Distilled vs Filtered vs Purified: Let’s Find Out Which One Is Best For Tea
As a tea drinker, you probably find yourself putting more thought into your favorite tea blends than the water you are using to make you tea. Even though most people are quite particular about their everyday drinking water, the water used for tea doesn’t get as much thought.
There are three main types of water that people use for making tea:
- Distilled Water: water that has been boiled into vapor to remove all impurities.
- Filtered Water: tap water that has been run through carbon filters.
- Purified Water: water that has been mechanically filtered to remove impurities.
With these different water options, you may find yourself wondering what is the best option when brewing tea. Most people believe distilled water is the best choice for making tea, so let’s find out if that’s true.
We’re going to take a further look at all three types of water so you know which one you should be pouring in your kettle. Life is too short for funny tea, you deserve the best tasting stuff in your mug.
Is Distilled Water The Best Option?
When it comes to brewing the perfect cup of tea, a lot of tea drinkers are putting distilled water in their kettles. It’s bottled and all of the impurities have been removed, so what’s the harm?
As it turns out, this is not the water you should be using to make tea with. If distilled water has been your go-to form of H20 for your teas, you don’t need to worry. Distilled water isn’t linked to causing health issues in tea drinkers, the reason it is not recommended to use is because of the taste quality.
The best way to describe why, is to get a bit scientific. All forms of water sit on a sliding scale to get measured for their pH balance. Pure water has a pH level of 7, and for drinking water in your home the ideal pH range between 6 to 8.5.
If water has a pH level under 6 then it is soft, acidic, or even corrosive. This happens because soft water is full of metal ions like iron and copper. They cause a metallic taste in water that is really unpleasant for tea.
On the other hand, when water is above 7 it becomes hard and can have an alkali taste leaving you with a weird tea flavor. When a home has hard water you will notice formation of scale deposits forming on your sink. Hard water makes for a very bitter tasting tea.
What Is The PH Level Of Distilled Water?
Getting back to the subject of distilled water, the pH balance is why it’s not a good choice of water to be using in your tea. Many people assume that since distilled water is purified that it has the perfect pH level of 7. This is far from true, it actually only has a pH level of 5.8 on average.
That also depends on how long the water has been exposed to air. The water reacts with the carbon dioxide in the air, so the longer it is exposed to air the more acidic it gets.
Another key factor of distilled water is temperature. Boiling distilled water will actually increase its acidity. This is another reason why it doesn’t make good water for tea. No one wants a metallic taste in their tea. We suggest that if you’re using distilled water to stop and try another water. Lets review more water options.
Now On To Filtered vs Purified
Now that we know distilled water is out of the running for making a great cup of tea, what about filtered and purified water? So, should we be getting water from our taps or that beautiful spring water for the best cup of tea? Let’s find out!
How Is Filtered Water For Tea?
Filtered water is a much better choice to boil for a nice cup of tea. It has been run through a filtration system to ensure all of the metals and other unpleasant substances have been removed so you’re left with clean water.
For the best cup of tea, make sure that the water has been freshly filtered. This will leave you with the best flavor.
What About Purified?
When it comes to making tea, purified water may as well be considered holy water. It is the best type of water to use for making tea because of it’s perfect pH level of 7. Since purified water comes from spring water it gets filtered through underground rocks. Don’t overlook well water either, as it is a form of purified water too. Purified is the most natural form of water, so no wonder it gives off the best taste.
Now On To The Teas
Let’s be honest, you can make tea with any type of drinking water. Knowing the differences between the three just helps you make a better-tasting cup of tea.
Sometimes you may not have a choice and have to use water that is on the hard or soft side. You can still make a decent cup of tea, you just need to know which ones to match with the type of water you have.
aqua with a perfect pH of 7 can be used to make sure any tea is tasting its best. If you want a cup that tastes like what dreams are made of then grab the purified stuff.
Hard aqua can lead to a bitter-tasting tea. If you have hard water then it’s best to pair that with a black tea that has a stronger flavor, such as a breakfast blend. Make sure you don’t over steep the tea though or it will be too bitter to enjoy.
Soft water is a bit easier to work with than hard aqua. However, it does have a salty taste that some tea drinkers find unpleasant. If you have soft aqua it works best with green, oolong, and herbal teas.
For best results, stick to filtered or purified aqua to boil for your tea.