"Tea is instant wisdom — just add water!" -Astrid Alauda.
Since water is such a vital portion of that equation, it seems pretty essential to consider the source. Do you fill your kettle right from the tap? Or, do you prefer filtered or bottled water?
You may not typically think of water as having a distinct “flavor” per se, but the mineral and particulate content of water from different sources does impart its own distinct and varied flavor profile. The variations can be wide ranging but may not necessarily be easily perceptible unless you are sampling side by side.
Tap water content varies from city to city or town to town. Depending on your location, the concentration of minerals and particulates in your tap water form a flavor baseline that you have likely become acclimated to. If you added a filtration system to your tap, you would notice a variation in the flavor profile as the filter altered the concentration of minerals and particulates.
The source of bottled water, whether mineral or spring, also varies, and can include springs, aquifers, and standard municipal supplies. Depending on the brand, some are enhanced with higher concentrations of certain minerals. While not vastly different in flavor profile from tap or filtered water, a higher mineral content can impart a smoother/softer flavor.
To briefly consider distilled water, produced by collecting condensation from boiled water vapors, it is the absence of minerals and particulates that is most notable. It has a very flat flavor profile and is lacking in complexity. Not exactly the qualities you might be looking for to unlock the wisdom of your tea leaves.
Interestingly, the resulting flavor of tap water being repeatedly or over boiled is surprisingly similar to that of distilled water: flat, with no discernable nuance. A strong argument to be made for drawing fresh water for each boil.
Each of the variations in mineral and particulate content from each water source affect how the soluble compounds, like polyphenols and amino acids, and the insoluble essential oils in tea leaves are perceived by the flavor receptors in your mouth and on your tongue.
If you steeped multiple cups, side by side, of the same green tea, for example our Sencha Yamato or Chun Mee Moon Palace, at the recommended steeping time, changing only the water source for each cup, you would notice a distinct difference in the flavor profile. Repeating the same experiment with a black tea, like our Yunnan Black Snail, or an Oolong, like our Oolong Se Chung, would also yield a different flavor experience with each cup.
So, when preparing your next cuppa, try a different water source and see what you find. Until next time, keep sipping!