Brewing with hard water - changing variables?
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So I'm up in Santa Barbara for school and the water quality here is not great, very high in minerals and a distinct sulfur/rotten egg smell in some cases. I've been using a Brita filter for drinking water and coffee brewing, but given that the city reports the TDS of the water as 500-1000 TDS ppm and that as far as I know Brita filters don't do much for the TDS of the water, I was wondering where to go from here.
From what I can tell, Brita filters are just a carbon filter to change the taste of the water, and especially with hard water like SB they won't do much to alter the TDS. I've been noticing a lot of overextraction as a result, even switching from V60 to Kalita, from less coffee to coarser grinds to shorter brew times, there's still an underlying skew towards overextraction - hints of bitterness, astringency. I've also brewed four different coffees and I'm noticing the same thing to different degrees.
Now what I'm wondering is can I play with any of the variables to account for the hard water - I could use bottled water but it's wasteful, and I could go buy RO water from a grocery store but 1. I don't know how effective it would be and 2. I can't transport a lot of water on my motorcycle/bicycle (only transportation). I was thinking I could lower brew temp while using a slightly coarser grind to balance out the tendency to overextract, it might be just subtle enough? I don't want to go too coarse and updose or change how I pour by too much, I'm already at the limit of what I would deem acceptable. It's really disheartening to rush home before the next class for some caffeine and have to swallow back tears and a bitter brew. I know there isn't a linear or direct relationship between grind size vs. brew temperature in terms of extraction, so I don't want to compensate by too much - any thoughts?
From what I can tell, Brita filters are just a carbon filter to change the taste of the water, and especially with hard water like SB they won't do much to alter the TDS. I've been noticing a lot of overextraction as a result, even switching from V60 to Kalita, from less coffee to coarser grinds to shorter brew times, there's still an underlying skew towards overextraction - hints of bitterness, astringency. I've also brewed four different coffees and I'm noticing the same thing to different degrees.
Now what I'm wondering is can I play with any of the variables to account for the hard water - I could use bottled water but it's wasteful, and I could go buy RO water from a grocery store but 1. I don't know how effective it would be and 2. I can't transport a lot of water on my motorcycle/bicycle (only transportation). I was thinking I could lower brew temp while using a slightly coarser grind to balance out the tendency to overextract, it might be just subtle enough? I don't want to go too coarse and updose or change how I pour by too much, I'm already at the limit of what I would deem acceptable. It's really disheartening to rush home before the next class for some caffeine and have to swallow back tears and a bitter brew. I know there isn't a linear or direct relationship between grind size vs. brew temperature in terms of extraction, so I don't want to compensate by too much - any thoughts?
- Shenrei
- Posts: 268
- Joined: 10 years ago
Tough situation. You can try brewing with temps in the 192-193 range with a slightly finer grind, but with water that hard, there's more problems with it than just bad coffee (scale damage, staining equipment, etc).
If bottled water isn't an option, is it possible for you to install an under the sink RO option? They go for a little less than $200 on Amazon, and you can blend it with a bit of filtered water to get your TDS in the ballpark.
If bottled water isn't an option, is it possible for you to install an under the sink RO option? They go for a little less than $200 on Amazon, and you can blend it with a bit of filtered water to get your TDS in the ballpark.
- Tim
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A Zero Water pitcher might do the trick.
http://www.zerowater.com
I've been using one for about 6 months now with good results. Using the TDS meter that comes with the pitcher, my tap water runs at about 160. After it's been filtered...0. I think I paid $30ish on Amazon for it.
http://www.zerowater.com
I've been using one for about 6 months now with good results. Using the TDS meter that comes with the pitcher, my tap water runs at about 160. After it's been filtered...0. I think I paid $30ish on Amazon for it.
- homeburrero
- Team HB
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I used to mix Brita water with gallon bottles of distilled, then learned about Zero Water on this forum. No more plastic bottles, nor hauling them from the grocery on my bike or scooter.
I use the 10 cup pitcher, and mix that with charcoal filtered tap to produce water that has alkalinity and hardness (and subsequently TDS) that is in the range I want.
I think in your case you might start out just using the TDS meter that comes with the jug, and find a proportion of Brita and Zero Water that puts you at a reasonable TDS. For example, get an empty gallon jug, fill it about 1/2 full with zero water. Mark that water level on the jug, then start adding Brita water, swirling and testing with your meter until you are up in the ~~ 150 ppm neighborhood. Then mark that level. Now you can routinely make up your jug of coffee water by filling first to the zerowater mark, then to the brita mark.
