Good coffee, bad water. What’s the point?

Do it right or don’t bother. That goes for coffee too.

You can have the best beans in the world, freshly ground, the perfect recipe, a precision scale, and a great machine. But if you use tap water, full of chlorine, limescale, and who knows what else… you’re ruining it before you even start. Simple as that.

Coffee is 98% water

This isn’t a fun fact — it’s chemical reality. Brewed coffee is mostly water. So if the water’s off, your coffee will be too. Doesn’t matter if you’re brewing a 93-point washed geisha. If your water tastes weird, so will the cup.

What’s in tap water?

Depends on where you live, but usually:

• Lots of calcium (you’ve seen the white crust in your kettle, right?)
• Chlorine (yep, like in swimming pools)
• Other minerals and sediments that mess with flavor, clog up your gear, and leave residue.

All of that affects extraction and taste. Bad water means bad brew. And over time, your equipment gets coated in scale and works worse.

So what should I do?

Use filtered water. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy. A decent charcoal filter or a system that reduces chlorine and hardness already makes a big difference.
You can also use bottled water, but choose one with medium mineral content (not zero, not crazy high). Some brands even make water designed for coffee — but that’s another story.

Pro tip from your neighborhood barista

Stop by your local specialty café and ask them to fill a small bottle for you. It’s free, and the water they use is usually way better than anything you’ll get at the supermarket. We work with pro-level filtration systems because we know water is everything.

In short

Great coffee + bad water = waste of time and money.
If you’re taking care of your beans, take care of the most important ingredient too: water.

Otherwise, what’s the point?