Water Filtration

I’m curious if anyone here brews tea with water from a Reverse Osmosis system (with or without a re-mineralization filter.)

We are currently using a charcoal filter but my husband is adding a RO system soon for brewing beer and I’m just curious if it will be good for my tea use as well.

Thanks!

26 Replies
MzPriss said

Holler at looseTman. I think he he does.

Thanks I will!

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I brew all my tea with RO water, bought from the grocery store and stored in 5 gallon bottles; it is only for tea and I do not drink it plain. RO tea tastes of tea; I have to stir loose-leaf before pouring because the color sits at the bottom of the pot (this might just be how tea is?).

My tapwater tea extracts color and tannin, but very little flavor, and has an iridescent film over the surface. Peppermint tisane gets tap because it does not suffer for having the extra minerals and alkaline content (it’s pH 8.1).

Good to know, thank you Gingerbread!

Wuyi-Wolf said

my water does that to tea too and it isn’t RO

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AllanK said

I don’t use a reverse osmosis filter but use a Zero Water filter. I find it does a good job on our already good Long Island water.

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mrmopar said

Yep, looseTman uses one for sure.

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looseTman said

Hi Stephanie,

MzPriss & mrmopar are correct. Due to our 450’ well that provides very hard water, we have both a water softener and an RO system. Please see my review of it: http://steepster.com/teas/abundant-flow-water/37798-6-stage-alkaline-zoi-zeta-reverse-osmosis-sys-with-remineralization-filter.

RO water is not ideal for brewing tea. Please see quotes below. If an RO system is necessary due to water quality issues and you want to enjoy your tea without hauling bottled spring water, then a re-mineralization filter (http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter) is highly recommended after your RO system to bring your TDS level into the following range:

“Water with 50 – 150 ppm total dissolved solids (TDS) or 1 to 3 grains hardness provides the best results, according to the Tea Association of the USA." http://www.teaandcoffee.net/0609/tea.htm

Per David Duckler of Verdant Tea, reverse osmosis water is not the best for brewing tea:

“Putting aside for a moment the influences on tea before it is dried and finished, tea also goes through a second “flavoring” process as you brew it and sip it. First, you have to consider the water you use, and take into account all the flavors it offers. Straight reverse-osmosis water is never recommended in tea brewing, because it is so pure that it tastes flat. If you use a spring water or filtered tap water, the flavor of this water will come through, contributing sweetness, texture, or in undesirable cases, metal and chemical traces to your tea. No matter what, you are “blending” your tea with a water that you hope will help bring out the best that the tea has to offer.”
Published on April 26th, 2012 by David Duckler
http://verdanttea.com/what-is-unflavored-tea-anyway/

Water Quality
Garret Sorensen, Mandala Tea
Uploaded on Sep 30, 2011
“The type of water you use makes a HUGE difference in both the aroma and flavor of your tea.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFuUAc7XcqY&feature=youtube_gdata

Also see: http://mandalawinona.com/goods/water-filtration/

Thank you SO much for this information and posting it here….perfect!

looseTman said

You’re very welcome! I hope it helps. Please let me know if you have any questions after reviewing it.

I’m leaning toward just not using it. He won’t be adding minerals back for brewing beer, and our tap water is not bad tasting when charcoal filtered! Now I am curious what our water hardness is exactly. We probably have pretty hard water. Thanks again!

Our town wells vary from 60 – 890 ppm hardness (avg 240). I can taste differences in the tapwater at friends’ houses; the water we get depends on which wells we’re each closest to.

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looseTman said

If your tap water tastes good when charcoal filtered, that may be all you need. However, to be certain, please see the following:

Consumer Reports
Water filter buying guide
Last updated: May 2013
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/water-filters/buying-guide.htm?pn=0

What’s in your water?
“One way to find out is to check your consumer confidence report, or CCR. The EPA requires utilities to provide a CCR to their customers every year. You may also find the CCR printed in your newspaper or posted on your local government website.”

