Can Water Change The Taste Of Your Tea?

A hot tea cup is a dream come true on chilly winter days. Imagine you and your family sitting comfortably in the living room on a Sunday afternoon with a hot tea kettle beside you. With waves of laughter and love, each tea sip will just bring only happiness.

However, have you ever wondered what plays a major role in your everyday cup of tea? If not just think it off. What two things make a tea cup? Tea leaves and water. Hence, both components play an important role in the composition of the tea. Be it the truly iced tea or the basic ginger tea; water and tea leaves are the major contributing factors.

So, have you ever wondered if water can change the taste of tea?  Yes, you heard it right. The taste of tea can be influenced by the water you use. What is in the water that can influence the taste? Which is the best water for tea? There are many factors that can help answer these questions. From temperature to quality everything can make a difference.

How Does Water Affect Tea?

The taste of the tea depends on the quality of the water and its temperature. The reasoning for the same goes as follows:

Quality of Water in The Tea Cup

There are two broad types of water- hard water and soft water. For making beverages, soft water is considered to be more suitable than hard one. The fact is not unknown to many. However, have you ever wondered why?

This is because water has chemical properties. Hard water particularly contains minerals like calcium and magnesium. When you use this water for brewing, it can react with the flavors of the tea, often, subduing them. 

In addition, the minerals can also go through a chemical reaction with the antioxidants present in the tea. It will result in a reduction in the nutritional value of the beverage. Considering these situations, it can be stated that Soft water is obviously more suitable for preparing a tea cup.

There are other factors that affect the quality of water. We can have a look at them to understand the best water for tea. The pH value of water though is not an important factor. However, a pH of 7 will be ideal as it portrays neutral water- not acidic nor basic. 

Can I Use Tap Water in My Tea Kettle?

Can I use spring water in my tea cup? Can I use tap water in my tea? There are some of the common questions prevailing when it comes to deciding the best water for tea. Before using any water just keep the following in mind:

• Always make use of fresh water in tea preparation. Do not go for tap water. Freshwater is rich in Oxygen content which will give your tea a more nourishing effect.

• Look out for any cloudiness or scum formation in the water used to prepare your beverage. They are signs of poor water quality.

• To protect the taste of tea, never let water stand in a tea kettle or tea cup for a long time. It will diminish the taste of tea.

What Water Temperature is Best For Tea?

When it comes to the right temperature for tea there has been a conflict between slow brewing and powerful boiling. Both of them can result in tasteless tea. Each tea has its own saturation temperature to get brewed perfectly. The temperature depends on the right amount of oxygen supply to the tea. To make a perfect cuppa tea, we have the following tips just for you:

Green Tea

Green tea is full of antioxidants. The right temperature is crucial in order to make sure that the antioxidants do not burn out. In green tea too, the boiling temperature at which it should be boiled varies with its types. When using a high quality variety, it must be brewed at moderate or low temperature. Our recommendation would be between the range of 155ºF to 176ºF. 

On the other hand, while using a low quality tea, a high temperature is recommended. We suggest the range of 175ºF to 195ºF. 

White Tea

The tea of beauty! It has a delicate flavor, high antioxidants, and low caffeine. Just any temperature will not do. The tea has fine-drawn flavors, if you use a high temperature, you can ruin the flavors. The basic idea would be to avoid robust temperatures anyhow. Our recommendation for the best tea cup would be around 155ºF to 160ºF.

Black Tea

Black tea is one of the most famous teas. It is consumed by a majority of the tea drinking population of the world. It has high caffeine content that gives you the boost of energy needed. It also keeps your blood pressure in check with its therapeutic values. The ideal range of temperature for black tea is around 195ºF and 200ºF.

Closing Thoughts

Achieving the perfect taste of a tea cup can be done once you know the best water for tea and the right temperature. A rightly brewed tea can give you a refreshing experience like never before. In addition, when you are talking about organic teas they will be your daily dose of nutrition. Right temperatures and the quality of water will help the tea reach its highest potential.