4 Things You Need to Know About the Water You Brew Coffee With

Why High-Quality Water Makes Great Coffee

Let's face it: No one wants a sh*tty cup of coffee. It's important to use fresh, high-quality coffee beans, but there's yet another (often overlooked) factor that is extremely important for good-tasting coffee: water.

Coffee only has two ingredients: coffee beans and water. If you are passionate about your coffee, you think a lot about the type of beans you buy, their quality, whether they’re organic and even where they come from. All of that is critical for brewing a fantastically tasty cup, but even with its intense, strong flavor, brewed coffee is still about 98% water. It’s the quality of the water that will ensure you’re extracting exactly the right amount of flavor every time. 

4 Factors to Keep in Mind When Brewing Coffee

1. Water should be pure.

Since coffee is mostly water, you should be conscious of the water that you're using. It shouldn't have a discernible taste to it, and it shouldn't be completely distilled. Avoid tap water too, if possible. Tap water can have a serious effect on the taste of your brew. Even though the water is clear, it may contain other unwanted minerals—fluoride, calcium, magnesium, chlorine—all minerals that get added to water as it makes its way from the water source to your mouth. Because the water isn’t pure, the flavor of the coffee is changed.

Grim Reaper Pro Tip: The mineral content in natural spring water actually has properties for proper extraction during your brewing process.

2. Brew temperature is important.

Many automatic drip coffee pots don't heat up enough, sending too-cool water through your coffee grinds. The result is usually a slightly sour-tasting pot of coffee. There's not much you can do to fix this, except invest in a manual coffee maker or an automatic drip pot approved by the SCAA.

If you use any sort of manual brewing process, you probably use a stove-top kettle to heat your water. Once it starts to whistle, turn your stove off and let it sit for one minute. That should get it to 200-205 F—the perfect temperature for brewing coffee.

3. Water affects brewing equipment. 

The water you use to make your favorite coffee also impacts how long your brewing equipment will last—and the level of elbow grease you’ll need to clean that gear. Water that’s not pure and contains extra minerals (like tap water) can build up residue inside kettles, brewers and the inside of countertops if you have a countertop espresso machine. Whether you have hard water (more minerals and residue) or soft water (fewer minerals but slight sliminess), it’s going to be a pain to clean.

4. Hot water isn't just for brewing.

When you're waiting for your coffee to brew, pour some of that 200-degree water into your cup and let it sit until you're finished making the coffee. The result is a cup that stays warmer much longer.

If you're using a manual process (French press, Chemex, pour over), do the same before adding your grinds. Preheating the vessel will keep the coffee hot through the entire brewing process, which is great for proper extraction.

In a lot of ways, water is coffee’s unsung hero. It’s one more important way you can achieve the best cup of coffee you’ve ever made. Happy brewing!

RELATED: 7 Benefits of Drinking Water Before Coffee