Water Water Everywhere... What’s Your Water?

[wave_code]

thanks for the tip @Bok. I'm trying to figure out the difference here between different filtration methods and whether to even actually look into filtration vs ion exchange - its all a bit confusing and I think I was pretty lucky not to deal with this before. From what I can gather filtration is really meant more for getting rid of bacteria or impurities while also reducing TDS, mainly chalk, whereas ion exchange is intended more just for softening, but this process of course uses salts. Distillation and remineralization are also an option but seems a ridiculous waste of energy, space, and time - not going there. Sadly one thing is clear after the first week- the tap water is absolutely no good for tea and totally kills the flavor to the point that my morning liu bao just tastes like brown hot water I've been unpacking and cleaning things, including some new pots, and already finding rather nasty scale from my kettle and deposits in the bottom of things.

I haven't bought the article yet, but according to some consumer studies it seems one of the major downsides with filtration of almost any kind is that the cartridge replacement time varies greatly depending on your water, and that basically they work until they suddenly don't - meaning that they will filter but once it hits capacity or wears out it will basically start dumping things back in to the water suddenly on a large scale including any bacteria that has built up. Not very nice, and some of these cartridges are not cheap. My (perhaps naive) hope would be that if I'm filtering just for minerals and not so much because I'm drinking fracking or swamp water I'd get a bit more life out of a cartridge but who knows.

In the meantime Kowk Ying at Die Kunst Des Tees was kind enough to offer a few tips. Trying out Bad Liebenwerda water this morning at her suggestion with good results and makes me feel a bit better since it is at least regional. She also suggested and I'll pick up and try out a couple different Turkish water brands. Erikli seems to come recommended and is very cheap, and very soft - we'll see, maybe too soft? I also got the Black Forest water you mentioned @theredbaron to try out. Apparently Bio Company stores here have a filtered water dispenser in their stores for use with refillable glass bottles - how hard it still leaves the water I'll have to find out, but that could also be a good option. There is one about 20 minute walk from me which isn't so bad. I've also seen recommendations for Lauretana (very expensive!!). I really hope to avoid bottled water at all costs once I can get a system worked out and hope I can use these more just as benchmarks to see where I'm getting to along the way. Maybe some combination of filtering or softening along with resting the water on binchotan and just drawing off the top will work something out. Since the water is too hard not just for tea but probably also not ideal for plants and painting I can't afford to nor want to have to use bottles for all of that or I would just spend my days dragging water all over the place.

[Stephen]

@wave_code If the tap water has high total dissolved solids I think your filtration options to reduce it are reverse osmosis or distillation. Some reverse osmosis units that are fairly compact and convenient. Another option is to fill up a large glass container with filtered, distilled or RO water from a local store (grocery stores usually have filtered water dispensers here in the US) and use that. There are also spring water delivery services here in the US.

Something I've also done is to get a large ceramic water cistern and mix low TDS water (like RO or distilled) with tap water to lower the TDS. I've done that in my office because the filtered tap water is about 300-400 TDS and will flatten most teas. For that you could get a TDS meter to test your tap water and then find a level that you like.

TDS meter
https://www.amazon.com/Dumsamker-Profes ... 297&sr=8-3

Ceramic dispenser
https://www.amazon.com/Bluewave-Lifesty ... 42&sr=8-21

[bentz98125]

File under "Flavor is complicated" or "How much future science is just decyphering molecular alterations wrought by our species on the precursors to life on earth?":

https://phys.org/news/2021-09-tea-flavo ... mpure.html

[theredbaron]

I really hope to avoid bottled water at all costs once I can get a system worked out and hope I can use these more just as benchmarks to see where I'm getting to along the way. Maybe some combination of filtering or softening along with resting the water on binchotan and just drawing off the top will work something out. Since the water is too hard not just for tea but probably also not ideal for plants and painting I can't afford to nor want to have to use bottles for all of that or I would just spend my days dragging water all over the place.

I m afraid that unless you are living close to a spring that has the right water, you will end up using bottled water if you want to get the optimum out
of your teas.
It's not that one uses bottled water for everthing. If i drink water to quench my thirst or with meals, i happily drink our very clean and good (but hard) tapwater.

