Water Filtration

Holler at looseTman. I think he he does.

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).

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.

Yep, looseTman uses one for sure.

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/

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/

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

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

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!