Slow KettleWater matters more than you think
For a long time I treated water as a given. You fill the kettle from the tap, you boil it, you make tea. Then a friend served me the same Darjeeling I drink at home and it tasted like a different tea.
So I tried an experiment: one tea (a second-flush Darjeeling I know well), four waters, same kettle, same pot, same timing.
| Water | What happened |
|---|---|
| Tap water (hard) | Dull, a film on the surface, the muscatel note almost gone. |
| Tap, filtered (jug) | Noticeably brighter. Most of the flavour came back. |
| Bottled, low mineral | Clean and sweet, maybe a little thin. |
| Bottled, medium mineral | The best cup. Full body, long aftertaste. |
The lesson for me was not "buy expensive water". It's that very hard water flattens tea, and distilled-clean water makes it hollow. Somewhere in the middle is the sweet spot.
What I do now
A simple jug filter for everyday cups, and a bottle of medium-mineral water kept aside for the teas I really care about. Fresh water every time — never re-boiled.