Water Matters: Elevating Tea Quality Through Precision in Water Selection
- Lorela Lohan
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Executive Summary
For tea businesses, cafés, hotels, and distributors, water is more than just an ingredient—it is the foundation of flavour. With over 98% of a cup of tea made up of water, the right mineral balance ensures consistency, customer satisfaction, and brand differentiation. Choosing the right water enhances aroma, clarity, and taste while preventing negative sensory experiences.
Key Business Insights:
Boost customer experience: Using lightly mineralised water enhances clarity, highlights aromas of high-end teas, and guarantees a consistent brew.
Ensure consistency: Monitoring the water minerality (check the mg/L of Total Dissolved Solids- TDS) and hardness ensures reproducibility across locations and brewing methods.
Avoid risks: Hard water, high alkalinity, or chlorine can dull flavours, create a cloudy appearance, and damage premium teas’ quality perception.
Differentiate your brand: Leading tea institutions (UK Tea Academy, Tea Curious, Obubu Tea Farm) emphasise water quality as a defining factor for premium tea experiences.
Recommended Standards for Businesses:
Aim for (Total Dissolved Solids) TDS between 50–70 mg/L.
Ideally Keep calcium ≤ 10 mg/L and magnesium ≤ 5 mg/L.
Ensure pH 6–7 for balance.
Use chlorine-free water.
By adopting these benchmarks, businesses can guarantee a premium tea experience that customers notice—and return for.
Optimise Your Tea with the Right Water
In a cup of tea, more than 98% is water. Its mineral profile determines clarity, flavour balance, and consistency of infusions. Scientific studies confirm that water composition directly influences the extraction of key molecules:
With low-mineral water, catechin content can be up to twice as high as with hard water rich in calcium and magnesium (Bai et al., 2023).
Very alkaline water promotes polyphenol–mineral complexes, responsible for cloudiness and the well-known “surface film” (Yin et al., 2014).
pH matters: around 7 maintains balance, while pH ≥ 8 leads to “soapy” or metallic flavors (Wu & Xu, 2019).
Even at low levels (≈0.2–0.3 mg/L), free chlorine can react with polyphenols (e.g., EGCG) and compounds such as linalool, which are responsible for floral notes. Their neutralization increases bitterness (Zhang et al., 2018; EPA, 2020).
Hardness, a measure of dissolved calcium and magnesium, is a key indicator: the higher it is, the more it limits flavor extraction. Professionals also monitor TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) in mg/L. Moderate values, around 50–70 mg/L, correspond to so-called “light” waters, particularly favorable for tea.
The UK Tea Academy recommends hardness around 4 °dH (~70 mg/L CaCO₃), i.e., low-lime water.
Tea Curious suggests a TDS close to 60 mg/L.
Obubu Tea Farm demonstrates visually, through comparative tests, the impact of water on the clarity of infusions.
Key Water Parameters for Tea
Optimiser vos infusions grâce à l’eau
Dans une tasse de thé, plus de 98 %, c’est de l’eau. Son profil minéral détermine la clarté, l’équilibre aromatique et la reproductibilité des infusions. Les études confirment que sa composition influence directement l’extraction des molécules clés :
Avec une eau faiblement minéralisée, la teneur en catéchines peut être jusqu’à deux fois supérieure à celle obtenue avec une eau dure riche en calcium et magnésium (Bai et al., 2023)
Une eau très alcaline favorise la formation de complexes polyphénols–minéraux, responsables d’un aspect trouble et du fameux “film de surface” (Yin et al., 2014).
Le pH compte aussi : proche de 7 il conserve l’équilibre aromatique, alors qu’un pH ≥8 conduit à des saveurs « savonneuses » ou métalliques (Wu & Xu, 2019).
Même à faible dose (≈0,2–0,3 mg/L), le chlore libre peut réagir avec des polyphénols (ex. EGCG) et des composés comme le linalol, à l’origine des notes florales. Leur neutralisation accentue l’amertume des catéchines (Zhang et al., 2018 ; EPA, 2020).
La dureté, reflet du calcium et du magnésium dissous, est un indicateur essentiel : plus elle est élevée, plus l’eau limite l’extraction des arômes. Les professionnels utilisent aussi le résidu sec (ou TDS, Total Dissolved Solids), exprimé en mg/L. Des valeurs modérées, autour de 50–70 mg/L, correspondent à des eaux dites « légères », particulièrement favorables à l’infusion du thé.
Sur ces bases, la UK Tea Academy recommande une dureté autour de 4 °dH (~70 mg/L CaCO₃), c’est-à-dire une eau faiblement calcaire. Tea Curious propose un résidu sec proche de 60 mg/L. Obubu Tea Farm illustre visuellement, par des essais comparatifs, l’impact de l’eau sur la limpidité et la clarté des infusions.
Les paramètres clés de l’eau pour le thé
Sources
BAI, F., CHEN, G., NIU, H., ZHU, H., HUANG, Y., ZHAO, M., HOU, R., PENG, C., LI, H., WAN, X. et CAI, H., 2023. The types of brewing water affect tea infusion flavor by changing the tea mineral dissolution. Food Chemistry: X, 18, p.100681. DOI 10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100681. YIN, J.-F., ZHANG, Y.-N., DU, Q.-Z., CHEN, J.-X., YUAN, H.-B. et XU, Y.-Q., 2014. Effect of Ca²⁺ concentration on the tastes from the main chemicals in green tea infusions. Food Research International, 62, p.941-946. DOI 10.1016/j.foodres.2014.05.016. WU, J. et XU, Y., 2019. Effects of water pH on green tea infusion chemistry and taste perception. Journal of Food Science, 84(6), p.1358-1366. DOI 10.1111/1750-3841.14567. UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA), 2020. Drinking Water Regulations and Contaminants. Disponible sur: https://www.epa.gov/dwstandardsregulations
WILD, K., 2024. Water: An Essential Element for Tea. Wanderlustea [en ligne]. Disponible à l’adresse: https://www.wanderlustea.com/post/water-an-essential-element-for-tea DURAND, M., 2023. L’eau et le thé : quels paramètres pour l’infusion ? SciencesThé [en ligne]. Disponible à l’adresse : https://www.sciencestea.fr/chimie/blog-post-title-one-3xjgl ZHANG, S., 2018. 5 Element Tea: Ancient Chinese Science & Art of Brewing Tea. International Tea Academy / Wild Tea Qi.
Credit Article: Sciences Thé
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