Hello MarshalN,

Since a year or two I read a lot of silver kettles. I wonder if the difference would be still obvious if the teas were compared under blinded condition? There are a lot of examples out there showing that fancy or pricy stuff or make-up will lead to a better judgement of the good (price of wine for instance).

Different kettles but same tea, same water, similar brewing vessels (maybe gaiwan? two similar pots may be difficult or at least expensive to obtain) and similar cups. The best way would be, if the teas would get prepared by two persons simultaneously in the same (previously trained) way so there would be few difference in preparation and serving temperature.
Then a group of blindfolded tasters guessing.

Would be interesting.

Best wishes,
Robert

Hello Robert,

Good point and extremely valid worry. I thought the same as well, but I'm now fairly convinced that this is more than placebo.

While I have yet to conduct such a blind test, the evidence is in the colour of the liquor itself -- silver kettles brew up a lighter coloured tea compared to tetsubin water, and this is not just a tiny shade difference -- it's quite distinct. So whatever it is, something's different.

I don't think silver is the answer to everything -- I think it will make some teas perform worse, for example an older, wetter stored puerh. For some other teas it's the other way around.

Hi there,

sadly I have too less knowledge of chemical processes for doing research about the part what could make the difference on that level. I don't doubt there might be an effect of silver vs. cast iron. I am just surprised that the difference is often described as that big and wonder about the part expectation plays in this, because silver has a lot of sociocultural attribution.

Does the cooked and cooled down water taste differently in comparison?

Sunny greetings from Leipzig,
Robert

A friend of mine has suggested that it is not so much the silver adding to something, but rather, that the silver doesn't really add anything to the water -- whereas the other vessels all do. Now, I wonder, if the same effect can be achieved through glass kettles.... too bad my glass kettle broke :(

The water do taste different. The first time I tried the different water I had no idea what is what, so at least in that instance, I was "blind", so to speak

Good idea with the silver as non-adding. Sorry to read about your glass kettle.

I could try using a glass kettle, for lacking one with silver.

Until I regain my glass kettle, I'd have to wait on that experiment :(

I will second that silver changes the water.
I've tried blind tests with other people, and it's not that subtle.
At Christmas time, I was cleaning a silver bell, and decided to see if it would change a cup of water. I took two cups of tap water, and put the bell in one over night, and tried it the next day. I've repeated this quite a few times with silver coins, and other silver things in a glass cup to make sure nothing else was changing it, and tried having other people try them blind. Every time, they've picked the "silver" as softer, brighter, and better tasting.
It's kinda like how fiji water tastes different than dasani.
If you're curious, you can try it at home with something that has high silver content. The water doesn't tarnish the silver if you're concerned. I don't know what the silver does, but there is a pretty clear difference.

With that I think we can toss the "silver doesn't add anything to the water" theory into the garbage bin. Thanks Walt!

Like I said, I don't know what the silver does.
For all I know, it might be taking something out.
I don't know what it does, but I'm pretty sure it's not placebo.

This is a very informative article! I've never heard anyone before talk about how tea really tastes in a silver teapot. I've even heard it's bad for tea but that wasn't from a connoisseur and was just secondhand. Now I'm interested in finding a silver teapot of my own or perhaps some silver cups to see how they bring out the flavors of the teas. If there are demons, let them be revealed! --Jason Witt