Water quality

WATER QUALITY — THE SECRET INGREDIENT

Everyone knows that an espresso shot is around 90% water. So it’s not surprising that having good water allows you to brew great espresso! But what do you do when your water quality is bad, and you’re extracting lousy tasting shots? How does water make such a difference to coffee extraction?

Well, the first point to note is that bad water, that is hard water, doesn’t necessarily taste awful. Water is not just an ingredient in coffee that brings its own taste, water acts predominantly as a solvent in coffee extraction. The problem with hard water is that it lowers your coffee extraction by not having the capacity to draw and transport all of those delicious sugars, acid and minerals from the dry ground coffee into the cup. It is common for roasters to try and overcome this problem by utilising different roasting profiles usually resulting in longer and darker coffee roasts.” The product of this style of roasting, (even if it does improve coffee solubility), is flavours that are harsh, bitter, pungent and ashy - retaining very little sweetness, complexity and balance.

Part of our commitment to maintain the upmost sweetness and flavour complexity in our carefully sourced coffee beans is to progressively explore the complex concept of water as a solvent for coffee extraction. The includes in-depth analysis of the role of dissolved solids in our coffee extraction as well as research and development into leading water filtration and re-mineralising systems for cafes both big and small. This makes up an important part of our coffee methodology.