Why Does Boiled Water Taste Different?

Water by default doesn’t have a definite taste. It is often tasteless but is an essential part of life as it quenches our thirst and rehydrates our body. Bear in mind, not all water sources are clean and as a result, you would need to boil them to get rid of any microbes that could pose a health problem. Now back to the matter itself, water doesn’t have a definite taste but sometimes whatever container it is placed at does influence its taste and we’ll cover that in this article.

Does boiling tap water improve the taste?

Here’s the first question, “Does boiling tap water improve the taste?”. The answer is rather complicated as there is a rather mixed reception towards the change of taste of the water after it has been boiled.

Some individuals claim that the water’s taste improved after boiling while some people say that the taste got worse after boiling.

The main claim for the latter is that through boiling the water, you would remove the dissolved oxygen and gases in the water solution and the result of that is that water tastes flat.

As for the former, the reason why the water tastes better after boiling is because the Chlorine that’s present in the water has been removed.

Gas and chemical molecules aside, another factor to consider which has been mentioned earlier is the container that has been used for the boiling water.

If the water container used is not very sanitized then the boiled water will taste gross.

If you want good-tasting boiled water then clean up the containers first before placing the water in them.

Aside from making the water taste not gross, you are ensuring that you will not come into contact with any microorganisms that could pose a health problem.

How do you make boiled water taste better?

As said earlier, because of the release of gas or air molecules present in the water – the tendency is that the water will taste flat.

To make boiled water taste better, you will need to aerate the water again by repeatedly pouring it back and forth a few times.

Now here are the tips to properly make your boiled water taste better:

• Let’s start by boiling the water but let’s not get into details since that is not the focus of this matter. After boiling the water, it tastes flat but aerating the boiled water should be easy and it can be done through two means:
• The easier method is to blow air into the water for 30 seconds. This should put some air molecules into the boiled water.
• The other method is to repeatedly pour it back and forth between two containers. Now take note as stated earlier that the containers must be squeaky clean so that you will not re-introduce contaminants and bacteria into the boiled water.

There are additional means to enhance the water’s taste:

1. Powder Mix – When you’re using water bottles in particular, you could opt for powdered drink mixes. Just avoid the ones with sugar as it will invite microbial growth while you’re on the go.
2. Electrolyte Tablets – Taste-enhancing abilities aside, electrolyte tablets are great to keep your electrolyte levels at their best.

Overall, if you want to improve the taste of water – then you would want to re-introduce air molecules into the water so that it will not taste flat. Additionally, you could opt for powder mixes or electrolyte tablets as alternative means to improve or enhance the taste of boiled water.

Does twice boiled water taste different?

Before we will delve deeper into this part of the article, let’s define first what is Twice-Boiled Water. The best way to describe twice boiled water is basically boiled water that has been left out to cool and is re-boiled.

Is it safe to re-boil water?

Re-boiling causes the water chemistry to be altered. If you are using purified, distilled, or ionized water then you’re fine. If you are dealing with water from the faucet then you’d want to be careful with that since there are times that re-boiling is perfectly fine but keep in mind that you don’t want to leave it boiling for more than 20-25 minutes. The reason for that is because you could risk concentrating undesirable chemicals into the boiled water such as nitrates, arsenic, and fluoride.

While normally, re-boiling doesn’t pose much of a problem – it is not an ideal solution due to the chance that you could increase the concentration of specific elements that poses a health threat. If you do intend to re-boil water then maybe do it once or twice but don’t turn it into a standard practice just for the sake of your safety.

Be advised that if you are pregnant or a person with a compromised immune system then do not resort to re-boiling water as you might become vulnerable to health issues if you consume re-boiled water.

If you need hot water, then it is advised that you are better off making a new batch instead of re-boiling what you’ve heated earlier for health safety reasons.

Bottom line? Re-boiling is okay but just don’t turn it into a regular habit. Just re-boil when you deem it is necessary to re-heat the water that you are going to use. Keep in mind your current health because that too influences whether you need to re-boil or not.

Does boiling tap water purify it?

Boiling makes tap water purified. This makes water safe to drink even in the time of biological contamination. Through boiling water, you can destroy bacteria and other organisms that have been present in the water, therefore, removing some potential health threats.

Steps in boiling tap water:

1. Pour in the water that you will and bring it to a boil (100 degrees Celsius/212 degrees Fahrenheit), or use an electric water boiler.
2. Wait for around a minute.
3. Gradually reduce the heat and then allow the water to cool down before you can use it for drinking or cooking.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: It usually takes up to half an hour for the boiled water to be cooled down for drinking and cooking uses so it is good advice for you to plan and boil more water than you need in one go.

You might need that extra water for cleaning your fruits and vegetables or maybe for cleaning the silverware and dishes.

FINAL WORDS

To sum this article up, boiling the water alters the taste because it changes the molecules present in the water solution – this releases the gases such as oxygen and the like which results in the flat taste of the boiled water. Bear in mind that the container influences the taste of the boiled water.

While twice boiled water isn’t a bad idea, it shouldn’t become a habit due to the chance that it might make harmful elements more concentrated in the boiled water.

Last but not least is the boiling the tap water purifies it of bacteria and other unwelcome microorganisms.

Through the heat that is applied into the water, the microbes are killed making the water fit and safe for consumption or use.

Take a look at the best electric waters.