The right coffee water

Coffee water

An espresso consists of 92% water, a filter coffee even of 98% water. It is therefore essential - in addition to the quality of the beans - to also consider the quality of the coffee water for the perfect coffee flavour.

What exactly is good coffee water?

The degree of hardness (lime content) and the pH value determine whether the water used is suitable or not. Ideally, the hardness of your water should be between 4 and 8 dH (German hardness) or 7 and 15 fH (French hardness) and neutral, i.e. a pH value of 7. But how do you find this out?

You can either measure the cold water that comes out of your tap or go to wasser-härte.ch and enter your postcode or city to find out whether the water is already flowing optimally from your tap or whether it should be filtered before brewing coffee.

Influence of unfiltered water on the flavour of coffee

Put simply, chalky water means that the coffee tastes bitter and stale. Water that is too soft is not good either, as this suppresses the fine flavours in the coffee. Both are a great pity if you have bought good coffee beans.

Water containing limescale is also not good for coffee machines, as the limescale attacks the inner workings of the machine and breaks it down over time or you have to descale it much more often than necessary. Our recommendation is to have the portafilter machine professionally descaled to prevent further damage. If you do want to try it yourself, make sure you use the appropriate products. Do not use Durgol!

Table water filter - the simplest option

Filtering water sounds like a lot of effort, but it's not! The easiest and quickest way is with a table water filter. Simply pour the water into the carafe, run it through the filter cartridge and you have the perfect water and can start brewing coffee. Depending on this, the water may need to be filtered twice to achieve the desired degree of hardness (if you want to be precise). The filter cartridges should be replaced regularly, i.e. approximately every 4-6 weeks, so that no germs can accumulate in the cartridge and therefore in the water.

Small selection for great coffee water

For the fixed water connection

If you want to avoid manual filtration, a filter cartridge can also be attached to the fixed water connection. However, this requires a plumber for the installation and should be clarified with the landlord beforehand.

Water nerds

If the coffee at home doesn't taste the same as at your favourite café even though you use exactly the same beans and follow their exact brewing recipe, it's because of your water at home. It's best to ask how they do it locally and then try to replicate it at home as best you can, there are various water test kits available.

Conclusion

A small investment in a table water filter or other water filtration product will literally sweeten your coffee!