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Q: Do you drink your coffee from boiled tap water?
From day 1, I have always used bottled water for this with. I mean who's to say that boiling the tap water will get rid of all the unknowns?
10 years 5 weeks ago in Health & Safety - Suzhou
Who say the bottled water is any safer ?
I used to use bottled water all the time, but sometime when we finish our bog bottle, outside is raining or just lazzy to go , I do use the tap water. it is nothing bad yet to me.
Only exception are the hot month, june to september, the water is just smelly and unconsumable
Scandinavian:
....when it is raining outside, say typhoon levels of downpour, our bottled water delivery guy will still come in 10-180 minutes just as on the sunny days. :)
Nessquick:
We have the wending machine beside the community gate, seems that mostly only we are using it :D
we have a card, one credit is for 1rmb and it gives 7,5L of clear water.
Nope. I agree with Nessi that the bottles might not be safer, but the tap water has a taste that ruins coffee. I drink coffee for the taste not just to stay awake.
I used boiled tap water (Suzhou SIP), which I hereby declare Good Enough (tm) for the soluble coffee I use most of the time (black, no milk, cream or whatever)
I'd use a filter... I can't trust bottled water, though tap water is pretty undeniably. foul.
Wouldn't use tap water long term (even when boiled). Boiling gets rid of the bacteria that'll make you run to the bathroom for days, but it doesn't get rid of the metals that are in the water (which will harm you years from now).
Scandinavian:
not just heavy metals, there is plenty of other crap that boiling does help, e.g. I am pretty sure the water piping in our building is plastic, can be safe, can be un-safe, probably good old lead piping is to be preferred .
No, I'm using bottled water. I even taught my Chinese supplier to speak and understand a bit English.
I live in Suzhou and work in a research lab I have the water tested monthly in the facility prior to and after reverse osmosis purification. It is tested for microbial count and contaminats in accordanced with U.S. EPA guidelines. I also test the water from my home about once a quarter. I still boil my water for coffee and cooking, but in five years the only failed test of the prepurified water and tap water was a slightly elevated nitrate count that would equate to 16 onces equaling a sausage.
I am not saying the water is safe everywhere in China, but Suzhou water is not something I worry about.
Scandinavian:
how would one go about having water tested ? I am specifically interested in the effectiveness of after market water purification filters. I know that these filters can work, but I also know that it is possible some manufacturers just sell a cylindrical looking thing that is just filled with pebbles.
I always use the water from the tap. Haven't had any problems for two years. Although, as Scan says, the taste is a bit affected.
Rightly or wrongly I use boiled tap water for coffee or tea. I drink bottled water though. In my 6 or 7 extended visits to China I have only been mildly ill once. Long term though who knows how it will effect me.
Just boiled water, lots of it. 4 years, no problems.
No because boiling only kills the bacteria but does not remove the heavy metals (lead and mercury) nor dioxins, and arsenic. Tap water in Beijing and Shanghai may look clean but guess again.
If you have the right equipment, you can distill the water. But heavy metals and harmful pesticides have a higher boiling point than water and are left behind if you simply boil water in a pot. I would argue that you are actually making the water elixir more concentrated with the harmful stuff by doing so. Think about antifreeze, would you drink antifreeze? Same principle. If you capture the water vapor (steam) then your water can still be contaminated with toluene or benzene, which have lower boiling points than water. Reverse osmosis is the best, but again, a normal kitchen doesn't contain the equipment. A pressure cooker might work. China is known for its "cancer cities" and I've heard that 20% of the surface water in China is actually unsafe to even touch! Several times, my wife and I have developed mysterious fungus like rashes on our arms and chests. I believe it is caused by taking a shower with unsafe tap water. So personally, I don't use tap water and I would never give my daughter water that was simply boiled.
I was concerned about this when I first got to China but after a days work and walking home then up to the 7th floor to realise I had forgot bottled water... I soon turned to the kettle. I always use boiled water for tea and coffee now, but hard to say if the odd dodgy stomach here and there is due to the water or the restaurants a couple hours before!
Lived in 4 apartments now and generally I think the water is OK when boiled, a friend of mine doesn't agree though!
