Increase the baking soda to increase TDS?

Water analysis, treatment, and mineral recipes for optimum taste and equipment health.
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slipchuck
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#1: Post by slipchuck »

I have been putting in the recommended amount of baking soda (.4 grams per 4 liters)
My tds meter shows around 35ppm.
Should I increase the baking soda until I get about 100ppm?
Will it make a difference in taste?



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Randy
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homeburrero
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#2: Post by homeburrero »

slipchuck wrote:I have been putting in the recommended amount of baking soda (.4 grams per 4 liters)
My tds meter shows around 35ppm.
Should I increase the baking soda until I get about 100ppm?
Will it make a difference in taste?
I'd say no. 4 liters of pure water with 0.4 grams of baking soda will give you an alkalinity of 60 mg/L, which is more than sufficient. It would not harm anything to go higher, but I doubt would improve the taste. There are some who would say that you should use less, especially with dark roasts. Nothing wrong with trying higher and lower and choosing whet tastes best. To keep your alkalinity above the recommended 40 mg/L alkalinity you don't want to go much below 0.3 grams of sodium bicarb per 4 liters of pure water.

Conductivity TDS meter readings are not a good way to evaluate coffee water.

Your 35ppm reading is a little low for your water, maybe because your meter is off calibration or because of water temperature. In your case, you have an actual TDS of 100 ppm (because you put 0.4 grams of minerals in 4L of water). But because of the conductivity of sodium bicarb you expect it to read roughly 55 ppm on a typical TDS meter calibrated to NaCl and measured at 25 ℃. It would read about 70 ppm on a meter calibrated to a 4-4-2 solution.
Pat
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