The Interracial relationship between Japanese tea and European Water

International marriage isn’t a unique thing today. People travel everywhere in the world and meet the other half. This doesn’t exclude the Japanese tea.

Japanese tea has been in great demand worldwide these days. The tea travels to many countries. Therefore Japanese tea is brewed with water from all over the world. Though, the relationships aren’t always successful.

Normally, tea flavour is at its best when it’s brewed with water from the same production area as the tea. Japanese water is soft with its hardness between 50 ppm and 80 ppm. Soft water brings out Japanese tea flavour well balanced with Umami (deliciousness), Shibumi (astringency) and Nigami (bitterness).

Most of the European water is hard. When Japanese tea is brewed with hard water, abounding minerals prevent Umami and Shibumi components to come out. Therefore the flavour of tea turns blunt.

However hard water with 300 ppm such as Evian water makes its taste good. When oxalic acid from the tea leaf combines with calcium in the water, it eliminates a bit of Shibumi and makes the flavour smooth and mellow.

Brewing Japanese tea with different varieties of water might give you one of the best flavoured tea. It is very exciting to find the best international married couple of yours!