Best Bottled water for good teas??

I would suggest checking out the parts per million (ppm) designation on different bottles of water. It tells you how many particles are dissolved in the water. The lower the number, the more pure the water is.

You want to go after bottled water that comes from spring water as a source and is not too hard or too soft. Think Ozarka, Evian, etc. You want to avoid bottled waters that are just purified tap water like Dasani or Aquafina. You can find out what the source of the water is by checking on the bottle. If it does not clearly say it comes from a spring, do not believe it is spring water.

Also, avoid distilled water and don’t let the spring water sit for too long either. The reason is that you want to make sure the water has oxygen in it. Distilled water has this taken out and if the water sits for too long, the oxygen will slowly creep out similar to a coke can going flat.

I use a Brita water filter and find that’s the cheapest way to get good quality water for my high quality teas.

I’m afraid I have no suggestions for bottled water, but I enjoy my water filter — less plastic waste for the recycling bin and no heavy jugs to lug around!

I’m perfectly ok with tap water. Around here, they test the water multiple times a month, so it’s actually cleaner than bottled, and no plastic bottles to worry about.

“All tea, both hot and iced, is affected by water quality. Because of tea’s light flavor, the quality of input water is crucial to the beverage.

The clarity of tea is particularly affected by mineral content in water. Water hardness, caused by calcium and magnesium content in excess of 200 ppm, can cause clouding in iced tea. Water with 50 – 150 ppm total dissolved solids or 1 to 3 grains hardness provides the best results, according to the Tea Association of the USA."

“Water hardness is caused by a high mineral content. Tests show any hardness in excess of 200 ppm can cause clouding in iced tea. Chemical taste and/or odor caused by chlorination of municipal water and the presence of hydrogen sulfide in the water can also detract from tea flavor. In addition, the presence of particulate matter in water can cause scale and lime accumulation, detracting from the operational efficiency of automatic tea steeping equipment.”
http://www.teaandcoffee.net/0609/tea.htm
http://www.teausa.com/

Choose the best water.

“Ninety nine percent of tea is water, so it’s important to give some thought to the water you use for brewing. Tap water should be avoided since its chemical treatment imparts undesirable flavors and odors which interfere with the delicate aromatics of tea. Home filters and other water purification systems can minimize and, in some cases, eliminate these problems. The best water for tea brewing is spring water with a natural mineral content that’s neither too hard nor too soft. Since T.D.S. “total dissolved solids”, or mineral content measured in parts per million varies greatly from water to water, you may want to do your own taste-test of waters available in your area to determine which one has the best flavor, body and compatibility with the tea you drink.”
http://jiangtea.blog.com/2011/11/26/how-to-brew-tea-using-gaiwan/

Fascinating article about the bottled water industry. I didn’t know San Francisco municipal water came from Yosemite Valley and is so clean the EPA doesn’t require any filtering. Can you guess how much of that you could buy for $1.35?!

http://www.fastcompany.com/59971/message-bottle

I’d love to use bottled water for tea but I think my wife would go mad – tea drinking taken too far. Its interesting to see the difference in British water types and how it affects tea