On Aug 27, 4:05 pm, Lewis Perin > wrote:
> writes:
> But rainwater would have essentially no minerals at all. So there is
> a tea, after all, suited to demineralized or distilled water? Amazing.

During my years in Eastfrisia I´ve enjoyed some cups of Eastfrisian
blends that had been prepared that way and I really liked the way
those teas tasted. But then I have to mention that eastfrisian blends
are almost never drunk straight but with a rock of sugar and a
carefully applied layer of thick cream.


> > On the other hand I have to use bottled water [Volvic] or add some
> > minerals for my Darjeelings, using water straight from the tap results
> > in a flat and downright boring brew.
>
> Could you please expand on this fascinating hint? I've often thought
> it should be cheap and environmentally responsible to try to emulate
> good mineral waters by adding the right salts to tap water.

I remember another water/minerals related discussion on rfdt where
DogMa threw in some fascinating facts on adding minerals [gives me
something to google for tonight].
Anyway I tried all kinds of minerals from my stash [homeopathic,
Schindele, "Dr.Schüßler Salze", Basica, ...] with all kinds of
results. Talking about Darjeelings the best additive I´ve found so far
- inspired by talks with my tea guru is .... Darjeeling soil, namely a
pinch of "holy" earth from Arya Tea Estates, Happy Valley, North
Tukvar and others [sue me folks, .... smell another income source
A. ?]
I just throw it on top of the leaves before I add the water, a little
more than 0,5g/l.
Again it could be all 100% subjective, like the driving force behind
my never ending quest for the "optimum" brewing parameters, but
somehow more nuances appear to make it through, not necessarily those
of the earth but those I remember from having drunk that specific tea
up there where it comes from.
YMMV.

> > BTW: having been born and raised in a city with miserably hard water
> > that is totally unsuitable for any sort of tea [but somehow great for
> > coffee] this leaves me speculating on what effects a worldwide
> > improvement in the quality of tap water would have on the popularity
> > of tea.
>
> Maybe it isn't that simple. What would be an improvement in water for
> one tea might harm another tea.

Certainly so, but having traveled a little bit I found the water from
quite a few places - no matter if cold from the tap or boiled entirely
undrinkeable or in our case unsuitable for the preparation of any tea
I know of.

Karsten [just back from a delicious afternoon tea session with my
eastfriesian neighbor, a "Buenting" lady]