Water too soft for espresso? Water filter recommendations?

#1: Post by **zapa** » November 1st, 2015, 9:53 pm

Hello all,

In North Carolina the average hardness is about 27ppm. I know this is qualifies as soft water, but is it too soft of making espresso? I know the softer the water the less build up of scale inside there will be inside the boilers. Should I just use the tap water straight into the tank of my machine? (pro 700). Should I filter this water before using it?

The machine will not be plumbed in and I would like a solution that does not involve plumbing in a filter.

If anyone has some good info I have tried to search but have not found much about current in tank options or good filters to use that are not plumbed in. Or should I just go ahead an buy gallons of purified water?

Thank you for you help,
Zack

#2: Post by **Peppersass** » November 2nd, 2015, 1:11 am

zapa wrote:In North Carolina the average hardness is about 27ppm.

Don't rely on a statewide average. It is, after all, an average. Your water hardness could be higher or lower.

Get a quality water testing kit and measure your water. This inexpensive kit will do.

#3: Post by **spearfish25** » November 2nd, 2015, 8:22 am

It's a nice little kit and cheap. Just notice that kH is carbonate hardness and not calcium hardness. Thus cation exchange softened water will read very low on gH but have the same reading as the 'raw' water on kH since its exchanged Na for Ca and Mg but left the carbonate untouched. I went to a pool store to buy calcium hardness test reagents.

November 2nd, 2015, 10:22 am

I just ordered at TDS and hopefully it will be here tomorrow. I will get back with what my tap water reads.

November 3rd, 2015, 8:43 pm

water was at 47ppm on my tds meter

#6: Post by **chris_n** » November 28th, 2015, 8:06 pm

how does it taste when you make a pourover?

November 30th, 2015, 11:37 pm

Thats a great question... Haven't made pour over in so long I couldn't tell you.

#8: Post by **brianl** » December 1st, 2015, 10:07 am

A TDS meter doesn't tell you what's in the water. I'd go for a cheap GH/KH titration unit.

#9: Post by **Bill33525** » December 2nd, 2015, 8:40 am

You could try a couple of gallons of drinking water from the grocery store that has minerals added. Not the Cascade RO water.