Why is water quality so important?

Q&A:

Why is water quality so important in a coffee shop?

Water is the unsung hero of every cup of coffee. It makes up about 90% of the drink, yet it’s often overlooked when it comes to both the taste and the longevity of your equipment. But the quality of the water you use can make a huge difference, not just in the flavor of your coffee, but also in how long your machines last.

The main issue coffee shops face with water is hardness, the level of minerals dissolved in the water. Hard water has more minerals, while soft water has fewer. Both extremes can negatively impact your coffee machine. Too soft, and the water can be corrosive, damaging your equipment. Too hard, and minerals will build up as scale, blocking pipes and reducing the machine’s efficiency.

Using a high quality and correctly fitted water filter ensures your water is at the ideal hardness, improving both the taste of your coffee and the lifespan of your machine. It’s a win-win!

How does water quality affect the flavor of coffee?

Water is a key ingredient when it comes to making a great cup of coffee. When brewing, it dissolves the flavors from the coffee beans to create the drink we know. But the quality of the water plays a big role in how effectively it extracts these flavors.

For instance, chlorine is often added to tap water to kill harmful microbes. While it makes water safer to drink, it can also give your coffee a bitter, off-putting taste. A simple carbon filter can remove the chlorine and instantly improve the flavor.

Water also contains minerals that impact the flavor of coffee. Magnesium, for example, helps bring out the bright, acidic notes in coffee, while calcium contributes to the richness and body of the drink. But it’s not just about minerals, carbonates in the water affect its pH levels, which in turn affects how acidic the coffee tastes. Too many carbonates can make the coffee taste dull, while too few can make it overly sour.

By balancing the right minerals, you can improve both the flavor and consistency of every cup you serve.

What can be done to improve water quality?

Improving your water quality is easier than you think, and it can have a significant impact on both the taste of your coffee and the health of your equipment.

For basic flavor improvements, a carbon filter is a great start and one I would recommend to anyone making coffee at home. It will remove chlorine and other contaminants, instantly improving the taste of your coffee.

To improve brewing quality, you need to focus on mineral content. The key is getting the right balance, enough minerals to enhance flavor, but not so many that they damage your equipment.

That's why filters are crucial for any coffee shop. By testing the water, we can customize the right filter setup before it hits your machines.

The main test we use to assess a coffee shops water is to check the carbonate levels present. Carbonate is responsible for both pH levels and scale formation (which leads to limescale buildup). If your water has too much carbonate, we use activated resin filters to remove an ideal percentage of those carbonates, leaving behind just enough to make a good tasting drink while also preventing limescale. On the other hand, if you're in a soft water area with very low carbonate, a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system might be necessary. This removes almost everything from the water, and then re-mineralizing filters add back only the essential minerals for brewing.

Further Reading: Going Beyond the Basics

As is probably apparent by now water is an incredibly complex topic with a huge number of variables, which is why we take extra steps to fully understand the water in your café. We take careful measurements to evaluate the water's quality. We look at factors like temperature, TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), GH (General Hardness), KH (Carbonate Hardness), and pH levels to assess how the water will behave with your equipment and how it affects the taste of your coffee, so I’ve included a few summaries just to give you an idea of what each reading is telling us.

TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) gives us an overall measure of how many substances are dissolved in the water. The higher the TDS, the more “stuff” is in the water. This can give us a broad sense of how hard or soft your water is.

GH (General Hardness) tells us how much calcium and magnesium are in the water. These minerals directly impact coffee flavor and equipment wear-and-tear.

KH (Carbonate Hardness) measures the water’s alkalinity and how easily it can adjust its acidity. This is especially important for flavor balance, as it controls how well acids are extracted from the coffee.

pH measures the water’s acidity or alkalinity. For brewing coffee, we like the pH to be between 6.7 and 7.7. Too acidic or too alkaline, and it can negatively affect the coffee’s flavor.

Temperature is also crucial, as higher temperatures increase the chance of limescale buildup if the water is hard. When testing, we always take the temperature into account.

With all this information, we can then determine the best filter system for a café, ensuring your water is ideal for brewing while gentle on your equipment.