[miig]

Agree 100% with @Bok. Luckily, we have chlorine-free water here. Many of Europe's water is very hard, but I'm so lucky as to live in an area where the water is medium. There are two springs in my area and this thread has reminded me that I should go to them again and get some fresh water - that's the best

[belewfripp]

Lots of conversation here since the last time I was posting much, and lots of good points about environmental impact. I'm happy to say I am no longer purchasing bottled water to use for these experiments as it turns out that a lot of the issues i was having with my tea were due to my reflux and issues with my mouth and throat. I've finally gotten those sorted out and in many ways am tasting a lot of my tea for the first time. The other impact here is that the (perceived) need to have started with RO water and add only what i want, so as to avoid water issues that I incorrectly interpreted as being the problem, is not needed. The water from my Pur-filtered tap works just fine for adding more compounds. It also helped that I bought some pool testing strips and used them on different waters - yeah, it's not the same as a real analysis, but many of the things it checks for are relevant to tea-related factors, as well - and got pretty good empirical evidence I'm not overdoing it on TDS by adding compounds to my water here at home.

I'm also no longer engaging in large-scale experimentation with gallon-sized volumes of water. I have all of my various additives on hand and will add a pinch of this, a little of that, etc. to the water I'm using that morning and mix it up real well. I change things up depending on the type of tea I'm drinking - I might add a little magnesium sulfate to an aged puerh but stick to a little NaCl and baking soda when making a young white tea. All in all I'm happy with where this has led me, and I think, though there have been ups and downs, I'm largely enjoying my tea more now than before. If nothing else I learned more about chemistry than I have since high school!

[TeaGrove]

Reading through this thread made me reminisce about visits to the Scottish Highlands. The tap water came from a stream and was so rich in peat the result was cheap black bag tea would transform into a lapsang suchong. I can't think of a better argument for or against the brewing of bottled water

My water is clean and fresh so I feel guilty about considering bottled water. The water pumped is extra hard like in many parts of Denmark. Maybe the kind of vibrancy experienced with soft water is out of reach but this thread with encouraged me to just experiment. Perhaps then I can justify buying a bottle of spring



UPDATE:

After investigating water formulas and under sink filters, I joined the bottled water club. Hey guys !

I buy my bottled water from local springs, which is easy for me as it's the cheapest store option. I've also had fun collecting from a nearby spring I've passed half a dozen times before but never thought of visiting.

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I think tea is in real danger of becoming a lifestyle !

[wave_code]

It has been a real treat to be able to taste and smell normally again after several weeks of covid screwing everything up. It felt appropriate to take advantage of that to get back in to figuring out the water situation here and its been really interesting and gratifying to see some progress. I was recommended one water when I moved here, Bad Liebenwerda, and Black Forest seems to get high praise from tea drinkers all over Germany, and I kept bouncing between them. While it was better than the undrinkable tap water all my teas still seemed thin and flat and kind of asleep (which I do still think some are from winter). But, I tried a 50/50 mix of the two and found I was getting something much better- slightly thicker and sweeter tea like I got from Liebenwerda, with the better aroma from Black Forest, but it was still too thin. I noticed a lot of the water recommendations I got seemed to come from people who are drinking Japanese greens or oolongs and that they are generally too soft, I guess to mute the astringency, for a lot of fermented teas which for me are more about mouth feel.

So, thinking maybe that something else was needed to get the body I missed in my fermented teas I've started also using Saskia from Lidl. Trying all three of these together and in different ratios has not only made my teas taste way better, it is also really helping me figure out what minerals are doing what since all three are very different in their content. Its interesting too that the Saskia is also bottled nearby, but in the same state where previously the tap water was totally fine for day to day tea drinking when I let it sit on activated charcoal for a day or so. Now I'm finding a lot of teas I thought had been suffering from storage issues suddenly are richer, sweeter, have much more depth of flavor, brewing up with more dramatic color, and lasting longer.

