Rant: My buddy told me to stop using tap water for pour overs and I wish I listened sooner

I used to think filtered tap water was totally fine for coffee, you know, good enough. Then a friend who roasts beans as a side gig came over last fall and watched me brew a V60. He took one sip and said, "This tastes flat, dude. Your water is killing the acidity." I brushed it off at first, but after he brought over a gallon of spring water from the store, I did a blind taste test comparing my tap vs his water. The difference was insane, honestly. My tap made everything taste muddy and dull, while the spring water let the fruity notes pop like crazy. Now I buy distilled water and add my own mineral packets back in, which costs maybe $4 a month. Has anyone else noticed how much your local water source affects your brew, or am I just late to the party on this one?

3 comments

3 Comments

violar3529d ago

Wait, have you tried the Third Wave Water packets yet? Tbh I thought I was doing fine with just Brita filtered tap until my cousin who works at a cafe did the same thing to me with a blind taste test. I was honestly embarrassed how flat my home brew was compared to what she brought over. Now I use distilled water with those mineral packets and its night and day. The difference in clarity alone is wild, like I could actually taste the blueberry notes in a natural Ethiopian I had been drinking for months without noticing them. Its crazy how much we overlook water when its literally 98% of the cup.

wyatt_mitchell2629d ago

@violar35 you kinda got me here. I was the same way, thought my tap was fine till my buddy did the same blind test with me using his Third Wave water. I actually got defensive at first, figured it was just pretentious coffee stuff. But he was right, my usual brew tasted like cardboard next to his. I still use filtered tap for daily cups but now I keep distilled and those packets for when I want to actually taste what I'm drinking. The Ethiopian blueberry notes thing is real, I had some from a local roaster I never noticed before either.

jana_jones29d ago

Right, because clearly my tap water has been gatekeeping blueberry notes from me this whole time.