Quality Water for Tea

An interesting aspect that most people do not think about when preparing tea has to do with the most essential ingredient: water.  It makes sense, water is about 98% of tea and in order to get the most out of your tea it deserves the type of water quality that will bring out the best in your tea.  There was a Chinese scholar by the name Lu Yu who wrote an entire book concerning the water selection for tea.  He claimed that water that came from stony lakes (acting as a natural filter), milky white streams or the middle of slow-flowing streams were some of the best sources of water to make good tea.

According to some sources, you should not use distilled water.  You need water that still has minerals that can react with the teas and thus enhance the tea-drinking experience.  The best way to get the water you want is by using a Brita or Pur filter; this takes out the chlorine that’s in water while still maintaining most of its natural minerals.  It also rids the water of most of its TDS (Total Dissolved Solids).  However, if you must buy bottled water, then find spring water with a pH of 7 and TDS of 30 ppm or below.  Frankly, I’d stick with a filter; it’s more cost effective considering how much tea I drink.  You can also tell that you have hard water when you find a film of oil floating on the surface of your pot or cup due to the Flavanoids in the tea interacting with the calcium hydroxide in the water.

When brewing tea the temperature and steep time is also important.  Go for a digital handheld thermometer to get an exact reading.  Depending on the type of tea you are brewing determines the temperature for steeping.

On the other hand, once you’ve boiled water for tea, do not reuse it.  According to tea scholar Wen Zhen, oxygen is released when water is boiled.  This makes the water ‘tough’, losing its essence, unable to bring out the best in tea if it has been boiled too many times.

Also, if you have standing water, it can absorb odors.  These odors can and will affect the flavor of your tea.  Therefore, just use fresh water every time you want to brew tea.  When in doubt, throw it out!

Who would have thought that water could be so complicated?  But when you think about it, brewing tea is like cooking a gourmet meal: you want the best ingredients to bring out the best flavor of your dish.  This is the same with tea…except that the only other ingredient is the water!

What do you think, dear readers? Did you find this helpful?

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Tea Storage

One of the essential things you must know when it comes to tea…is how to store it.  Our precious leaves must be protected from light, moisture, air and other stronger odors thus finding the right storage container is essential for any tea lover.   Why must we protect our fragile leaves from these elements?  Let’s look at each and discuss why:

Eyes

Light and UV rays cause rapid degradation of your tea.  Make sure that your tea is kept in the dark!  For example: if you must put your tea in glass jars, make sure that they are stored in a dark cabinet.

Odor is absorbed quite easily by your tea so you want to keep your leaves from areas that give off a strong scent like a trash can or a spice rack just to name a few.

Air simply increases the chances of odor being present and latching on to your leaves.  You want to avoid containers that are porous (such as a paper bag or a plastic Ziploc bag).  This also means avoiding leaving your tea out or, when you do store it, allowing excess air to get packed in.

Protection from Moisture seems like common sense since it is the mixture of this element and the delicate leaves that create our beloved beverage.  This includes more than just protecting it from water, but from humidity as well.  Do not store your tea above a dishwasher vent or fridge.  Also, keep your dry tea away from boiling water….that is until you are ready to brew it.

Now you know the why…let’s look at the different types and their benefits:

Tins like the ones in the above photo are the most popular.  They offer protection from each of the aforementioned elements.

Wooden canisters also provide protection; however wood can also alter the taste of the tea by adding its own natural woody texture.  If you want to use wood then you have it properly sealed before you use it so that your tea is protected.

Glazed Ceramic offers protection from light and moisture; however, not all ceramics are air tight.  It is recommended that a silicon seal be used to close the container.

Plastic (particularly the non-leeching kind) are great storage containers, but be wary of the clear plastics because they do not protect from light!  Be wary that some of the cheaper plastics absorb the odor of the tea, which makes it difficult when you run out and want to use the same container for a different type of tea.

Glassware is very similar to the clear plastic in a sense that it must be stored in a dark place to prove effective.  I highly suggest using mason jars because they add that extra air tight security.

What do you all think?  What containers do you use and why?

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