Why should people use filtered water?
Many factors, including water characteristics, contribute to the finished flavor profile, body, and overall quality of your cup of coffee. Filters can remove chemicals like chlorine that are present in your municipal water supply, but aren’t wanted in your cup.
How to get filtered water at home?
We use high-end, commercial-grade water filtration systems at Klatch Coffee cafe locations in Southern California, which provides consistency in flavor of the coffee while also keeping our equipment in tip-top shape. However, commercial quality water filtering probably isn’t realistic for home users. There are still some easy steps you can take to make sure you have the best possible water, though!
- Be cautious with filtering systems or methods that remove everything from your water. We actually want to maintain many minerals that are in your water, because they add flavor and aromatics.
- At the same time, we want to remove components that add a negative perception to the coffee. For example, a pitcher equipped with a charcoal filter can easily be refilled from your tap, and do a really nice job of doing “just enough.”
- Inline filters installed at the kitchen faucet and/or refrigerator are also a good solution.
- Don’t forget to change the filters regularly!
What about hard or soft water?
Charcoal filters don’t fix hard or soft water, which can also contribute to coffee quality. Treatments for hard and soft water can be installed in your home, improving not only the water used for coffee, but for clothes and dishwashing, showering, and cooking as well.
What to do if you don't have access to filtered water, or can’t treat very hard or soft water?
An easy step is to buy bottled, pre-filtered water to use for coffee. Be careful with your selection; not all waters are created equal, and they will influence the flavor of the coffee, both positively and negatively.
