I make tea with Evian.
Of course it's foolish. But it's still cheaper than going out to dinner. And due to my unattainable dream career of scientist (thanks, organic chemistry), I have a soft spot for experiments.
This one's even easier than the drugging and mating of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) that I did way back when it was very illegal for me to do either. It was just a simple blind taste test: the same tea brewed in filtered tap water vs. bottled.
I used an Umegashima sencha- a green I'm very familiar with- in equal amounts and steeped for the same amount of time. It was no contest.
The version made with Evian was outstanding, and instantly identifiable. It tasted incredibly bright and smooth, albeit with that trademark, mineraly aftertaste of the plain water. My good old NYC tap water, in contrast, produced a murky, dull cup, with the grassiness of the sencha far more muted.
I've heard many tea experts claim that my city's water is stellar for a municipal supply, and I'd always believed it until now. Ah, well. At least I can finish the bottle for the rest of the day's tea, and pretend that everything is just fine with every sip.
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7 comments:
Actually thats very interesting. I am going to try making tea with Evian too. You are lucky though that tea with Evian gives you comfort. My comforts are always sooooo calorific! This housewife runs on carbs and sugars, thats how I keep my marvellous complexion!
Dream career: scientist. Really?
I actually don't use bottled water to make tea because I'm afraid I'll like it too much - then I'll have to file for bankruptcy. I do have bottled water at work - but it's one of those office dispensers that has only two temperatures: cold or boiled. Not the best situation for green tea.
As a scientist, i commend thee. coincidentally, i'm trying a green darjeeling for the first time right now. and as much as i want to consider it sacrilege and an abomination, its actually very good. tastes like melon. sorry i havent been keeping up on your blog lately. i'm all doing experiments and whatnot. talk soon. perhaps not even in a public forum.
This is one of my favorite posts. Oh those fruit flies! I am making tea with Evian and I won't apologize for it.
interesting .. i almost want to stick with nyc tap water and not know the difference?
Hilariously erudite! Hope you got your coveted vaccine in time to ward off the octogenarian-murdering (not so) super flu.
The total dissolved solids of Evian is one of the highest in commonly available spring waters. A bold sencha can stand up to this and even taste sweeter, but my experience is that it is overkill for light oolongs. One could write quite a bit about pairing tea with the perfect water base, but I usually stick to something relatively soft but smooth (Poland Spring) for versatility.
Fun blog, thanks for writing...
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