Why Water Quality Matters for Coffee

Coffee is 98% water. So why is water quality for coffee not often considered when making your perfect cup? Investing in a high quality machine and premium beans are good steps to getting great tasting coffee. But making sure your water quality is as good as it can be could be the difference between a good coffee and a great one.

The main factor affecting water quality for coffee in the UK is hard water, it affects up to 60% of the country. Hard water has more minerals dissolved into it, primarily calcium and magnesium. Whereas this does have added health benefits, hard water and coffee is not a great combination. Hard water can increase the bitterness of your brew as well as dull the flavour. This is an obvious issue for businesses who want a premium offering for their customers or employees.

It is worth noting that soft water is not necessarily the answer either. While it removes the bitterness that hard water can bring, water that is too soft can leave your coffee tasting flat or sour, as it lacks the minerals needed to properly extract flavour from the beans. The sweet spot, according to the Specialty Coffee Association, is water with a Total Dissolved Solids level of around 150 ppm, a hardness of 70–100 mg/l of calcium carbonate, and a pH as close to neutral (7) as possible. Hitting that target consistently is where a good water filter really earns its place.

Water quality can also affect the performance of your coffee machine. Hard water increases limescale build-up in coffee machines, which can reduce their energy efficiency. In fact, just a 1mm layer of limescale can increase energy consumption by up to 7%. It can also contaminate cups if the machine is not being maintained correctly. Over time, this can reduce the lifespan of your machine, affecting your costs long term.

The easiest way to improve water quality for coffee is by installing a water filter for your coffee machine. These filter the water through different components which help reduce or remove not only the dissolved solids but also any germs or bacteria in the water supply. You can get both cold water filters and hot water filters. These help reduce the limescale build-up within your machine, protecting it long term.

At Crown, our coffee machines are often installed with a hot water filter, especially if you are in a hard water area. Whether you're running a bean-to-cup machine in an office or a traditional espresso setup in a hospitality environment, better water makes a real difference.

Great coffee starts before the beans, and if you want to put yourself ahead of your competitors, investing in a water filter for coffee could be just the thing you need.

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