(see http://www.scaa.org/chronicle/2013/07/0 ... -standard/ for recommended water standards)
Now, just to complicate things - you might want to add the teensiest pinch of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) each time you make your mix. The reason you'd do that is because the Brita is not a simple charcoal filter - it also has a resin that will do some softening by a process called Weak Acid Cation Exchange, and that process tends to make your water more acidic (and reduces alkalinity.) The purpose of the pinch of sodium bicarbonate is to offset that a bit so you're less likely to fret about the possibility of corrosion in your machine.
I use the 10 cup pitcher, and mix that with charcoal filtered tap to produce water that has alkalinity and hardness (and subsequently TDS) that is in the range I want.
I think in your case you might start out just using the TDS meter that comes with the jug, and find a proportion of Brita and Zero Water that puts you at a reasonable TDS. For example, get an empty gallon jug, fill it about 1/2 full with zero water. Mark that water level on the jug, then start adding Brita water, swirling and testing with your meter until you are up in the ~~ 150 ppm neighborhood. Then mark that level. Now you can routinely make up your jug of coffee water by filling first to the zerowater mark, then to the brita mark.
(see http://www.scaa.org/chronicle/2013/07/0 ... -standard/ for recommended water standards)
Now, just to complicate things - you might want to add the teensiest pinch of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) each time you make your mix. The reason you'd do that is because the Brita is not a simple charcoal filter - it also has a resin that will do some softening by a process called Weak Acid Cation Exchange, and that process tends to make your water more acidic (and reduces alkalinity.) The purpose of the pinch of sodium bicarbonate is to offset that a bit so you're less likely to fret about the possibility of corrosion in your machine.
Pat
nínádiishʼnahgo gohwééh náshdlį́į́h
nínádiishʼnahgo gohwééh náshdlį́į́h
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I'm already noticing build up on the glass after washing, inside the kettle, etc. RO is not an option because I'm in university housing, aka temporary and I'd probably get into trouble haha.Shenrei wrote:Tough situation. You can try brewing with temps in the 192-193 range with a slightly finer grind, but with water that hard, there's more problems with it than just bad coffee (scale damage, staining equipment, etc).
If bottled water isn't an option, is it possible for you to install an under the sink RO option? They go for a little less than $200 on Amazon, and you can blend it with a bit of filtered water to get your TDS in the ballpark.
It seems the consensus is to get a Zero Water pitcher and create my own custom water blend? Homeburrero, the Zero Water comes with a TDS meter and you mix that filtered water with Brita filtered water to get the TDS you want? Sounds doable and a good solution, I'll look into picking one up from Amazon.
- Shenrei
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The reason I didn't recommend the Zero Water is that from what I've heard, if you have very hard water (like you do), the filters do not last long at all. That may have changed since then, but you might want to look into the filter life first.
- Tim
- homeburrero
- Team HB
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Yes. I actually measured alkalinity and hardness to work out my mix, but I think it would be simple and sufficient to just use the TDS meter to get it in the ballpark.edukaycheon wrote: Homeburrero, the Zero Water comes with a TDS meter and you mix that filtered water with Brita filtered water to get the TDS you want?
Good point. See http://www.zerowater.com/filter-durability.aspx .Shenrei wrote:The reason I didn't recommend the Zero Water is that from what I've heard, if you have very hard water (like you do), the filters do not last long at all. That may have changed since then, but you might want to look into the filter life first.
At 750 ppm TDS, for example, you would only get about 6 gallons out of a $10.00 filter, so it would cost you a bit more than buying distilled at the grocery.
Pat
nínádiishʼnahgo gohwééh náshdlį́į́h
nínádiishʼnahgo gohwééh náshdlį́į́h
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Did not think about that, seems like the Zero Water + filters would be cost prohibitive. In that case I might look for a standalone TDS meter/refractometer and just buy distilled water in small amounts - if I'm mixing it and only using it for coffee it should last me a while I hope
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If you want to try a good bottled water Crystal Geyser works well. I pick it up on sale for $0.79/gallon at Jon's from time to time, and their normal price is $0.99. Since it's in the espresso machine I use it straight with no mixing at all.
I was going to try blending, filtering, softening, but in the end Crystal Geyser did the work and saved me money in the end.
I was going to try blending, filtering, softening, but in the end Crystal Geyser did the work and saved me money in the end.
LMWDP #445
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I did brew with Kirkland bottled water this morning, using the same parameters I did yesterday with Brita water. So much crisper acidity, yesterday's brew tasted stale but the cup today had a really nice mouthfeel, very jammy and balanced (I actually finished all of it!). I still don't like the idea of wasting a bottle per brew though.
Side note (this might be mentioned elsewhere), is there any TDS meter/refractometer that's worth buying without spending $800 on a VST? Would probably still be a conductivity meter I'm guessing
Side note (this might be mentioned elsewhere), is there any TDS meter/refractometer that's worth buying without spending $800 on a VST? Would probably still be a conductivity meter I'm guessing