Emily, an avid coffee lover who prides herself on her barista skills, is always trying to find ways to improve her brews and perfect her morning routine. She’s tried every kind of coffee imaginable and mastered every brewing technique, yet her coffee still doesn’t taste quite right or as good as it does in her favorite cafe. The flavor always seems a bit off, and she’s determined to find out why. She has experimented with different brewing techniques, pouring patterns, and has even tried different filter papers for each brewing method. There is one thing that she has not experimented with yet; the water she has been using to brew her coffee.

Understanding Coffee Brewing Water

Emily learns that water makes up about 98% of a brewed cup of coffee. She realizes its quality significantly affects the taste, aroma, and overall quality of the coffee. But what are the key factors of water quality and what makes them so influential?

1. Mineral Content: The presence of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and sodium. 
2. pH Level: The pH level of your brewing water can influence the acidity in your coffee. Water that is too alkaline or too acidic can distort the natural flavors of the coffee.
3. Hardness:The concentration of temporary and/or permanent hardness.

Each of these factors can either enhance or detract from the coffee brewing experience through the taste of your final brew or the lifespan of your brewing equipment. Emily decided to explore these components in more detail.

Why Minerals Matter in Perfect Coffee Brewing Water

High-quality brews require a precise balance of minerals in the water. These minerals are crucial because they interact with the coffee grounds during the brewing process, helping to extract the rich, complex flavors that make espresso so enjoyable. The oils from the grounds need something to grab onto, minerals. The right kind of minerals better accentuate flavors and reduce bitterness. If the water you brew with has no minerals, it goes straight through and does not pull any flavor, leaving your coffee to taste dull and boring. Without the right minerals, the water can either over-extract or under-extract the coffee, leading to bitter, sour, or flat-tasting coffee.

The right balance of minerals in water helps to:

• Enhance Sweetness: The proper minerals can bring out the natural sweetness of the coffee.
• Balance Acidity: Having the right balance ensures that the coffee’s acidity is neither too sharp nor too dull.
• Improve Body: These minerals contribute to the body and mouthfeel of the espresso, making it richer and more satisfying.

The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) provides comprehensive water quality guidelines to ensure optimal coffee extraction and flavor. According to the SCA, ideal brewing water should have a clean, neutral taste with the following parameters:

• Alkalinity of 40-70 ppm
• pH level between 6.5 and 8.0
• Total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration of 75-250 ppm

These guidelines are designed to balance mineral content and alkalinity, ensuring the water enhances the coffee’s natural flavors without causing over-extraction or under-extraction, contributing to a well-rounded and consistent coffee experience.

Why the pH level matters in Perfect Coffee Brewing Water

The amount of alkalinity in your water plays a crucial role in influencing the flavor profile of your coffee. Alkalinity acts as a buffer against acidity, stabilizing the pH levels during the brewing process. When water has high alkalinity, it can neutralize some of the desirable acids in coffee, leading to a flatter, less vibrant flavor. This reduction in acidity can make the coffee taste dull and less complex, diminishing the bright and fruity notes that are particularly prized in lighter roasts.

If the alkalinity of your water is too low, or if there is no buffer, it may result in overly acidic coffee, which can taste sour and sharp. A balanced level of alkalinity is essential for achieving a harmonious flavor profile. It ensures that the coffee’s natural acids are highlighted without becoming overwhelming, allowing the full spectrum of flavors to be properly expressed. Therefore, managing water alkalinity is key to brewing a well-rounded, flavorful cup of coffee that showcases the beans’ inherent characteristics.

Water Hardness

Water hardness can significantly impact the condition and lifespan of your coffee making equipment. There are two types of water hardness: temporary and permanent.

Temporary Hardness

Temporary hardness is primarily caused by the presence of certain bicarbonate minerals such as calcium bicarbonate. When water with temporary hardness is heated, these bicarbonates decompose into carbonates, water, and carbon dioxide. The carbonates then precipitate out as scale, which can build up in coffee equipment and affect its performance.

Permanent Hardness

Unlike temporary hardness, permanent hardness cannot be removed by boiling. This means that your kettle, coffee maker, and your espresso machine, will be safe from scale building up. Below is a comparison of two different kettles, one that used tap water consistently and one that used only water with permanent hardness (Third Wave Water).

