Preparing a traditional coffee seems child’s play. However, if you want to experience the perfect coffee enjoyment, then you should consider several things, and among other things, do not boil your coffee with tap water. In the video you can see these and other errors that endanger your coffee enjoyment.
For proper coffee, you also need the right water. “The ideal hardness range is between five and eight carbonate hardness,” says coffee specialist Thomas Steinke. This is where the aromas come into their own.
Softer water allows the acids in the coffee to dominate, while harder water pushes the bitter substances to the fore, explains the head of the coffee academy at the Dinzler coffee roastery in Irschenberg, Bavaria.
Thomas Kraft from the German Baristaschule in Fürstenfeldbruck calls a carbonate hardness of 3 to 6 and a pH value between 6.5 and 7.5 as ideal.
Water supplier informs about degree of hardness
Well not everyone has a professional Water filter and decalcifier at home, but normal flow filters from the trade can also help. “In any case, that’s better than taking the water out of the tap,” says Steinke. And it is not just the coffee that benefits from the filtered water – the machine does not build up limescale as quickly either.
Barista Thomas Kraft recommends a permanently installed filter system at the water extraction point. “These filters are significantly more convenient and, in the long term, are also cheaper than table filter systems.”
The local water suppliers reveal the degree of hardness the tap water has at your own place of residence. Either directly on their website or on request. If you want to know exactly, you can also have a sample analyzed in the laboratory.
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Take fresh water
Also important: the water has to be fresh. So if you have a fully automatic machine with a large tank, it is better to change the water regularly. Portafilter machines with a larger brew kettle also benefit from regular water changes.
Some swear by bottled mineral water: “That’s an option,” says Thomas Steinke. Especially in areas where the water is chlorinated. But: “I also have to note that there is lime in it.” Regular machine cleaning is therefore not spared with a water filter or mineral water.
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View water filters on Amazon