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

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Baisao
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Thu Oct 03, 2019 11:44 am

nasalfrog wrote:
Wed Oct 02, 2019 2:06 pm
I assume the scale in my kettle (Akira from HOJO recommends keeping the scale) from my high-calcium water would affect the lower-calcium Nice! water.
I don't think it will matter much as the scale will not go into solution now that it has precipitated out and crystallized on your kettle.

If it is a stainless steel kettle, I recommend descaling it anyway as scale makes it less efficient if it has an internal heating element. Use the same descaling agent that is recommended for coffee makers. It's a benign acid that washes away with ease.
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There is no self
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Sun Oct 06, 2019 3:36 am

Baisao wrote:
Thu Oct 03, 2019 11:44 am

I don't think it will matter much as the scale will not go into solution now that it has precipitated out and crystallized on your kettle.

If it is a stainless steel kettle, I recommend descaling it anyway as scale makes it less efficient if it has an internal heating element. Use the same descaling agent that is recommended for coffee makers. It's a benign acid that washes away with ease.
Do you remember the name of the product? I use only filtered water but limestone is a curse around here and eventually all my kettles develop a bit of scale.
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Baisao
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Sun Oct 06, 2019 10:59 am

There is no self wrote:
Sun Oct 06, 2019 3:36 am
Baisao wrote:
Thu Oct 03, 2019 11:44 am

I don't think it will matter much as the scale will not go into solution now that it has precipitated out and crystallized on your kettle.

If it is a stainless steel kettle, I recommend descaling it anyway as scale makes it less efficient if it has an internal heating element. Use the same descaling agent that is recommended for coffee makers. It's a benign acid that washes away with ease.
Do you remember the name of the product? I use only filtered water but limestone is a curse around here and eventually all my kettles develop a bit of scale.
This is the product I use but there are dozens of other products that do the same thing. This one is a concentrate so be sure to read the tiny writing. I use this one because it’s available at my supermarket.

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There is no self
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Location: I think you say, convenience store?

Wed Oct 09, 2019 12:18 pm

Thank you! I'll look for something similar at my supermarket.
faj
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Tue Oct 22, 2019 6:59 pm

This is the data I have about the water I use, in PPMs.

25 Ca
03 Mg
01 K
05 Na
52 HCO3
03 Cl
34 SO4
0.1 F
00 Cu, As, NO3, Pb, Zn

88 TDS

Can anyone chime in to let me know if, based on this data, this should be good/OK/bad water, and if it would be expected to be more appropriate for some teas rather than others?
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Baisao
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Tue Oct 22, 2019 7:57 pm

faj wrote:
Tue Oct 22, 2019 6:59 pm
This is the data I have about the water I use, in PPMs.

25 Ca
03 Mg
01 K
05 Na
52 HCO3
03 Cl
34 SO4
0.1 F
00 Cu, As, NO3, Pb, Zn

88 TDS

Can anyone chime in to let me know if, based on this data, this should be good/OK/bad water, and if it would be expected to be more appropriate for some teas rather than others?
Your TDS is good. This affects mouthfeel. I can’t speak to the rest as it As chasing minerals hasn’t yielded satisfactory or consistent results for me. The best think is to ask if it tastes great.

Some people swear by more bicarbonate (HCO3) since it is used in making water for coffee, but I have seen it bind flavors in some waters and be perfectly fine in others. This inconsistency leads me to think that their is more going on than bicarbonate.
faj
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Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:11 pm

Thanks @Baisao
Baisao wrote:
Tue Oct 22, 2019 7:57 pm
Your TDS is good. This affects mouthfeel. I can’t speak to the rest as it As chasing minerals hasn’t yielded satisfactory or consistent results for me. The best think is to ask if it tastes great.
In the end, the tasting experience is the true test, and that will be subjective to a significant degree. But not having (yet) done A/B testing comparing to other waters, I wondered if there was something obviously wrong with the water I use.
Baisao wrote:
Tue Oct 22, 2019 7:57 pm
Some people swear by more bicarbonate (HCO3) since it is used in making water for coffee, but I have seen it bind flavors in some waters and be perfectly fine in others. This inconsistency leads me to think that their is more going on than bicarbonate.
Are there "guidelines" (or at least some form of decent write-up) about the impact of various minerals on tea, and the typically "recommended" levels?
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Baisao
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Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:21 pm

faj wrote:
Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:11 pm
Thanks Baisao
Baisao wrote:
Tue Oct 22, 2019 7:57 pm
Some people swear by more bicarbonate (HCO3) since it is used in making water for coffee, but I have seen it bind flavors in some waters and be perfectly fine in others. This inconsistency leads me to think that their is more going on than bicarbonate.
Are there "guidelines" (or at least some form of decent write-up) about the impact of various minerals on tea, and the typically "recommended" levels?
Not that I am aware of but you can try Acqua Panna and Evian if you want to taste waters that are unfit for tea. Acqua Panna binds up flavors like nothing else I’ve encountered and Evian simply has too many minerals. Fiji has great flavor but is very thick since it has a very high TDS. Distilled or RO is just awfully metallic despite its devotees.

