Surprising Ways Water Affects the Taste of Coffee

You wake up in the morning and head to the kitchen, prepared to make your daily pot of coffee. You place a filter and some coffee grounds into the machine, then fill up the water reservoir and press start. What kind of water did you use? In a few surprising ways, water affects the taste of coffee. Read on to learn about a few of them and how you can keep your coffee tasting delicious.

Does the Type of Water You Use in Your Coffee Really Matter?

Now, you may be asking yourself, “Does the water I use in my coffee really make all that much of a difference to my coffee’s taste?” Many people are surprised to learn that yes, it does. Your morning cup of coffee is made up of about 98 percent water. So, to make a good cup of coffee, not only do you need high-quality coffee beans or grounds, but you also need high-quality water.

Elements That Affect the Taste of Your Coffee

There are several elements that factor into the taste and quality of water. Because coffee contains such a high percentage of water, those elements also factor into the taste and quality of any cup of coffee made with that water. Below, we’ll cover three elements of water that can impact the taste of your coffee: hardness, chlorine content, and minerals.

Hardness

Hard water is water that contains high amounts of magnesium and calcium. These substances tend to attract flavor compounds from the coffee that then accumulate into solids that you can’t drink. Thus, some of that flavor is removed from the liquid portion of the coffee, making it less flavorful. Using hard water in your coffee machine can also lead to the accumulation of scale on its insides, which is difficult to clean and can impact the function of the machine.

Chlorine Content

Chlorine is a chemical that is present in some water. In small amounts, it is not necessarily harmful, but in larger amounts, it can impact the taste of your coffee and even be detrimental to your health. Unless you want acidic-tasting coffee, stay away from water with a high chlorine content.

Minerals

Depending on where your water comes from, it may contain minerals that impact its taste, either positively or negatively. If you don’t like the way the minerals make your water taste, consider purchasing a water filter or softener.

Learning about the surprising ways water affects the taste of coffee may motivate you to use filtered water to prepare your coffee rather than unfiltered. Our residential RO water systems are perfect for supplying your home with clean, good-tasting water for drinking and brewing that delicious pot of coffee every morning.