My tap water beat the fancy bottle once, so now we have to do science

[Garden In Order]

Question or objective: understand which mineral level suits this tea
Tea category: Phoenix dancong
Exact product: Apricot Grove 2025 Ya Shi Xiang
Vendor: River Gate Tea
Origin: Phoenix Mountain, Guangdong
Cultivar, if known: Ya Shi Xiang
Harvest season/year: spring 2025
Processing or roast: medium roast
Cake/batch number, if relevant: cake/lot noted above where applicable; otherwise N/A
Purchase/opening date: purchased 2026-05-25; opened 2026-07-19
Storage since purchase: sealed original pouch inside a dark cupboard
Style: gongfu
Vessel: porcelain gaiwan
Vessel material: porcelain
Nominal and actual filled capacity: 95 ml nominal / 85 ml filled
Filter or strainer: lid gap
Kettle: basic variable-temperature kettle
Vessel preheated: yes
Dry leaf weight: 6.5 g
Water volume: 85 ml
Water temperature: 92°C
Water source or mineral profile: filtered tap 110 ppm vs bottled 35 ppm
Rinse: 5-10 s where noted by the recipe; otherwise none
Infusion schedule: 10 s, 10 s, 12 s, 18 s
Agitation: none
Was each infusion completely decanted?: yes
Aroma: brighter with tap
Sweetness: higher with tap
Bitterness: similar low
Astringency: slightly higher with tap
Body/texture: fuller with tap
Flavour: apricot skin, flowers
Aftertaste: longer with tap
Number of satisfying infusions: 6
Exact problem: water comparison gave the opposite result expected
Desired result: understand which mineral level suits this tea
Variable changed: water profile
Previous value: 35 ppm bottled
New value: 110 ppm filtered tap
Result: tap water produced more aroma and body but slightly more dryness
Dry-leaf photograph: available in the author’s notes; not embedded in this archive
Liquor photograph: available in the author’s notes; not embedded in this archive
Wet-leaf photograph: available in the author’s notes; not embedded in this archive
Video if pouring or drainage is relevant: pour/drainage video described in the post; not embedded in this archive

I ran this as a comparison rather than two unrelated cups because memory is a terrible laboratory assistant. The main variable was water profile: 35 ppm bottled versus 110 ppm filtered tap. Everything else was kept as close as I could manage.

The result so far: tap water produced more aroma and body but slightly more dryness. I would be interested in reports from people who have repeated the same comparison, especially if you used similar water and vessel.

[Wok-Dough]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with 110 ppm filtered tap.
Applies to: Apricot Grove 2025 Ya Shi Xiang / Phoenix dancong in a setup close to porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand ownership/use of both compared options.
Change: repeat the session with 110 ppm filtered tap.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward understand which mineral level suits this tea if that variable is causal.
Observed result: tap water produced more aroma and body but slightly more dryness.
Limitations: My result is from a small number of sessions, so treat it as evidence rather than law.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Quiet Stacks]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Apricot Grove 2025 Ya Shi Xiang / Phoenix dancong in a setup close to porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: controlled side-by-side use under matched conditions.
Change: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Expected effect: a repeated result should be easier to trust.
Observed result: tap water produced more aroma and body but slightly more dryness.
Limitations: Water chemistry may change the result, so I would not generalize this to every city.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Garden In Order]

Controlled test
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with 110 ppm filtered tap.
Applies to: Apricot Grove 2025 Ya Shi Xiang / Phoenix dancong in a setup close to porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: side-by-side or repeated one-variable test.
Change: repeat the session with 110 ppm filtered tap.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward understand which mineral level suits this tea if that variable is causal.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: I would stop if the change removes the aroma you are trying to preserve.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Phish-Fiction]

Long-term report
Direct recommendation: weigh the actual filled water once.
Applies to: Apricot Grove 2025 Ya Shi Xiang / Phoenix dancong in a setup close to porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: firsthand long-term use of one side of the comparison.
Change: weigh the actual filled water once.
Expected effect: your ratio will become comparable with other reports.
Observed result: not tested on this exact setup yet.
Limitations: I would stop if the change removes the aroma you are trying to preserve.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Quiet Stacks]

Long-term report
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Apricot Grove 2025 Ya Shi Xiang / Phoenix dancong in a setup close to porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: repeated sessions over time.
Change: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Expected effect: a repeated result should be easier to trust.
Observed result: tap water produced more aroma and body but slightly more dryness.
Limitations: I would stop if the change removes the aroma you are trying to preserve.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Garden In Order]

Original-poster update
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with 110 ppm filtered tap.
Applies to: Apricot Grove 2025 Ya Shi Xiang / Phoenix dancong in a setup close to porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: follow-up on the author’s own Apricot Grove 2025 Ya Shi Xiang.
Change: repeat the session with 110 ppm filtered tap.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward understand which mineral level suits this tea if that variable is causal.
Observed result: tap water produced more aroma and body but slightly more dryness.
Limitations: My result is from a small number of sessions, so treat it as evidence rather than law.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Garden In Order]

My contribution is that Apricot Grove 2025 Ya Shi Xiang sounds like a tea and also a minor railway station.

[Quiet Stacks]

Long-term report
Direct recommendation: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Applies to: Apricot Grove 2025 Ya Shi Xiang / Phoenix dancong in a setup close to porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: repeated sessions over time.
Change: repeat the same recipe on a second day.
Expected effect: a repeated result should be easier to trust.
Observed result: tap water produced more aroma and body but slightly more dryness.
Limitations: Water chemistry may change the result, so I would not generalize this to every city.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Wok-Dough]

I appreciate that nobody has told you to buy a new kettle yet. Growth.

[Garden In Order]

Original-poster update
Direct recommendation: repeat the session with 110 ppm filtered tap.
Applies to: Apricot Grove 2025 Ya Shi Xiang / Phoenix dancong in a setup close to porcelain gaiwan.
Evidence: follow-up on the author’s own Apricot Grove 2025 Ya Shi Xiang.
Change: repeat the session with 110 ppm filtered tap.
Expected effect: the cup should move toward understand which mineral level suits this tea if that variable is causal.
Observed result: tap water produced more aroma and body but slightly more dryness.
Limitations: This may not transfer to a heavier roast or a very different vessel size.
Commercial relationship: none.

[Author]

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