April 2026 - Making Water: Tea Tavern Magic that Makes All the Difference

Water: The Secret Tea Ingredient

One of the most important components of tea is the water in which its brewed, an ancient "secret" going back to 730 A.D. 

That's when Classic of Tea (Cha Jing), a 10-chapter tome on tea, was written by brew master Lu Yu, also known informally as China's tea sage. In the book, Yu spends an entire chapter on explaining how and why the water in which tea is brewed can make all the difference in the world. Surprisingly, he rated groundwater as the worst for tea, but then again he didn't have the advanced filtration and bottling technology we use today. 

More recently, our friends at Tea Curious have amassed a small library of blog posts in which they test different water, from bottled to tap, to see whether and how water impacts tea brewed at the same volume, in the same temperature, and steeped for the exact same amount of time. 

Spoiler: The type of water used makes a huge, absolutely noticeable, drastic difference. Many of the Tea Curious tests show just how stark that difference can be simply upon visual inspection, let alone taste. 

Why Does Water Make Such a Huge Difference? 

Generally speaking, what's in water matters quite a bit. Most people assume that means filtered, distilled, or reverse-osmosis water is best for tea, but that's not actually true. In fact, those options will make exceptionally bland teas because -- put very simply -- there simply isn't anything for the tea flavor to cling to and infuse with. However, over-mineralized teas can have too much "stuff" in it and thus block full flavor extraction as well. 

So What Water to Use? 

There isn't necessarily a one-water-fits-all answer. As any druid will tell you, water has many mysterious properties and can take many different forms. Even tap water within the same municipal district can be wildly different due to the age of the pipes it traveled through or the exact variances of the water treatment plant it went through. 

Adding to potential confusion, not all bottled water is the same, either. Aquafina isn't Zero Water when it comes to solid particulates, and Evian has a different filtration goal and level than Aquafina. 

Which can all be rather overwhelming. And troubling -- tea, after all, is gotten in exchange for treasure or coins, so one never wants to waste it. 

The Tea Tavern's Water Spells from Tea Curious

The good news is you can create your own pefect water for brewing tea, and without being a druid or needing to cast a water spell. Though the process can feel like magic. 

Basically, you do this by starting from as close to scratch as possible. 

Begin with distilled water. 

Then, re-add the right minerals, in the right amount, to ensure an optimal tea experience. 

With our reminineralizers, this process is as easy as adding a few drops from a bottle to your tea. 

However, there are some key considerations to keep in mind: different formulations of water will highlight different aspects of tea. For example, our Original remineralizer package highlights the bright and vibrant flavors of tea by adding hardness and alkalinity while keeping calcium low. The Springtide formulations, however, are meant to mimic the soft water found in Japan. While it can be used for all teas, it is best suited for whites, oolongs and green teas. For warmer, more umami flavors, and especially to bring out the darker notes often found in black teas, pu’er and heicha, and darker oolongs, you'll want to try the Autumn remineralizers. 

Still feeling a bit of trepidation? 

No worries. As always, we at the Tea Tavern are prepared to help make your tea journey as smooth as possible. Take this: Our Basic Brewer's Components bundle. 

And for our more well-traveled Adventurers, already familiar with water's mystical properties, there's the Master Brewer's Components kit. 

Still need a map on your Water Quest? 

If you're in the Phoenix metro valley, you can always join us for a Travelling Tea Tavern ceremony at HeatSync Labs where a welcoming group of like-minded folks -- including our brew master -- will happily answer questions. Or you can send any questions to quests@tea-tavern.com.