Water & Tea
The silent partnership in the cup
When we think of tea, we picture the leaves: their origins, their aroma, how they slowly unfold in hot water. But the truth is simple and almost surprising - a cup of tea is almost entirely made up of water. About 98-99% is liquid, not leaves. The leaves provide the poetry, but it is the water that carries the poem.
The nature of water
Water is never neutral. It can be soft or hard, mineral-rich or stripped down, lively or flat. Anyone who has brewed the same tea in London and then in Kyoto knows that the taste can change beyond recognition. Potable does not always mean enjoyable. Municipal water that is safe to drink can still suffocate the soul of a fine Darjeeling or lock up the fresh sweetness of a Sencha.
pH and the language of balance
The essence of water’s character is its pH – the measure of acidity and alkalinity. On a scale of zero to fourteen, seven is neutral; lower is acidic, higher is basic. Tea is sensitive to this balance. Slightly acidic water, around pH 6.5, can bring out the floral notes of a green tea. At higher values, the same tea becomes flat or even bitter. Black teas, more robust in nature, thrive best in neutral water where their malty and spicy depths come through. Oolong teas, with their layers of aromas, often shine most in water that leans slightly towards the acidic.
Minerals: the body of water
Hidden in every drop are the minerals: calcium, magnesium, trace amounts of iron. All play their part. Too much, and the tea becomes cloudy, heavy, sometimes harsh. Too little, as in distilled water, and the brew tastes strangely hollow, without texture. The most elegant teas often emerge when the water is softly mineralized - enough to carry the flavor, but never so much that it suffocates it.
A question of location
Every country, every city, has its own water. Stockholm's is known for being soft; London's for being hard. In Japan, tea drinkers believe that the best green teas reach their full potential only when brewed with the mild, slightly acidic water of Uji and Shizuoka - water that seems to have been created specifically for Sencha. You could say that water is terroir in liquid form, it binds the tea to the place, even when it crosses continents.
Recommended combinations
| Green tea | Thrives best in neutral to slightly acidic water (pH 6.0–7.0). Examples: Sencha, Gyokuro, Longjing. |
| Black tea | Develops its deepest flavor in neutral water (pH around 7). Assam, Ceylon and Darjeeling belong here. |
| Oolong tea | Grows in slightly acidic water (pH 6–6.5), which enhances flowering. |
| White tea | Needs soft, neutral water to bring out its mild sweetness. |
| Pu-erh | Just above neutral (~7.0–7.2). Enhances body and rounds out fermented notes without emphasizing bitterness. |
A simple rule of thumb: lightly filtered spring water, free of chlorine, with moderate softness and a pH around seven, usually works best. Avoid distilled water, which makes the taste empty, and hard mineral water, which takes over the cup.
Closing thought
If the leaves are the soul of tea, the water is its voice. Without one, the other is incomplete. Mastering tea is therefore not just about understanding the leaves, but listening to the water - its balance, its minerals, its hidden character. When they meet in harmony, you get not just a drink, but a moment of clarity in the cup.
