In Greece we consume about 6 billion cups a year.

In recent years, several companies, cafes and individuals have been working on upgrading the quality of coffee in order for the coffee maker to have the perfect cup of coffee. But, what are these factors that make this important difference? So, aside from the raw material (ie coffee), the coffee brewing temperature, the quality of the water we use undoubtedly plays an important role.

Various studies have been carried out from time to time in Europe and America by prominent scientists in order to find the secret of perfect coffee. Based on the publications of these studies, the quality characteristics of the ideal water to be used for coffee production are determined.

Generally the water we use should have the following elements:

Free Chlorine 0 ppm
Conductivity not exceeding 400 µs / cm (ideal 200 µS / cm)
Total hardness 5-7oF
Alkalinity 40 ppm
pH 7
Hard water gives a better taste. However, salts created on equipment (coffee machines, etc.) increase maintenance costs. The various methods used in the market for the treatment of water used in coffee have the advantages and disadvantages of:

Bottled water

It depends on the source it comes from. Usually bottled water has a lot of minerals and as a result we have a bitter-brown taste in coffee.

Distilled water

The use of distilled water protects the equipment, but because of the lack of the necessary minerals in the water, the taste of coffee does not emerge (brown sour – bitter)

Water from a combination of PP and activated carbon filters

This method removes all unwanted suspended particulates, unpleasant odors, chlorine – chlorine derivatives from the water, while improving its taste. After this treatment, all its metallic elements will remain in the water. If the conductivity and hardness of the water is not too high, the result in our cup will be quite good! However, this method will cause salt problems in the equipment.

Water from Reverse ‘Osmosis

‘Like distilled water, reverse osmosis water is desalinated and gives a flat coffee flavor due to the lack of trace elements. In addition it can cause rust on the equipment due to its low Ph ‘But by properly enriching and adding metallic elements, we are able to increase the conductivity of the water produced, achieving a very good effect on our cup.

Soft water using softener

During this process, the water passes through an ion exchange resin, strongly cationic, and binds calcium and magnesium ions. Water acquires zero total hardness without altering its carbonate hardness and conductivity. The lack of calcium and magnesium salts results in a flat taste in coffee. But this water will not be detrimental to the equipment. With a mix we increase the hardness to 5-7 French degrees and thus have the ideal coffee water while protecting the equipment from deposits, to a satisfactory degree.

Disintegration – softening columns

During this process, water passes through an ion exchange resin, weakly cationic and decreases the total hardness, alkalinity (carbon hardness), conductivity and pH of the water. An acidic pH (<6.5) indicates an increased presence of hydrogen ions in the water. Acidic water neutralizes all mineral elements, creating mineral salts. On the other hand, excess hydrogen creates new acids that can enhance the acidity of coffee. Beverages are likely to have a spicy or bitter taste depending on how roasted they are and what variety. This can have a negative effect on the taste of coffee if it has a very acidic nature (robusta). In addition it may cause rust on the equipment due to its low Ph. However, by mixing with hard water, we are able to increase the conductivity and pH of the water produced, achieving machine protection and a relatively good performance in our cup.