Water Temperature & Water in general.
I used to have a kettle that would tell me the exact temperature of the water, but it broke and before I got into tea we bought one that didn’t tell water temperature. Well, now that i’m a tea head who cares about the temperature of the water I am using I now regret not getting the same one again. However, are there any alternatives, such as a thermometer that I could stick in the water? Would anyone like to share what they have used to solve this problem?
Also, I stoped by whole foods yesterday and got myself two big bottles of evian water for my upcoming tea tasting. I was wondering, however, is just using the filtered water from my fridge alright? As, I don’t want to go out and by a $3 bottle every time I want to drink tea.
A cheap electric kettle is available on Amazon, thats probably the best long term solution.
Water is a bit trickier, Ive tried everything from filered tap, RO, bottled, and pretty much found RO water with a touch of sea salt or mineralizer to be the best long term solution. Filtered tap might work depending on the area.
The thing is with RO water is you have a blank canvas, its nearly distilled. Which on its own will leave tea tasting flat, but adding in a touch of sea salt or mineral drops with is great lakes salt without the salt brings it pretty close to spring water flavor.
How much salt are we talking? Have you experimented with different kinds of salt? I imagine for example a pink Himalayan salt will have a more diverse mineral content (and a closer mineral content to the soil conditions of the tea?) than a regular sea salt.Do you RO your own water or buy RO water?
It would be a very interesting topic to explore further, with how much focus is put on water profiled for homebrewing I am surprised more tea people have not come up with guides. I have been pretty happy with my drinking water tap water filter I installed, but if water makes a big difference its worth trying other things.
Agreed, both RO & distilled water are flat-tasting because the beneficial minerals have been filtered out along with any water impurities.
Adding salt to RO water may not be advisable for those have hypertension or a family history of hypertension, heart disease, or stroke.
For those who have an RO system, one can add a re-mineralization filter. They provide sodium-free, flavorful water for enjoyable tea.
Here are two choices:
- https://steepster.com/teaware/zaria/68637-everest-alkaline-water-filter (NSF Certified)
- https://steepster.com/teaware/puregen/39532-aptera-alkamag-water-filter (Not NSF Certified)
Or one can buy an RO system that includes a re-mineralization filter:
https://steepster.com/teaware/abundant-flow-water/37798-6-stage-alkaline-zoi-zeta-reverse-osmosis-sys-with-remineralization-filter
It’s always a good idea to have your water tested before embarking on any water treatment or bottled-water solutions.
I just use filtered water from my fridge. Granted, I luckily live in an area with excellent water.
I really don’t think buying bottled water is any better than just getting a good filter. But you could also do your own taste tests, boiled tap water beside boiled bottled water. If there’s really that much of a disparity, your best bet is probably the megajugs for watercoolers.
In terms of thermometers, I have one I just stick in the water to test it if I care, or I take the inexact approach and poor from a height/between a few different containers to quickly cool down boiling water.
You could also do it the Lu Yu way and boil in an open pot so that you may watch for crab eyes, fish eyes and pearls.
I think our water in Ohio is alright I used to drink water bottles, but now I just drink the water from my fridge because I found that they taste the same.
Then its fine, then I would just use the filtered water, Scott from Yunnan sourcing sells bamboo charcoal that can even out off flavors, you just drop it in your kettle.
https://yunnansourcing.com/products/premium-bamboo-charcoal-for-enhancement-of-water
Im getting some next order I place.
Oh, make sure to tell me how they are! I might pick some up, I won’t be ordering until around july
You can pick up a food thermometer for a couple of bucks from China:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/HOT-New-Meat-Thermometer-Kitchen-Digital-Cooking-Food-Probe-Electronic-BBQ-Cooking-Tools/32610806216.html
http://www.ebay.com/itm/POP-Digital-Probe-Thermometer-Kitchen-Food-Temperature-Cooking-BBQ-Turkey-Wine-/282428630246
I dont know about the water from the tap in your area but if you go buy bottled water buy something that taste good. Evian at least where I live is filled with chlorine, it tastes awful!
Personally I am used to using a kettle without thermometer. Once you get used to watching for bird/crab eye size bubbles and learn the difference in sound it is just as easy.
I would go with either RO and mineral drops but my preference is the the bamboo charcoal option as it would most likely be your most economical and I would guess your best tasting option. Compare with Evian, Volvic or Poland Springs. Best of luck
I would HIGHLY recommend RO water with 17-19 drops/gallon of ConcenTrace mineral drops.
I just use gasp tap water. It works great. Buy a digital thermometer and you can tell exact temps.
In general, I let my tea sit in a cup for 2 to 3 minutes to cool for green tea.
Spring water can be problematic in terms of interfering with a teas taste. It’s very much brand dependant. One manufacturer even went so far as to test brands all over the world.
Hey, I am currently in university and as a student am on a reasonably tight budget (so don’t have a temperature regulated kettle). When I’m in halls I have to improvise. I use two mugs, boil my water and pour the boiling water between the mugs. I found that pouring water into each mug knocks of approximately 10C off the water temperature.
However I don’t tend to use that technique much anymore, simply because I have gotten used to judging the temperature of the water (I would often test it with my finger… not recommended :’)). I think that without a temperature regulated kettle, if you get used to watching the water and feeling it, you should quite quickly be able to tell how long to heat it for without the need of a thermometer.
Although these doesn’t produce exact temperature, they are good estimates. Here’s a link to a previous discussion I posted on this topic;
Hope that helped!
Sasha.
I use a Zero Water Filter pitcher and I really cannot tell the difference between the water from my filter and Poland Spring. So i think the Zero Water filter, available at many stores and on Amazon is a very good option for tea. If I use water such as Evian I think I can taste a slight difference but not with average bottled water.
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