Nav: Home > Coffee News >

Which is the right way to brew black tea with hard water or soft water? can black tea be mixed with milk directly?

Published: 2026-04-08 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/04/08, Tea planting area Tongmu Tea Garden is distributed around Wuyi Stone Mountain area (800-1500 meters above sea level). In this mountain area, the existence of primeval forests is rich in decomposing soil, which constantly provides minerals to ensure the natural growth of tea trees. An important factor in good black tea is its mellow taste. The taste comes from an amino acid found in tea, called theanine. Young buds contain high levels of

Tea planting area

Tongmu Tea Garden is distributed around Wuyishi Mountain area (800-1500 meters above sea level). In this mountain area, the existence of primeval forests is rich in decomposing soil, which constantly provides minerals to ensure the natural growth of tea trees. An important factor in good black tea is its mellow taste. The taste comes from an amino acid found in tea, called theanine. Buds contain high levels of theanine, which is converted into catechins and other polyphenols when tea is exposed to sunlight. At high altitudes, the area is often covered with fog, which blocks the sun from shining directly on the tea leaves. Therefore, tea is rich in theanine because the conversion of theanine to polyphenols is not effective.

In addition, in high altitude areas, there is a large temperature difference between day and night. During the day, with plenty of sunshine, tea can produce a large number of amino acids, carbohydrates and other substances, which are necessary for the production of high-quality tea and tea growth. At night, if the temperature is higher, the metabolism will continue, and the tea will consume the substances produced during the day. However, at high altitudes or in mountainous areas, the lower atmospheric temperature at night leads to a decrease in the activity of the tea, which remains in the tea.

With these factors, you will find that tea is very rich in substances, which contribute to the quality of black tea.

Tea varieties and harvesting

Due to the higher and lower temperature in Wuyi mountain area, the only variety living in this strict growth condition is Wuyi variety (Wuyi cabbage tea). Because of the low temperature, the first tide came late. The picking season only begins in the second week of May. When the first bud grows and fully develops, it is called Zhu-ya (standing bud, which means there are no fresh young leaves). This means the beginning of the harvest season. Chinese black tea is usually made of 1 bud plus 1-3 leaves. Black tea with many buds is popular, such as Qimen and Yunnan Jinya tea (see table below). For LS, the more mature the tea is, the first two or three leaves are picked. In the process of producing black tea, the content of amino acid and polyphenol is combined in an appropriate proportion, which is beneficial to the quality of black tea. The amino acid content of young leaves was higher than that of mature leaves, and the content of polyphenols was higher in summer (more sunshine and high temperature), but decreased gradually with the senescence of mature leaves. Therefore, in order to obtain leaves with suitable content of two kinds of substances, the timing of picking is very important.

Water for brewing of Zhengshan race

The Zhengshan race has set off an upsurge of black tea in England. Why does this smoked tea leave a deep impression on the British? In England, people know that the water there is very hard. (although not all areas). When brewing black tea with hard water, minerals form complexes with polyphenols, tannins and other components in the tea. Once they form a complex, it will seriously affect its taste. Generally speaking, the taste becomes insipid and bitter.

We carried out the experiment of brewing Zhengshan race with soft and hard water and tasted it directly with milk.

Result

Tea brewed directly with hard water is less smoky and easier to drink, but the taste becomes lighter. On the contrary, we find it easier to import tea with milk. The taste and aroma are well balanced. To sum up, we found that hard water is the best choice for brewing Zhengshan race.

FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou China, selling freshly roasted beans from its own farm in Yunnan as well as dozens of carefully selected single-origin beans from around the world for both pour-over and espresso. The products deliver consistently excellent quality and great value, with shipping within 24 hours. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers, and the beans are now available online at the Tmall 。