“Also, a CCR tells you about the water in your municipality, but not necessarily about what’s coming out of your particular tap. Only testing your home supply can do that. Homeowners with a well on their property face even greater uncertainty, because such water isn’t surveyed or reported on in CCRs. Call the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) for the names of state-certified testing labs or for your local health authority, which might offer low-cost or free test kits, or check out ”_blank" rel=“nofollow” href=“http://www.epa.gov/safewater”>www.epa.gov/safewater. Ultimately, you might find that you don’t need a water filter.

It’s important to know what contaminants are in your water that so you can match the filter to the problem."

Simple basic testing of your own water:
1. Water Hardness test kit –
http://www.hach.com/total-hardness-test-kit-model-5-b/product?id=7640219508

2. TDS meter
- http://www.tdsmeter.com/products/ap1.html
- https://store.afwfilters.com/testers/tds-meters/hm-digital-tds-ap1-testing-meter/

AllanK said

The consumer reports article was interesting at first glance but they left out the Zero Water filter.

looseTman said

Per Consumer Reports:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/water-filters/buying-guide.htm?pn=0

Carafe water filters:
- Clear2O CWS100A – 93 pts
http://www.clear2o.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Applica-Clear-Water-Pitcher-CWS100A/dp/B00189XOEG
- ZeroWater ZP-010 10-cup and ZD-013 8-cup Pitchers – 70 pts

I really want to test my water hardness now :D

looseTman said

Testing is the logical 1st-step to solving any water quality issue. Once you know what’s in your water, you can then select the most appropriate type of filter for the specific issue(s).

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looseTman said

I’ve added five water filters highly-rated by Consumer Reports in each of three categories to the Steepster Teaware database. I’ve also added several links to each of them.

Water Pitcher
93 pts – Clear2O – http://steepster.com/teaware/clear2o/63074-filter-water-pitcher-cws100a

Faucet-Mount
80 pts – Culligan – http://steepster.com/teaware/culligan/63073-faucet-mount-water-filter
77 pts – Pur – http://steepster.com/teaware/pur/63075-advanced-faucet-water-filter-fm-3700b
75 pts – Brita – http://steepster.com/teaware/brita/63077-base-on-tap-opff-100

Countertop / Under-counter
90 pts – Multipure Aquaversa – http://steepster.com/teaware/multi-pure/63076-aquaversa-mp750sb-water-filter

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Brian said

the big thing to remember about water quality is this…

boiling water naturally releases oxygen and other gases from the water, making it go flat. The main release of oxygen actually takes place when you start seeing the crab and fish eye bubbles (~160-170 F).

This is fine and good as many teas need hot (200+F) water.

My recommendation is finish your session with the water you brought to a boil, and if not, pour out and start heating with fresh cold water.

Flat, low oxygen water makes for flat tea.

(and as a side FYI, i learned this from an organic chemist i met yesterday) :-P

That is super interesting!

looseTman said

Oxygen content in water is definitely an important point for how tea is brewed.
However, it should not be confused with water quality for tea.

Obviously, water must first be potable – safe from contaminants.
- http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/
-http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_treatment.html
- http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/index.cfm

Secondarily, it must not contain large amounts of: hardness, iron, sulfur, total dissolved solids,(TDS), fluoride, sodium, etc. Such issues can significantly impact the flavor and in the case of sulfur, the aroma of high quality tea.

Thus, water testing is the essential first step even with safe potable water. This is the only way to know for certain if there are water quality issues and if so, which types of filters are necessary to solve them.

Sent water off for testing today!

looseTman said

Excellent! Your test results will identify any issues and determine which type filtration is needed.

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Update- We DID end up getting a RO system with re-mineralization filter. I will do a side by side tea-test with my normal charcoal filtered tap water soon!

Placing my bets on charcoal! ^^

Keep us posted! =D

Yeah, the RO is still mostly for beer brewing. I am free to use whichever water I want for tea which is great. I can’t wait till I have time to properly test them both!

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