Alex Chaihorsky > wrote:
>
>The fact that high mineral content helps EXTRACTION is well known and DogMa,
>I am sure, is quite knowledgeable of that.
>The fact that adding tiny amount of salts (literally micrograms) in any form
>to ALREADY BREWED TEA noticeably benefits its taste is not at all well known
>and if you can provide references to that it would be very helpful.

I have no references specifically regarding tea. But it's fairly well
established that adding salt, for instance, changes the existing flavour
of a dish. Escoffier's _Modern Cookery_ might be one of the first places
this is mentioned.

>The ability of salt to improve and affect other flavors is attributed to its
>ability to make water a better solvent and EXTRACT such flavors during
>cooking or chewing, but I never saw any references to salt or mineral
>content measured in micrograms to affect the taste of the solution AFTER
>extraction

I don't think it _does_ make water that much more efficient. And I can
certainly say that it does nothing to keep pasta from sticking either, in
spite of the common wisdom about it doing so.

I'm not sure we're talking about micrograms here, though. I think we are
talking about milligrams, if not more. The actual volume of salts in some
mineral waters is quite high, to the point where Vichy, for example, actually
tastes smooth and almost salty.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."