Effect of different potable waters on the liqueur quality of black tea

Tea has 5000 years of history, and its known in Turkey for 400 years, and produced for 80 years. Tea consumed in every segment of Turkish society and it becomes an important part of Turkish culture from production to consumption. Sensorial quality of tea is related with brewed tea colour, astringency, brightness, colorfulness besides the dry tea appearence, colour and flavor (odour). The color and brightness of tea is the important characteristics that affect consumers' taste. Tea is the drink we consumed, which is the extract of the processed tea in hot water. Therefore, the material properties and composition of water is expected to be important for the soluble solids and composition during the extraction of dry black tea. Indeed, in this study as a result of consumers' individual practice and experience, we aimed to clarify a variety of water features that impacts tea quality, by the direction of scientific data. For this purpose, best quality black teas, produced in a company that have an important market place in Turkey, were brewed with 6 different potable water (tap water, drilling water, softened water, purified water, and commercially packaged two different water). These teas were brewed at same conditions and obtained tea extracts were analysed physically (pH, L,a,b, color, turbidity) and chemically (soluble solids,total phenolics content, phenolic composition,antioxidant activity, theaflavin,theauribigin, total color and brightness). Also sensorial properties were determined. According to the results, L, a and b values ranged between, 18.63-19.23; 0.17-1.10; 0.61-1.16; pH values 4.77-5.91; turbidity values 8.94-11.90 NTU, theaflavin values % 0.16-0.24, teauribigin values % 13.31-17.63, total color values 3.11-5.70, brightness % 1.81-5.40; soluble solids % 31.02-32.48; total phenolic contents; 7.29-7.98 GAE/100 g KM; IC50 values 1.20-1.52 mg/mg DPPH and cafein content % 3.17-3.41. According to the sensorial analysis results, tea brewed with softened water were not admired The extract obtained from commercially bottled water 2 was preferred by the panelists.