Why is water included in Coffee Basics?
Quality water is the base to a solid cup of coffee. Before the beans, grind, or brew method come into the picture, having clean water is essential.
While reputable coffee shops likely have reverse osmosis and re-mineralization equipment to create the perfect water quality for brewing coffee, there are ways to ensure you are using water in your home that won’t ruin your coffee (without spending thousands). In the least, using filtered water from a tabletop water filter is a great place to start. If you have an under-the-sink filter system or best yet, a home water filtering system, that is ideal.
Hard water is your enemy, both in regards to brew quality and your equipment. As the water heats, the overabundance of minerals attaches to your equipment, and leads to the white, hard to remove residue. Too many minerals will also lead to overpowering flavors in your brew. Utilizing a water filter or having a water softener added to the line will benefit your coffee brewing.
In the opposite sense, having no minerals in your brew is not ideal either. The minerals in water are necessary to bring out the flavor of coffee, so it is best to avoid distilled water. While there are companies that make mineral packets for distilled water to re-add the proper minerals for a delicious brew, using bottled water is just fine. Finding bottles that were produced via reverse osmosis is your best bet.
When you know your water quality is not affecting your brew negatively, it becomes easier to dial in your grind and brew from there.It is important to remember that water quality has a direct effect on the outcome of every brew.