Best Water for Coffee

[AdamMY]

I started out as a coffee drinker, then got really into tea. With tea it is well known that different sorts of water sources produce optimal, and more flavorful results with certain types of tea.
So my question is, has anyone ever experimented with spring water, filtered water, etc... and does it make a difference over tap water, when making coffee?

Adam

 

[essentialwonders]

Too much filtration can ruin your coffee and tea so I don't recommend R.O. Filtered water as it takes all of the good minerals out of the water. We find the best water to use for coffee and tea is filtered water and we recommend a 3 stage filtration system. 3 cartridges, 1 sediment, 1 carbon block, and 1 heavy metals filter. A system like this will filter your water just right and make your coffee and tea taste perfect.

 

[thewilliams1]

Too much filtration can ruin your coffee and tea so I don't recommend R.O. Filtered water as it takes all of the good minerals out of the water. We find the best water to use for coffee and tea is filtered water and we recommend a 3 stage filtration system. 3 cartridges, 1 sediment, 1 carbon block, and 1 heavy metals filter. A system like this will filter your water just right and make your coffee and tea taste perfect.

And also save money not having to descale your machine as often.

 

[surendra87]

well, after reading the first reply, i must say that i have never heard of the minerals in water adding to anything.....these "minerals" as far as i am concerned, i can get from foods that i eat and not from water.

i had to Google this topic and came up with several different opinions from top websites and the first was that the best water to use is infact water from "reverse osmosis system". in fact, here is a breakdown of the best water to use:

"All oxidants removed. (Chlorine or other such sanitizers)
All organics removed. (You know, dead fish, tadpoles, THM's, insecticides, pesticides, etc)
TDS (total dissolved solids) from 60 to 100 ppm (parts per million)
Hardness of about 3-4 grains per gallon. (51.3 to 68.4 ppm)
Low sodium water, ie, less than 10 mg/L.
pH depends on the Bean you are using, plus the method of extraction.
Iron, Manganese and copper gone, or less than 0.02 ppm. "

i hope this is good enough information. will love to continue the discussion.

 

[ElPugDiablo]

minerals in water adding to anything.....
TDS (total dissolved solids) from 60 to 100 ppm (parts per million)

The dissolved solids are minerals. And they are essential to a good cup of coffee.

 

[AdamMY]

Surendra,
Sorry, I think you misunderstood my question I was asking which water produces the best tasting cup. R.O. water while definitely sanitary, often makes things made with it taste flat, or lacking in taste.

Plus, the water gets boiled anyway, which it has been shown would remove all pathogens found in normal water anyway.

 

[surendra87]

personally, i prefer to get my minerals from other sources than water.....and i use R.O. water for just about anything to eat or drink, i cant use regular water.

I make coffee at home with the ro water and really, its just smooth....which is one thing i like in my coffee, slides down my throat so thick and creamy and SMOOTH...

 

[essentialwonders]

You can use R.O all you want but you won't find any expert like me or any other coffee company or roaster that will tell you to use R.O. for any coffee, espresso, or cappuccino machine without adding mineral cartridges. Drinking R.O. water is like eating a rice cake, it's Useless. Besides that you need the natural minerals in water to mix with coffee beans correctly, also to pure of water will interfere with how a coffee, cappuccino, or espresso machine work. Like I said, R.O. is fine just make sure you put a mineral cartridge inline before you get to your coffee machine so the coffee brews correctly.

 

[tletourneau]

I'm with Pug and essentialwonders, you need the minerals for really great flavor. Heck, I can't even use RO water with my Bunn - bad mojo.

 

[DylanAsdale]

these "minerals" as far as i am concerned, i can get from foods that i eat and not from water.

Yes, but that is not what is being said. The minerals can sometimes contribute to the flavor of the coffee and make it taste better.

When we drink coffee, we're going for best taste, not most healthy. I did read an interesting article that said that coffee is good for headaches, stress, and other things (http://men.webmd.com/features/coffee-new-health-food), but that is not the main point of coffee.

And this is coming from a person who absolutely detests certain kinds of bottled water. I refuse to purchase bottled water such as Dasani and Evian, because it's just tap water marketed in a fancy way. And I refuse to buy Fiji water because it's an inane practice to spend $5.00 on a bottle of water, when you could probably get the same quality water free elsewhere. Something like $5.00 for a huge pack of like 20 bottled waters seems reasonable, because it can occasionally just be easier to work with: pop it in the fridge and go, but spending more than $2.00 for a single bottle of water is just ridiculous.

 

[Nathen]

Test Your Water

TDS is not just your mineral content, but may include heavy metals and sodium. All households, no matter the water source should have RO systems. a Mineral + cartridge will add the good minerals back in. Where I live we have some of the highest quality municipal water supplies in the USA, but it is still treated with Chlorine and Ammonia (Chloramine) and travels to the home through a 100 year + water system. What comes out of the tap is not suitable for drinking even with a TDS of 30 PPM in my opinion. My RO has a pre, post and mineral + cartridge providing safe drinking water (Chloramine/contaminant free), and a great foundation for my artisan roasted coffee and espresso. CAUTION Do not hook up an RO with HARD water. You will burn through the RO membrane quickly and it will cost you. Put a softener ahead of the RO if you have 3 grains hard or more. Just some thoughts from a water specialist

 

[CJA]

I use Brita filtered water for my coffee, and I like the taste. Can't tell that much difference compared to the tap water here in Washington DC, but once I read that fish in the Potomac were mutating because of it I try to avoid drinking it at all costs...

 

[saliviyajonathan1]

You are right I agreeing with you.

 

[Biznerdjm]

Tap water hands down. I just keep it simple.

 

[shibli123]

and i have heard that hard waters are also bad for your coffee machine. hoon..