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Does filtered water improve the taste of coffee and tea?
Results so far:
| Yes | 67% | 864 votes | Total: 1290 votes | |
| No | 33% | 426 votes |
Yes
by Mayv 'SpearBourne' Amaia
Created on: March 31, 2010 Last Updated: June 16, 2010
Does filtering water before brewing coffee or tea really improve the taste and quality?
Everything, from the quality and temperature of the water to the method of roasting the coffee beans or tea leaves, will affect the finished carafe of coffee or pot of tea.
I happen to live in a city whose water plant adds chemicals to kill off any microscopic organisms that may be living in the water rather than using a large filtration system to remove contaminants the way a neighbouring city does.
This disparity has allowed me unintentionally to conduct an experiment over the years. While I absolutely will not drink my hometown's tap water unless it has been filtered, I will drink the water straight from the tap in the next city. I find the taste to be preferable, perhaps because they filter the water before it reaches a citizen's faucets.
This unplanned experiment has made me keenly aware of the impact that seemingly minor alterations like the quality of water will have on brewed beverages, such as coffee and tea.
Even changing the temperature of the water used for brewing will change the strength and taste of your coffee or tea.
Filtered water, in my experience, results in a smoother tasting cup of coffee. If, however, I happen to imbibe coffee or tea brewed with my hometown's unfiltered tap water, I notice a distinct, somewhat metallic taste.
Those in charge of our city's water quality and safety assure us that the water is perfectly fine to drink, but it just does not taste good to me, or to many others around here, for that matter. Many of us here prefer the taste once it has been filtered.
I do love my coffee and my tea, and I cannot imagine not filtering the water I use to brew these sweet elixirs, especially when I will not drink that water on its own.
Only if I would drink the water without filtering it would I use it for brewing a beverage. I have also found that heating the water to a high enough temperature will enhance the flavour inherent in it already; this can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how the water tasted before.
Just as different grinds, methods of roasting, and changes in water temperature will affect the strength and taste of coffee and tea, so, too, will the quality of the water you start with make a difference.
Learn more about this author, Mayv 'SpearBourne' Amaia.
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No
by Anthony Megna
Created on: November 08, 2008 Last Updated: October 07, 2011
My wife is a confirmed tea drinker! She drinks at least 3 or 4 cups per day, not a lot , but enough to notice any difference in taste between different teas. She used to insist using filtered water for the flavor of her tea until I tried an experiment one day. First, understand that she won't drink tap water, even though I insist it is up to the standards of bottled water. It turns out that some bottled water is not as clean as tap water! I've been telling her that for years, but she insists on buying bottled water. I think it's a waste of money, but whatever.
So I decided to use tap water one day for her tea. Putting the water into the kettle and boiling it until it screamed and I knew it was done the experiment began. I used her favorite tea bag, let it steep for the normal amount of time, and served it up. She waited a bit and I went to the other room for some reading. In a matter of moments I heard " this tea if terrific, what did you do to make it so good"? I couldn't help but laugh to myself and told her it was all in the steeping of the tea. She told me to keep it up as she really enjoyed her cuppa.
So I continued to make it that way until one day she caught me filling the kettle with tap water. She was aghast and demanded I pour it out and use filtered or bottled water. I then told her what I'd been doing for the past couple of weeks and she couldn't believe it. When boiling water properly, steeping the tea properly, and serving it up there is no difference in the taste. In fact, she liked it better with the tap water. Don't ask me how she can tell the difference because I certainly can't, but she can.
So now that is how the tea is made. She still buys bottled water for drinking, and I drink it as well (although I still think it's a waste of money). Years ago if anyone mentioned that in the future people would actually buy water in a bottle I would have laughed and looked at them as if they had three heads. But the truth is stranger than fiction and the reality is that the bottled water business is a billion dollar a year enterprise. Truly amazing!
When I make my coffee of course I use a coffee filter. Doesn't everyone? I don't want coffee grains in my coffee, but also the filter is supposed to extract any impurities. I've tried using bottled water, filtered water from our refrigerator, and tap water and I honestly can't tell the difference. When the water is boiled it seems most of the impurities are boiled away. Unless an extreme amount of chlorine is in the water or some other chemical, it's tough to taste the difference. So why use expensive bottled or filtered water? Especially in today's economy where every penny counts it's absurd to throw money away on bottled water for making coffee or tea. My coffee is just fine thank you with the good ole' tap water.
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