A Barista’s Trick for Making Perfect Water for Coffee. Is It Worth It?

Making perfect water for coffee can be achieved through a simple trick, according to an expert. Water quality significantly impacts the taste of your coffee, and high-end coffee shops often use water systems that rely on reverse osmosis and remineralization for the ideal balance. However, you don't need expensive equipment to recreate this process at home.

Water hardness, influenced by mineral composition, plays a crucial role in coffee flavor. For instance, NYC's soft water with low mineral content may choke coffee machines, while London's hard water requires descaling. In the US, cities like Las Vegas, Indianapolis, and San Antonio have extremely hard water.

A simple solution involves remineralizing your water using sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) in precise ratios. You can find these ingredients in grocery stores or pharmacies. Alternatively, brands like Third Wave Water and Lotus offer ready-to-use mineral packets. If you don't have a kitchen scale, you can use measuring spoons to create liter-size batches of concentrated mineral water and mix it with distilled water.

To test the difference, the author brewed three cups of coffee: one with pure distilled water, one with tap water, and one with remineralized water. The distilled water version tasted terrible, hollow and with an acidic or metallic tang. The tap water cup outperformed the distilled water, offering a heavier body. However, the remineralized water struck a balance, providing good body, strength, and brightness without the unpleasant tang or the dullness of the tap water.

While the author might not make this a regular practice, they believe it's worth the effort to save their coffee makers and enhance their coffee experience.