Does Water Hardness Affect Tea?

There’s something about having a perfectly brewed tea; whether it’s to enjoy in the morning to start your day or as an afternoon break to sit and relax, it can make all the difference.

However, problems like hard water, low-quality ingredients and more, can ruin your attempt at a great cuppa. In honour of National Tea Day on 21^st April, there’s no better time to learn how to make the perfect cup of tea.

How Does Water Quality Affect Your Tea?

The type of water you use to make your tea can significantly affect the taste. Hard water is known to leave unappealing ‘scum’ that floats around at the top of the tea, which not only looks unappetising, but can also give off a dull or metallic taste. The minerals in hard water can also prevent the tea leaf from fully infusing, creating a weaker tasting tea.

Instead, using soft water for your cup of tea makes the taste of the tea shine through due to the low mineral content. If you live in an area which has hard water, it is recommended to use a water softener. Not just for your cup of tea, but to also extend the overall lifespan of your kettle – and other appliances too!  

What Else Makes a Good Cup of Tea?

Quality Ingredients

To start making the perfect cup of tea, pick high quality tea bags to use for the best flavour. You may prefer to use loose-leaf tea with a wide variety of different blends available for your taste preference; however, a good strainer is needed to ensure there’s no unwanted tea leaves in your cup.

The Brewing Process

At this stage in the process, brewing your tea is key in making the best cuppa – it can make or break it. Here is the process to follow:

• Boiling the water: Heat the water to the correct temperature, usually around 90 to 100 degrees, and only boil the water once. For peak efficiency and to keep things green, only boil the water you need (and with a water softener there is no need to worry about limescale at the bottom of your kettle)
• Steeping the tea: Let the tea steep for around 3 to 5 minutes. Going over that time can make it taste bitter, whereas steeping under that time frame can result in a weak flavoured tea.

Milk First? Milk Last?

Here is where the argument can become quite heated – the addition of milk! For some, the perfect cuppa doesn’t include any extra additions, however, for many, milk and sweeteners including honey or sugar only enhance the tea drinking experience. Adding milk first can cool the water slowing the tea’s infusion rate, whereas some believe that adding milk first binds the milk proteins with the tannins, reducing bitterness.

We recommend using soft water for your cup of tea for a more flavoursome cup. It’s also a lot better for your kettle, preventing limescale buildup.

Our experts here at PureSalt are always free to answer any questions you may have about water softener salt. If you have any queries, get in touch today.