Of course I am not suggesting you use bottled water if you already have good water, but three of these will be bad in different ways, and one will be good tasting but not ideal due to its thickness.

I suggest trying these with a low to mid oxidized oolong.

HTH
faj
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Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:36 pm

Baisao wrote:
Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:21 pm
Not that I am aware of but you can try Acqua Panna and Evian if you want to taste waters that are unfit for tea. Acqua Panna binds up flavors like nothing else I’ve encountered and Evian simply has too many minerals. Fiji has great flavor but is very thick since it has a very high TDS. Distilled or RO is just awfully metallic despite its devotees.

Of course I am not suggesting you use bottled water if you already have good water, but three of these will be bad in different ways, and one will be good tasting but not ideal due to its thickness.
Thanks @Baisao for the suggestions. Acqua Panna is not a brand I remember seeing here, but Evian is something I have access to, probably Fiji too.

The water I use is bottled, but it is very inexpensive water from a spring not far from where I live sold by the gallon, probably 5 to 10 times cheaper than Evian or Fiji.

I just bought a second variable temperature kettle because of size, but I realize that should make A/B testing (water, temperatures) easier.
Baisao wrote:
Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:21 pm
I suggest trying these with a low to mid oxidized oolong.
Is that because it will respond more to the change in water in terms of taste or mouthfeel?
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Baisao
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Tue Oct 22, 2019 10:27 pm

@faj, it’s simply to have a light but straightforward tea that’s good for making assessments.
davidmarkglass
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Sat Nov 02, 2019 6:54 pm

Poland Spring
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Victoria
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Mon Jan 20, 2020 5:33 pm

Arsenic removed from bottled water, was then being dumped into an on-site ‘Arsenic Pond’ that was leaching into California water system. I use this water as a backup to my local tap. https://patch.com/california/banning-be ... ilty-pleas
rdl
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Mon Jan 20, 2020 10:11 pm

Victoria wrote:
Mon Jan 20, 2020 5:33 pm
Arsenic removed from bottled water, was then being dumped into an on-site ‘Arsenic Pond’ that was leaching into California water system. I use this water as a backup to my local tap. https://patch.com/california/banning-be ... ilty-pleas
I can use a word I'm not sure I ever used before. I'm flabbergasted. How could water, so basic, wreak such havoc? How can a company think isolating and dumping such a harmful chemical is a good idea?
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Baisao
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Mon Jan 20, 2020 10:40 pm

rdl wrote:
Mon Jan 20, 2020 10:11 pm
Victoria wrote:
Mon Jan 20, 2020 5:33 pm
Arsenic removed from bottled water, was then being dumped into an on-site ‘Arsenic Pond’ that was leaching into California water system. I use this water as a backup to my local tap. https://patch.com/california/banning-be ... ilty-pleas
I can use a word I'm not sure I ever used before. I'm flabbergasted. How could water, so basic, wreak such havoc? How can a company think isolating and dumping such a harmful chemical is a good idea?
To be clear, it was the contracting companies that dumped it and not Crystal Geyser.

However, Crystal Geyser should not have exceeded federal limits for arsenic in their waste water containment.

One thing that puzzles me is how a water can be labeled “Spring Water” when it is treated extensively enough to remove heavy metals?
rdl
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Mon Jan 20, 2020 10:51 pm

Baisao wrote:
Mon Jan 20, 2020 10:40 pm
rdl wrote:
Mon Jan 20, 2020 10:11 pm
Victoria wrote:
Mon Jan 20, 2020 5:33 pm
Arsenic removed from bottled water, was then being dumped into an on-site ‘Arsenic Pond’ that was leaching into California water system. I use this water as a backup to my local tap. https://patch.com/california/banning-be ... ilty-pleas
I can use a word I'm not sure I ever used before. I'm flabbergasted. How could water, so basic, wreak such havoc? How can a company think isolating and dumping such a harmful chemical is a good idea?
To be clear, it was the contracting companies that dumped it and not Crystal Geyser.

However, Crystal Geyser should not have exceeded federal limits for arsenic in their waste water containment.

One thing that puzzles me is how a water can be labeled “Spring Water” when it is treated extensively enough to remove heavy metals?
Crystal Geyser created the pond, that's what I meant. Once a monster is created, usually terror follows.
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