As I explained in my post about hard water, hardness (or softness) does affect the taste of water. Not everybody likes the taste of soft water itself, including our happy customer Steve Brooks. Therefore, we do offer a separate tap for drinking purposes. However, soft water is universally regarded as fantastic for making drinks.
Factors
Much technique and thought goes into making the perfect cup of tea: - Temperature - Timing - Tea quality - Water quality - Utensils and containers
Water Quality
Tea connoisseurs agree that water quality is as critical as tea quality. Hard water can create a film that floats in the cup or pot due to flavanoids in tea reacting with Calcium Hydroxide in hard water. Several experts believe that hard water is simply unsuitable for tea. For example, ice tea made with hard water will turn cloudy upon cooling.
Soft Water and Cooking
Soft water is also a good natural solvent. When the limescale content in water is lower, it improves the dissolution of aromatics, which is vital in tea (and coffee) making. Due to this property, it even affects cooking. Particularly when making aromatic sauces, stocks or gravy, soft water will uptake flavours more readily than hard water.
Sodium Content
Softened water contains so little sodium that it is not necessary to have a hard water tap installed, unless you are on a low sodium diet or simply do not like the taste. However, when it comes to cooking or preparing drinks, I would highly recommend taking advantage of soft water if you have it. If not, do take a look around our site to learn more about how you can soften the water in your home.