The correct water for coffee.
This might take a few posts!
Something remarkable happened to my coffee this morning. Something that has confused me somewhat and caused me to question a few things about what is appropriate when it comes to what water to use when brewing coffee.
I have hard water at home and it is only on the rare occasion that I brew coffee there, I do have a basic Brita filter jug but the majority of my coffee drinking takes place at the Roastery( this is due to the water). I am also finally getting around to fitting a filter to my home water supply but, as with all things, time never seems to permit…
Depending on your water supplier you can, in fact, check your water specification online. I am with Yorkshire water. Just search your provider online and you should be able to pop in your postcode and get your results. See the below table of my water composition.
Now all of this might look a little complex however, the real value of this chart is that it will let you know the hardness of your water. the general rule is the harder the water the more of a negative impact this will have on the quality of your end cup. I would try to explain the reasons why this is the case, but my ramblings might only confuse the matter. So, instead of me trying to positively charge my own IONS I will just link to a couple of articles that will do a better job of explaining this:
https://coffeeadastra.com/2018/12/16/water-for-coffee-extraction/
https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/water-hardness/
I know you might be thinking (why does coffee have to be so complicated) but trust me, I have neglected the fact that I am very fortunate to be drinking good water with my coffee that I think it is only fair to start thinking of how we can all have the same experience at home and I believe the way to this is through a better understanding of our water.
Anyway, what does this all have to do with my remarkable brew?
Well, it was that rare occasion that I was at home and I had access to some delicious coffee and I also had the Tricolate. I brewed up a batch without really thinking, I sat down to drink and let’s just say I was shocked at how amazing the coffee tasted. I have to admit that the coffee I was brewing was of remarkable quality but I did not expect the clarity of the cup to be so pronounced, I have been drinking this coffee as my brew of choice for the last few weeks now at the Roastery and I had never brewed a cup this good, this is what shocked me the most.
So, this has got me thinking. I need to start exploring water again. I have just placed an order for the minerals and the distilled water and I am hoping to try a few recipes that I will share in the coming weeks.
This is the first one.
The Rao/Perger Recipe
5 g Epsom salt (MgSO4•7H2O)
2 g MgCl2•6H2O (hexahydrate) or 1 g anhydrous MgCl2
1.5 g anhydrous CaCl2 or 2 g CaCl2•2H2O (dihydrate)
1.7 g baking soda (NaHCO3)
2 g bicarbonate potassium (KHCO3)
This could get very interesting…
Burts.