....
As you mentioned jams and jellies: if you have not had it before I recommend trying mayhaw jelly. The mayhaw is a swamp-loving tree in the Rose family. It’s sweet, has a rose color, and a delicious hawthorn fruit flavor. It’s more delicate than grape and berry preserves, and in my opinion very sophisticated. It’s a Southern staple, especially in swamp country.
I brought this bag of dong pian out to my tea teacher and brewed it using a water with a high TDS (200+) as that was the water I liked the taste of. This is around 2005. She tasted the tea and in such a delicate manner suggested I use her water. We tried it with her water and the tea was even better. Looking into it, I found that her water had a lower TDS so it started off with a thinner mouthfeel.
Using a thick water with a thick tea resulted in a kind of tone on tone phenomenon. My prepared tea was too thick.
After being aware of this I tend to prefer thinner waters but I am conscious of matching tea to water. A low pectin tea will benefit from a thicker water, for example.
It’s yet another aspect to be aware of.
....
As you mentioned jams and jellies: if you have not had it before I recommend trying mayhaw jelly. The mayhaw is a swamp-loving tree in the Rose family. It’s sweet, has a rose color, and a delicious hawthorn fruit flavor. It’s more delicate than grape and berry preserves, and in my opinion very sophisticated. It’s a Southern staple, especially in swamp country.
nice writeup! i've heard this theory before, but i remain skeptical that pectin is a major contributor to mouthfeel in some teas. i'm not saying it's not, but until it's studied more, it's just a loose theory to me.
@pedant, yes, it is just a theory but you're a bit harsh to say loose 
. I've not yet encountered another explanation for this effect. And the fact that it varies by elevation and weather is indicative for me. Unfortunately, there are no tests of the hypotheses that are available but I suspect they could be done relatively easily.
. I've not yet encountered another explanation for this effect. And the fact that it varies by elevation and weather is indicative for me. Unfortunately, there are no tests of the hypotheses that are available but I suspect they could be done relatively easily.There’s this test:Tillerman wrote: ↑Mon Apr 13, 2020 5:39 pmpedant, yes, it is just a theory but you're a bit harsh to say loose
https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/16187/PDF
The alternative would be to scale a typical fruit pectin test that’s done at home. It may take a lot of tea however to get a measurable amount.