While trying all these blends of different waters is really informative and a totally worthwhile experiment to figure out where I want to go, now that I have a better idea the goal is to eliminate the need for any bottled water. My hope is to be able to use an RO or filter system and find either a couple simple dissolvable salts/minerals or a good proportional mix with filtered tap water to be able to have no plastic use at all. But even for those who need to or are using bottled water, its just as worthwhile and informative I think to try taking 2 or 3 waters with very different profiles you find have different favorable aspects and try mixing them together. It has been pretty eye opening for me and the most motivating thing so far.

[RayClem]

Unfortunately, the drinking water in my community is horrible. It is extremely hard (19-29 grains hardness per gallon) and the water is treated with chloramine, a combination of chlorine and ammonia. The water does not taste good without further treatment

I use a water softener to remove the calcium, magnesium and iron by replacing them with sodium, but now I have high sodium levels. Thus, for water used for cooking, drinking and preparing coffee and tea, I have a reverse osmosis unit that produces purified water. I do have some Himalayan Pink Salt I can add to the tea kettle to add some minerals, but I normally do not bother.

[Baisao]

The US has the best water in the world!

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[GaoShan]

@teasecret, I was reading through the water thread and noticed that you replicated Toronto tap water and that it seems to be good for aged puerh. I mainly drink green oolongs and aromatic black teas from Fujian and Taiwan, and am wondering if my water is too hard for these teas. Have you experimented on these teas with Toronto tap water? I'm considering buying a softer bottled water to see if it makes a difference, though I'm not sure which American brands are available in Canada. I would also prefer to avoid using bottled water for both cost and environmental reasons. I feel that my tap water does fairly well with these teas, though I've never tried anything else.

[RayClem]

Although my tap water is safe to drink, it is so hard (18-28 grains of hardness) that I use a ion exchange water softener. Since that produces water that is very soft, but has a high sodium level. I do not like using it for drinking as I have high-blood pressure and that is aggravated by excess sodium. Thus, I have a reverse osmosis unit to produce water for cooking and drinking, including making tea.

I have tried adding a little Himalayan pink salt to the water when making tea, but I normally do not bother. It might make a difference when brewing delicate teas, but I really don't notice with darker teas.

[caj]

Early in this thread someone mentioned the Crystal Gyser Alpine Spring water from Mt. Shasta. This specific water was recommended to me for use in my espresso machine, and it may have made a difference (it certainly kept scale down). It was not easy to find, all the grocery stores near me carry the one from California. I found it in a liquor store called BevMo, at $1.99/gal. I will try this along with a couple other recommendations from this thread after I set a baseline with my filtered water.

Tap water in my area is awful (TDS nearly 600, high carbonates, etc, but interestingly I don't smell/taste any chlorine). I run it through a mavea filter which doesn't reduce the carbonates and only minor on the TDS, but brings the pH down a little. I'd love to create a RO setup, but there's so much waste, feel guilty for that with the water problems we have here in California.

One more thing: it was really great to read many of you taste blind. If you want to have some fun, continue the blind test, but make sure there's one extra cup of tea that's a duplicate of one of the other samples (ideally unknown).

[Mobok]

I am part of the "Bottled Spring Water" gang. I am very fortunate for the Carpathian Mountains here, i am spoiled for choice when it comes to bottled spring water . The best water that i have ever drank was during one of my hikes on Bucegi Mountains. There was an old resting spot on the trail with a stone bench and a watersprout from which water was freely flowing.
If someone is curious what spring water from here tastes like, I think the "Aqua Carpatica" brand has been trying to extend overseas.

[bentz98125]

Speaking of... it is also that people do go up in arms over the tiniest threat to their perceived right to bear dangerous firearms, but do not care enough for the water that keeps them alive.

entering political territory...

Hope I'm not the only one to see the ironic hilarity in this turn of the thread. Maybe you have to be a child of the western United States to understand (but I don't think so) that water is not for drinking never mind brewing tea. That's what whiskey is for and water as everyone knows, is for fighting. Which is where guns come in. The fact that we on this forum find meaning discussing the intricacies of brewing tea with a variety of different waters we have access to, is a profound political statement (having to do with privilege and good fortune) all on its own!