Monday March 10, 2014 | 7 comments
Water. Water everywhere . . . but which drop to drink?
I don’t know about you, but water for tea is making me crazy!
We know how important the quality of water is for making a proper cup of tea. Who gets to judge what “good” water is? In the past several years, alkaline water (water with a high pH level) has been the rage. Without getting into too much detail, most of us have been sold a bill of goods which proclaims high alkaline water being the ‘cure all’ for almost everything – including cancer. Or, that cancer cannot thrive in an alkaline body.
Scientists measure the hardness of water using a pH scale, which measures the hydrogen-ion concentration in the liquid. Water with a low pH is more acidic, while water with a higher pH is harder- or more alkaline – meaning it is able to neutralize acids.
The pH scale measures substances on a scale from 1 to 14, with 7 being neutral. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends households have a water pH 
of between 5.5 and 9. Even within this range, however, “hard water causes challenges.”
If you’ve seen hard water build-up in your faucets and and in your kettles, you can’t help wondering if that is the only “challenge” of hard water?
I’ve known friends with 4 to 5 thousand dollar water machines sitting on their countertops – all swearing that high alkaline water was the ‘fountain of youth’, the key to a long and healthy life. Such claims have been disputed.
I recently purchased a far less-expensive water filtering machine because I wanted water with higher alkaline. I bought it after seeing the results of most bottled waters – just about all of them tested very high in acidity – and I was surprised and disappointed. Sure, it’s clean water, but it’s very high in acidity (low on the pH scale.)
What I really want to know is: What water pH level makes the best tea?
Sorry, I don’t have the answer.
I’ve been experimenting for months, but am not yet happy with the results. San Diego tap water makes lousy tea – this I know for sure! I wanted to stop buying individual bottles of water – this I was also sure about. I didn’t want to buy water from the water store anymore either – especially after it tested very high in acidity. But I liked the taste of it, and I liked the taste of the tea I made with it.
My tap water tests neutral – green in color (see pH color chart above) and around 7 on the pH scale. For the most part, this is good. I ran it through my water filtering machine and it came out the same – green and still tasting lousy. The only words that adequately describe our tap water are: filmy, slimy and thick. Of course the tea felt the same way to me. It was not so much a taste thing as it was a ‘feel’ thing. Not one I enjoy.
Back to the water store. Run that water through my machine: Ah, much better. It tested yellow to lime green going in, but blue coming out of the machine – and the tea? So much better! I found the tea to be crisp, clean and fresh – feeling and tasting. For me, it was a happy medium. Good tasting water and tea – just a tad higher in alkaline -but it still meant trips back and forth to the water store. For good tea, I can do that.
Our tea sage, poet and scholar, Lu Yu said, “The best water for brewing tea comes from the center of a swiftly moving mountain stream.” Now wouldn’t that be ideal!
I’d love to hear from you about your water experiences for tea. Has anyone else experimented with higher pH water – harder water – that you’d be willing to share? If there is any scientific research on harder – or softer – water releasing more taste from the tea leaves – I’d love to know this.
Loading Image: Accompanying images courtesy of the author.
LIving forty miles from a dormant volcano (Mt. Hood), the water in Hood River has a high “rock flour” content, leaving a rime on glasses, inside of tea pots, and on the walls of my Zojirushi. Although I carefully run our tap water through a Brita (charcoal) filter before filling the Zoji, the scale is persistent. Impossible to remove without scratching the teflon coating lining the Zoji. Locals say the water here is “hard.” Does that mean it is alkaline? I’m drinking my beloved Hattailli at the moment, which tastes like a great big hug to me! I’m going to call the water company and ask about the pH of the tap water.
You can buy Litmus test strips from most drug stores to test the pH of your water yourself. I had drops and I preferred using the drops but have not looked to replace them since I ran out. The strips do work well.
You can also test the pH levels of your body, as well.
This is done by testing your urine and blood.
Although new research says that only testing your urine with similar strips does not give you an accurate reading. It has been claimed that testing one’s blood gives the most accurate pH reading of the body.
A highly acidic body is not a healthy one. Most of us tend to be acidic and this is why water with much higher pH levels was all the rage.
The human body needs some acid. This is what helps digest our food. Sadly, most things we eat and drink in our ‘modern’ diet are very acidic.
Yes, water with higher pH levels is said to be “hard” water. So again, as in life, BALANCE is always the answer.
What upset me is that most bottled liquids – only clear liquids were tested in the photo with the article – most of these liquids are very acidic. And with an acidic diet – this is not a good combination for the human body.
I’d still love to see some tests done on tea with water of various levels of pH.
All of this is a HOT topic!
Hmm, this is very interesting. On one hand, hard water is a nuisance because it causes buildup, but on the other…. that type of mineral deposit is good for us, isn’t it? Especially when it comes to volcanic water like Regena mentioned, that stuff is so high in minerals that the body can use. Calcium deposits in a teapot might be gross & annoying, but calcium being deposited into our bones isn’t such a bad side effect…. eh?
The opening paragraph that states, “Cancer cannot thrive in an alkaline body” is also greatly being disputed.
The line I was referring to has since been corrected. Thank you.
I live in Hood River – near Regina and we have “Crystal Springs” water. I initially had it tested when I moved here, but not for acidity. It tested great however and tasted wonderful. Now there is a chlorine taste that I detect, due to a huge storm that flooded and swelled the Hood River. I use an Aquasana under the counter filtration system. No more getting bottled water. I change the filter ever few months and it produces the best tasting tea. My friends always ask why tea drank at my house tastes better then at theirs – it’s the Aquasana. When time permits, I will check it for acidity.
By the way, my naturopath checks my ph with saliva.
I’m in Spain right now and the local water is so hard, that the tea kettle in this rental is unusable due to huge build up of white calcification. We’re now buying bottled water and are able to enjoy the tea we brought with us.
Just a reminder how important water is to the taste of ones favorite tea.
Yes, I should have mentioned that saliva is also used to test the body for pH levels. But they still say a blood test is the most accurate.