Advice on water parameters

Water analysis, treatment, and mineral recipes for optimum taste and equipment health.
svanbenthem
Posts: 2
Joined: 1 year ago

#1: Post by svanbenthem »

Hi there,

I am new to the forum so hello! As I understand it, water parameters greatly influence the brewing process and thus the taste of the coffee. I find it hard to understand what makes certain water, i.e. the mineral composition, 'good' for coffee brewing. Therefore, I would like some advice from the community on my tap water, it would be greatly appreciated! I attached an image containing the water parameters of my tap water.

Thanks!


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homeburrero
Team HB
Posts: 4863
Joined: 13 years ago

#2: Post by homeburrero »

This water has more mineral than is typically recommended for good tasting coffee. It may be OK for pourover or batch but I would not use it in an espresso machine primarily because of the high chloride levels. Anything above 15 - 30 mg/L can be a corrosion issue and this water's chloride ion is in the mid 80's. The practical way of treating that chloride would be a reverse osmosis system.

In conventional units this water has:

Total hardness = 120 mg/L as CaCO3
Calcium hardness = 80 mg/L as CaCO3
Alkalinity = 125 mg/L as CaCO3
Chloride ion = 84 mg/L
Sulfate ion = 55 mg/L
Sodium ion = 80 mg/L

The conductivity indicates it would read about 285 ppm on an inexpensive TDS meter

It will deposit some limescale in your kettle or brewer.

This post: Good references on water treatment for coffee/espresso may be helpful in seeing where this water's hardness and alkalinity fit with some typical recommendations.
Pat
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svanbenthem (original poster)
Posts: 2
Joined: 1 year ago

#3: Post by svanbenthem (original poster) »

Thanks for the help!