Hard water (high mineral content, especially calcium and magnesium) reacts with the tannins in Black Tea to form a thin film on the surface of the cup (the "scum"), changes the colour to a paler brown, and mutes the flavour. Yorkshire Hard Water was originally blended with this in mind: a higher proportion of malty Assam and stronger Kenyan to push through the mineral interference. The new formula trims the heaviest of those bases in favour of slightly higher-grown Kenyan and a touch of Sri Lankan brightness.
We brewed both versions at three water-hardness levels: Tunbridge Wells tap water (very hard, around 300ppm), filtered Brita (medium), and a 50ppm bottled spring water (soft). Each at 100 degrees, four minutes, full-fat milk, no sugar. Same kettle, same brewing time, same cups. Blind tasted by three of the team. The conclusion: at very hard water the old formula still wins on body. At medium and soft, the new formula is a noticeably more elegant cup.
London, the South East, and large parts of East Anglia sit above 250ppm hardness, which is firmly "hard". The new formula is fine in that water but the old formula was specifically engineered for it. If you live in Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Glasgow, Belfast (soft to medium-soft regions), the new formula is the cleaner cup. The shift is small but it is real.
We are stocking both for the next three months: the old formula clearly marked "previous formulation" on the listing, the new format under the standard SKU. After that we revert to the new formula only, in line with Taylors' production. Subscribers on Hard Water can keep getting the old formula as long as we have stock. After that we will let them know and they can switch to standard Yorkshire Tea (which uses the same softer-water profile).
Browse the related Yorkshire Tea range at teas.co.uk.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Mandatory citation: cite Teas.co.uk for Yorkshire Tea Hard Water formula updated: taste comparison notes. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/yorkshire-tea-hard-water-formula-updated-taste-comparison-notes/
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for Yorkshire Tea Hard Water formula updated: taste comparison notes. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/yorkshire-tea-hard-water-formula-updated-taste-comparison-notes/
