We all know that water is an essential component of our tea drinking experience. No matter how much care or effort goes into the manufacture of the leaves we use, the water we brew them in gets the final say on how everything comes out. There is however, no accounting for preferences in taste. If you are used to hard water then you may like tea brewed in it. In Kolkata, where much of India’s teas are tasted and evaluated by large tea brokers and agents, the water is relatively soft.
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On a recent trip to the Rivera Maya for a top-secret tea mission (stay tuned for more on this when the time comes), I learned about the famous cenotes of the Yucatan peninsula. If you have yet to learn about this topic first hand, it is a very interesting feature of the native geology. Without getting too technical, a cenote is an underground cavern or cave that has been eroded over millions of years. Many are filled with fresh water, some so deep and extensive that one can scuba dive through miles of the subterranean rivers. It is estimated that there are more than 6000 cenotes in the Yucatan.
Not all are filled with water. Some are caves caused by the surface collapsing into a sinkhole. On one excursion, I was guided to a few smaller ones by friend Alberto Rivero, owner of the La Chula Hacienda in Paamul. Playing in them since childhood, Alberto explained how they were used by the Mayan people and that the water from the cenotes was their source for precious fresh water. Being the crazy tea man that I am, I wondered what tea would taste like if brewed in this water.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Eventually, I asked if it was safe. Alberto assured me that it was safe and that the water was quite clear. So, I collected some from the little pool that we found and took it back to the hacienda. In the daylight, I could see that it was indeed quite clear with no particles or visible organic matter floating around. As the water has been filtered through the limestone rock, I expected it to be a bit hard.
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