Emily realizes that the quest for the perfect coffee water isn’t just about using any water off the tap, filtered through a basic system, or from a spring. It’s about achieving a delicate balance that suits the specific type of coffee she’s brewing.

The Myth of Perfect Coffee Water

The idea of “perfect coffee water” suggests a universal standard, but in reality, the best water for coffee varies. Depending on the roast level of your beans and your preferred brewing method, the ideal water composition can change. Emily finds that her light roasts might benefit from water with less alkalinity and a certain mineral composition which helps highlight the bright, fruity and floral flavors. However, dark roasts might need more alkalinity and a higher total dissolved solids (TDS) to reduce the bitterness and bring out the darker flavors and more nuanced tasting notes.

Moreover, different brewing methods can also dictate the best type of water to use. Espresso machines, for example, require water that not only extracts well but is also safe for the machine’s inner workings, preventing scale and corrosion.

Why Other Water Options Fall Short

Emily decides to experiment with different water sources, including spring water, tap water, and filtered water. Here’s what she discovers:

1. Spring Water: While spring water is often marketed as pure and natural, it typically contains varied mineral content. The brand, location of the bottling facility, and even time of year can affect the overall mineral composition of spring water options. These minerals can also contribute to limescale buildup in coffee machines, damaging equipment over time.
2. Tap Water: Tap water quality, like spring water, varies greatly depending on location and time of year. It also often contains chlorine and other chemicals used in municipal water treatment, which can impart undesirable flavors to coffee. Additionally, tap water’s mineral content is not optimized for coffee brewing, and is not designed to improve the taste of your coffee.
3. Filtered Water: While filtered water removes some impurities and chlorine, it does not necessarily balance mineral content for optimal coffee extraction. Filters do not address the hardness of water or its potential to cause limescale, meaning that filtered water can still lead to a reduced lifespan in coffee machines over time.

Emily concludes that these water options share a common flaw: they are not specifically dosed or balanced to enhance coffee flavors and protect brewing equipment. Their mineral content and pH levels are often not ideal, leading to either poor flavor extraction or potential harm to coffee-making equipment over time.

Discovering Third Wave Water

Frustrated by her unsuccessful attempts, Emily stumbles upon Third Wave Water while researching online. Intrigued by its promise to enhance coffee flavor and protect her equipment, she decides to give it a try.

Why Third Wave Water Is Your Best Bet

She learns that Third Wave Water offers a specialized solution that caters to different coffee preferences and brewing methods. Here’s how Third Wave Water stands out:

1. Customized Mineral Packets: Third Wave Water provides mineral packets that are specifically designed to optimize the mineral content of distilled or reverse osmosis water. These packets are formulated based on scientific research and the Specialty Coffee Association’s standards to enhance the flavor profile of your coffee.
2. Versatility Across Roast Profiles and Brew Types: Whether you prefer light, medium, or dark roasts, Third Wave Water has options that adjust the mineral content accordingly, ensuring that you extract the best flavor possible from each type of roast without risking over-extraction or under-extraction. Additionally, Third Wave Water has options for different brew types, such as Cold Brew, Low Acid, and Espresso Machines.
3. Protection for Brewing Equipment: Beyond just enhancing flavor, Third Wave Water’s formulas help protect your coffee-making equipment. By optimizing the water used in machines, particularly espresso machines, Third Wave Water helps prevent limescale buildup and corrosion, which can extend the life of your equipment and maintain consistent performance over time. All six of Third Wave Water’s profiles are also created with only permanent hardness, preventing the buildup of limescale in your kettle, coffee maker, or espresso machine.
4. Consistency: No matter what day of the week, time of the year, or your geographic location, Third Wave Water will provide a consistent level of mineral balance for your coffee.

The Difference Between the Profiles

Currently, there are six available Third Wave Water profiles: Classic Light Roast Profile, Medium Roast Profile, Dark Roast Profile, Espresso Profile, Cold Brew Profile, and Low Acid Profile. Each profile comes in a variety of stick sizes (1 gallon, 5 gallon, or 2 liter), excl. the Low Acid Profile, which is currently only available in 1 gallon sizes.

Classic Light Roast Profile

This water profile is recommended for traditional drip coffee brewers or any manual brewing method (AeroPress, Chemex, V60, etc.) providing brighter, cleaner flavors and higher acidity in light roast coffees.

Medium Roast Profile

This profile is designed to optimize your water for medium roast coffee. It contains more alkalinity than the Light Roast Profile to help provide a more balanced taste with more sweetness and less acidity. It also works great with any brew method.

