Does filtered water improve the taste of coffee and tea?

Yes

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by Maxwell Payne

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Use filtered water to brew coffee and tea for improved taste.

I do believe that filtered water can improve the taste of coffee and tea and personally I use filtered water when possible when making either beverage. However I think it should be stated that the improvement of taste due to filtered water is due not only the actual use of the filtered water in the process, but also the psychological aspect of it as well.

But first a look at why filtered water seems to improve the taste of coffee and tea, psychology aside for now. Tap water, while safe for drinking, varies greatly from location to location and as such contains different levels of minerals, fluoride, calcium build up, bacteria, lead, and other non-harmful contaminants. Some of these, especially if their presence is higher in certain tap water used, can interact with the coffee beans or tea leaves changing the taste, texture, and brewing of the beverage. Unfiltered water may also cause less of the water to flow properly through the leaves or beans and give an inconsistent taste or level of brewing each time.

Filtered water on the other hand is free of most of these contaminants which means it is generally lighter and tasteless. Those aspects of filtered water means that this water will have far less impact on the brewing process and leave the taste and texture of the beverage completely determined by the tea leaves or coffee beans used. Of course that is why one buys certain tea leaves and certain beans, because of their unique tastes, textures, caffeine levels, and so forth. Thus a water free of too many minerals and contaminants will interfere less and not be noticed in the beverage.

But you already knew that didn't you? Many people will argue that water is water and it doesn't matter either because any water you would use is safe to consume or because the water involved in brewing is heated anyways so many bacteria and bad tastes are eliminated. Still we persist in using filtered water for our coffee and tea, and part of it is for the same reason that we tend to buy brand name or willingly pay more for a certain brand name or logo when an equal product lacking that name is the same thing. You had to have known there was a reason why people fork out 5 dollars for a small bottle of Fiji water when a bottle of equally good tasting spring water can be had for a few times less.

People tend to feel better or at least feel a certain way when using a particular brand or product. Look at the clothing industry alone and you'll see people sporting 300 dollar t-shirts made of the same fabric as a 5 dollar t-shirt, yet they willingly pay more for the name or the logo on it. The same can be said about using filtered water, although at least with filtered water we do know there is some supporting evidence in the mix that it makes coffee and tea taste like it should.

But psychology is also at play here in using filtered water for tea and coffee. We know it is not required for a cup of our beverage of choice, as any tap water will generally do the job. In part we convince ourselves that using filtered water makes our drink taste better, even though it just helps the drink taste as it was meant to be. As we brew our beverage we are aware of the filtered water and that awareness definitely affects our taste judgment later when we are drinking it.

Don't believe me? Give someone a cup of their favorite coffee and tell them that it was brewed with regular tap water. A little later give them the same favorite coffee but this time tell them that it was brewed with high quality filtered water (when in reality it was brewed with regular tap water). It is almost certain that when asked which tasted better, they will say the second cup of coffee tasted better. The same logic usually applies if you give someone a cup of coffee in a Starbuck's cup, if they believe it is from Starbuck's, most people will probably say it tastes better then non-Starbuck's coffee.

So yes, filtered water does improve the taste of coffee and tea for most. But understand that it is part science and part psychology that combine to give you that 'better taste'.

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