In accordance with the guidelines of the Specialty Coffee Association
We all know that drinking water must be used in the preparation of food or drinks. But in making coffee, this is not enough, as water will have a huge impact on the taste of the drink. For this reason, and also for setting up a uniform standard, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) has released an entire water quality guide, The SCA Water Quality Handbook. It lists the parameters that affect the taste of coffee. In this article, we'll compare the SCA's recommendations with the Australian Department of Health's and explain how each parameter and variation affects taste.

As can be seen from the data in the table, only in the absence of color, the SCA recommendations and the requirements of the Australian Department of Health coincide. This suggests that water from a centralized water supply is absolutely not suitable for making coffee. We wrote about how you can prepare water for the operation of a coffee shop in this article.
Now let's try to explain what this influence is connected with.
Now let's try to explain what this influence is connected with.

Odour and color
It is logical that the smell of, for example, marsh algae was present in the water, then your espresso will acquire an unpleasant aroma.
Chlorine
Chlorine is added to water to prevent biological contamination. It usually has a taste (like pool water) or an odour.
Total Dissolved Solids
TDS only shows the total amount of dissolved salts in water and has no specific effect. But the level of TDS is most often correlated with the level of water hardness. Coffee brewed with low TDS water will be unbalanced, high TDS water will be watery and dull. And the level of hardness will have a direct impact on the internal components of the coffee machine.
Water hardness
Calcium hardness helps to bring out the flavor and aroma of the coffee because calcium easily binds to other substances. It is essential for a good extraction to bring out the pleasant acidity of the coffee and form a good espresso body.
Total alkalinity
The taste of coffee directly depends on the level of alkalinity, since alkaline compounds remove acids from the water, of which there are more than 40 in coffee.
pH level
pH indicates the balance between acidity and alkalinity, where 0 is the strongest acidic environment and 14 is alkaline. Therefore, the "golden mean" is a solution that contributes to the transfer of the taste of the coffee beans without interference.
Sodium ions
Sodium salts affect the perception of sweetness or acidity in the mouth, so large amounts of them in the water used to brew coffee should be avoided.
Thus, we see how strong the influence of the mineral composition of water on coffee is. This once again tells us about the need to responsibly approach its preparation before using it for coffee. Thanks to SCA, we have a standard that we can and should strive for in order to make a quality product, to please ourselves and our guests with it.
Thus, we see how strong the influence of the mineral composition of water on coffee is. This once again tells us about the need to responsibly approach its preparation before using it for coffee. Thanks to SCA, we have a standard that we can and should strive for in order to make a quality product, to please ourselves and our guests with it.