Make the perfect cup of tea with soft water

Why is soft water so great for your cup of tea? Keep reading to learn more…

Factors – A lot of technique and thought goes into making the perfect cup of tea, for example: temperature, timing, tea quality, water quality, and utensils and containers.

Water quality – Tea connoisseurs agree that water quality is as critical as tea quality, hard water can create a film that floats in the cup or pot due to flavanoids in tea reacting with Calcium Hydroxide in hard water and several experts believe that hard water is simply unsuitable for tea. For example, iced tea made with hard water will turn cloudy upon cooling.

The technical bit – Soft water is also a good natural solvent, when the limescale content in water is lower, it improves the dissolution of aromatics, which is vital in tea (and coffee) making. Due to this property, it even affects cooking, particularly when making aromatic sauces, stocks or gravy, soft water will uptake flavours more readily than hard water.

Sodium content – Softened water contains so little sodium that it is not necessary to have a hard water tap installed, unless you are on a low sodium diet or simply do not like the taste. However, when it comes to cooking or preparing drinks, I would highly recommend taking advantage of soft water if you have it. If not, do take a look around our site to learn more about how you can soften the water in your home. Softened water has great benefits, but not everybody likes the taste of it, therefore we do offer a separate tap for drinking purposes.

How to make the perfect cup of tea 

We have studied a number of different practices in tea preparation, from the ancient ways of the Chinese to our own scientific experimentation. Needless to say, it is something we like to think that we have taken great pains to perfect over the years. Never be afraid to whip out a thermometer in the name of science and the perfect cup of tea.

Use softened water – The taste of your tea doesn’t just depend on what type of tea you use or how long you should brew it for, it also depends on the mineral content of the water. Water with a lower mineral content acts as a better solvent and sustains chemical reactions much easier. For lighter fruit flavoured teas or indeed white and green teas, the softened water taste will not impede on the taste of the tea leaves itself.

Boiling your kettle – Ensure that you boil the kettle only once. Do not use water that has been left cold and sitting within the kettle. Re-boiling a kettle will get rid of the oxygen content which is one of the key elements in bringing out the flavour of tea. Always make sure you dispense of any water remaining in the kettle and use fresh water.

The brewing – Brewing should take place in a ceramic teapot, which allows the tea leaves to react and circulate with the hot water. During the process the individual tea leaves will expand 5x their normal size and infuse with the hot water. It has widely documented that a French press is also a great way of brewing loose tea leaves.

Storing tea – Tea needs to be stored in a cool dry place away from perfumed or scented products. You should also refrain from buying too much tea, as black tea has been known to deteriorate if unused for long periods of time. Try and be selective and economical when building your surplus of tea.

Adding the milk – It helps if you warm your mug before adding tea and milk to it. This further facilitates the reactive infusion process. How milky your tea is usually depends on personal preference, but the whiter the tea the weaker its flavour. It is always a good sign seeing the immediate colour of a perfectly made cup of tea. An explosion of brown swirling around, visibly lightening up as more milk is added.

A water softener offers many great benefits and will change family life for the better. You will benefit from softer skin, longer lasting appliances, and better tasting water.

Find out more about our water softeners online today and get in touch for a free demonstration.