Re: Geez, this water thing is such a problem. If only I had known

On 31 Jul 2005 15:28:54 -0700, heatgunroast@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

>I read you post correctly but typed my question wrong. I meant to ask
>why you say that HARDER water overextracts? So let's start over:
>
>A quick search came up with this 4-yr old post by Schulman.
>"Very soft" gets you somewhat overextracted and overbright coffee,. .
>."
>http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/questions/2045
>
>So is there a similar effect with way too hard water? Wassup?
>Martin (who allows for the possibility that he is both misreading AND
>miswriting)

>From Gourmet Retailer (based on interviews with Cirqua). I highlighted
the most pertinent paragraph with " ********************** ":

Marshall

"Water Matters"

By Laura Everage

JANUARY 01, 2004 -- Customers' first sip of a beverage you serve them
is the most important one, as it will give them a taste of the others
to follow. If the water, which is the basis of any beverage, is less
than the best, the customers will be disappointed, and so will your
profit expectations.

Whether it is coffee, tea, soft drinks, or even ice, cafe and
foodservice operators must seriously consider the quality of their
water. Many efforts have been made to procure the highest-quality
coffees and teas, but all too often, cafe operators neglect to invest
an equal amount of effort to ensure the quality of the water they're
using is up to par.
Despite the fact that the typical coffee beverage consists of nearly
99 percent water, many cafe and foodservice operators assume that the
water is "just this benign readily available resource that's perfect
'as is' for making coffee, tea, soda, ice, and iced-based beverages,"
explained Bob Friday, executive vice president of Cirqua Customized
Water. "They're willing to accept what comes out of the tap and,
unfortunately, that is a decision that can have serious ramifications
when it comes to cup quality."

In fact, not only can water of poor quality lead to bad-tasting
beverages, but the equipment it's used in may be damaged as well.
Ultimately, water quality is your responsibility. Although it's
designated as being safe to drink, the water at your store's location
may not be suitable for making the highest-quality and best-tasting
coffee.
One of the easiest ways to determine the quality of your water is to
taste it yourself. The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA)
suggests that you draw water from the tap into a clear glass, examine
the color and clarity, sniff the surface to detect if there is any
aroma, and taste it as you would any coffee.
You should take water quality seriously and must investigate it
thoroughly, simultaneously resisting the temptation to believe that
the problem may be easily fixed without professional guidance.
According to Friday, one of the first mistakes operators make when
they install a water filter or softener is that they presuppose that
the water quality is consistent day to day, week to week, and month to
month. Additionally, water quality varies from city to city, state to
state, and region to region in hardness, number and type of sediments,
and chlorine concentration. Since no two water sources are identical,
you should conduct an analysis of the water at each location, even
those across town, to determine exactly what the water contains, and,
if required, what remedy needs to be applied to ensure the proper
brew.
"Because water is a high-variable substance - hardness, mineral
content (or lack thereof), pH, alkalinity, iron, chlorine, all of
these can be present from one extreme to another, depending upon your
location or even the time of the year," explained Friday.
Due to this variability, it is important to seek out a professional
who can determine what is necessary to ensure the quality of your
water today, tomorrow, or next month.

Water quality standards may also vary according to each operator's
needs. Some operators may be more concerned about protecting their
equipment, while others may focus on the water's effect on final
beverage quality. The former operator might opt for a system that only
addresses hardness, while the latter might seek out a "hybrid solution
that will help eliminate problems related to water completely and
address flavor characteristics adequately," explained Friday.
Chlorine, the amount of total dissolved solids, and hardness are the
three most common water variables that affect the specialty coffee
business. Each of these problems can either damage the equipment or
affect the brewing process, perhaps tainting the final brew.
Cafe owners should understand that no amount of chlorine is tolerable
in water employed for brewing since it chemically reacts with the
bean, resulting in a bitter flavor.
All tap water contains total dissolved solids. It is important to have
a certain amount of them.

************************
Total dissolved solids (TDS) refers to contents like mud, silica,
iron, etc. that are found in water. If the TDS level is above 250 ppm,
it will interfere with the coffee's flavor. As the ppm increase, the
extraction time lengthens, overextracting the brew and building up
scale on the equipment's heating elements and other surfaces.
Alternatively, too few TDS (less than 25ppm) will underextract the
bean, creating a flat flavor. A low amount of total dissolved solids
may also be corrosive and cause the brewer parts to fail. Another
commonly occurring dissolved solid is iron, which produces
reddish-brown stains. Iron not only contributes an undesirable
metallic taste to a beverage, it also clogs and corrodes brewing
equipment's pipes, pumps, and water heaters. Similarly, acidic water
corrodes metal components and can create leaks or even induce
equipment failures.
************************

Hardness refers to the dissolved calcium compounds in water. Calcium
is actually required for extraction as it allows the bean's 'sweet
portion' to be extracted in the correct amount of time. However, when
water hardness exceeds 129 ppm, scale accumulates and damages anything
from the equipment's heating elements to its boilers. Eventually, the
buildup interferes with heat transfer, thereby increasing fuel
consumption.
Numerous technologies are available that treat water to make it
appropriate for brewing. Water softeners may be used to remove
minerals and replace them with sodium; soda ash treats acid water; a
sediment filter acts as a sieve to remove particles, sand grains, or
small pieces of organic matter from water pipes; activated carbon
removes tastes and odors; and reverse osmosis technology, which forces
the water through a semi-permeable membrane, filters out most of the
dissolved minerals or salts. If you detect any water problems, do not
hesitate to call in a professional to assess the problem and
eventually determine the best and most cost-efficient solution.
Friday notes that there are no new technological advances in
filtration; instead, water treatment specialists deal with a
combination of existing technologies that can include "carbon
filtration softening, reverse osmosis, nano filtration, deionization,
and a handful of others." He adds that "the advances are not in
technology but in the application of those technologies."
A qualified professional can help you determine which approach will
best eliminate your problem(s), and will take into account a variety
of issues from how the water is used, to how much is used, to the
operator's quality objectives.
"Without proper application knowledge and ongoing service, water
quality will remain an unresolved challenge," added Friday.

COMMON WATER PROBLEMS AND THEIR TREATMENT

PROBLEM-----TREATMENT

Cloudy water/visible sediment-----Sediment filter

Taste and odor
Fishy, musty, earthy-----Activated carbon
Chlorine smell-----Activated carbon
Rotten egg smell-----Oxidizing filter, chlorination
filtration/dechlorination
Salty & brackish taste-----Reverse osmosis
Alkaline taste-----Reverse osmosis
Lime scale buildup-----Polyphosphate feeder, water softener, reverse
osmosis
Iron, rust stains-----Water softener, oxidizing filter, chlorination
and filtration/dechlorination
.

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