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.

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