Dark Roast Profile

This water profile helps provide smoother flavors while preserving chocolate and nutty characteristics in your dark roasted coffees. It is a great option for any brew method.

Cold Brew Profile

This water profile makes it easier to acquire the tasting notes commonly sought after in cold brew coffees like chocolate and molasses as well as creamier body and reduced bitterness. Reduces acidity up to 3x (300% reduction).

Espresso Machine Profile

This water profile is specially engineered for your espresso machines avoiding the use of water boiler-destroying chlorides. It helps protect your machine's boiler while simultaneously providing fantastic shots of delicious espresso.

Low Acid Profile

This water profile will help transform any of your favorite coffees into a "low acid coffee." This is the perfect profile for those who struggle with acid reflux or heartburn due to the acidity found in coffee. One stick added to 1 gallon of water can equal up to a 300% reduction in acidity as measured by pH.

How it Works

By providing mineral packets specifically formulated for different brewing methods, Third Wave Water ensures that the water used for espresso is perfectly balanced. Using it is simple. Add a stick to distilled or reverse osmosis (RO) water and mix until the minerals are dissolved. Then you are ready to brew with your own specialized water for coffee.

Using any of Third Wave Water's profiles is a very straightforward process designed to help you achieve the perfect brew easily. Follow these steps to optimize your water for coffee brewing:

Step 1: Start with Distilled Water

Distilled water is free from minerals and impurities, providing a blank slate that allows the Third Wave Water mineral stick to create the ideal water profile. Some other good options for empty water are reverse osmosis (RO) water, deionized water or water from a Zero Water™ filter.

Using generic spring water, bottled water, or tap water is not ideal because you do not know what minerals at what quantities are present in the water. Adding our minerals to water with an unknown TDS content might inhibit their effectiveness and could cause scale or unfavorable flavors in your coffee.

Step 2: Add the Third Wave Water

Cut open a stick of Third Wave Water minerals. Light Roast Profile and Medium Roast Profile are specifically formulated to meet the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) guidelines for water for improved flavor. The Dark Roast Profile is specially formulated to optimize the flavors of dark roast coffee. There are 3 different sizes to choose from, with sticks created for 1 gallon, 5 gallons, or 2 liters.

Pour the contents of the mineral packet into your distilled or RO water. Seal the container and shake it vigorously until the minerals are completely dissolved. This step is crucial to ensure the minerals are evenly distributed throughout the water.

Step 3: Fill Your Coffee Machine or Kettle

Pour your mixed Third Wave Water into your coffee maker’s reservoir or into your pour over kettle. Make sure both are clean and free of any previous water to prevent any cross-contamination that might affect the mineral balance.

Step 4: Brew Your Coffee

Now that your equipment is prepared, you may proceed with your usual coffee brewing process. The balanced mineral content in the water will help enhance the extraction process, bringing out the best flavors in your coffee.

The Real Impact

Emily notices a significant improvement in her coffee’s taste and quality after switching to Third Wave Water. Her morning brews are now bursting with flavor, showcasing the true potential of her carefully selected beans. Moreover, her espresso machine remains free from scale and corrosion, maintaining its efficiency and longevity.

Numerous coffee enthusiasts and professional baristas have also noted similar improvements after using Third Wave Water. From home brewers to commercial cafes, the feedback consistently points to enhanced flavors and better overall coffee experiences.

Elevating Your Coffee with Third Wave Water

While the search for the universally perfect coffee water may be a myth, achieving the optimal water for your specific coffee preference is very much a reality with Third Wave Water. By focusing on the science of water composition and its impact on coffee brewing, Third Wave Water not only enhances the sensory enjoyment of coffee but also contributes to the longevity and efficiency of coffee brewing equipment.

In embracing Third Wave Water, Emily isn’t just investing in better-tasting coffee; she’s adopting a comprehensive approach to coffee brewing that respects the complexity of water science and its critical role in the art of coffee making. Whether you’re a seasoned barista, home coffee enthusiast, or you just enjoy brewing with your Keurig® every morning, Third Wave Water offers the tools to elevate your coffee experience to new heights, ensuring each cup is as delightful as your taste buds deserve.

With Third Wave Water, Emily finally achieved the coffee perfection she had been striving for, proving that the right water truly makes all the difference in her morning routine.