The scale built the inside of kettle is essential for tea | HOJO Online Speciality Tea Shop

Some of you may be irritated by the scale that is built up in the kettle on the inside. Are not you trying to remove them since it does not look fine? However, it is very important to keep the scale if you wish to enjoy a nice cup of tea.

The scale inside the kettle is built-up as a result of the chemical reaction

Water usually contains Calcium hydrogen carbonate. It is converted into Calcium carbonate if water is boiled. The Calcium hydrogen carbonate has a higher water solubility (16.6 g/100 ml, 20°C), while the calcium carbonate has a very poor water solubility （0.0013 g/100 ml, 25°C). The scale, mainly consists of calcium carbonate, is built-up as a result of the deposition when water is boiled and calcium hydrogen carbonate is converted into water insoluble salt.

Calcium carbonate enhances the body of tea

In fact, calcium carbonate enhances the body of the tea. It also enhances the flavour when the tea is brewed. The taste of water will be totally different if you wash your kettle with citric acid to remove scale. In particular, you may feel less flavour and less sweetness. The taste of tea becomes very narrow and you may probably wonder if the quality of tea has changed. The scale also reduces the dryness of tea. Usually, the taste of tea becomes very dry after removing the scale.

Scale also contains various trace minerals

The main element of scale is calcium carbonate. However, it also holds in various kinds of trace minerals such as iron, magnesium and so on. These minerals are also contributing to the taste of tea just like how the taste of tea is altered when tea is brewed in a clay teapot.

Increasing the body of your water using shell or coral

The calcium carbonates also the main component of shell or coral. Hence, if your water gives less body, you may also place either shell or coral in your water or kettle to boil. It sometimes helps in enhancing the body of the tea. However, the coral or shell is not only composed of the calcium carbonate, but to contain other minerals. You have to be careful since some of the shell or coral does not have good affinity with your clay teapot.