You love coffee -- especially good coffee. Every morning, you grind beans fresh, carefully arrange them in your gold-plated pour-over filter and gently pour 200-degree boiling water over them from the spout of a gooseneck kettle.
Even with all this care, though, you can't replicate the same quality that you get at your local cafe. For true cafe-quality coffee, you need to use filtered water:
Minerals are in Your Water
Without a home water filter, minerals in your tap water will interfere with the flavors and aromatics of your coffee. Citing a U.S. Geological Survey, the Chicago Tribune reports that 85 percent of U.S. homes have hard water. Unless you're one of the lucky 15 percent, you have minerals in your water that will interfere with brewing coffee. Even if you one of the few people who have soft water, your water is likely treated with fluoride.
Although you might not be able to pick out the impurities in your coffee, they can affect its flavor. Coffee is complex, containing over 1,000 aromatic compounds according to the Royal Society of Chemistry. Even a trace amount of a mineral could interfere with your coffee's flavor.
Water Filters Treat Your Water
The easiest way to remove minerals from your tap water is by installing a whole-house water filter. A water filter that's specifically designed for your part of the country will eliminate the minerals that make your water hard.
A whole-house filter is preferable to one that attaches to your kitchen sink, because whole-house models filter out more than smaller filters that rely on activated carbon cartridges. As FluorideAlert.org explains, only reverse osmosis, deionizing and activated alumina filters remove fluoride.
Whole-House Filters are Better than Bottles
Of course, you could use bottled water that has no minerals or fluoride in it. Over time, though, this will prove more expensive than installing a water filter. HomeAdvisor's data shows that the average cost of installing a whole-house water filter is $4,200. Alternatively, a single bottle of water averaged $1.21 in 2013, according to the International Bottled Water Association. In the course of a year, relying on bottled water would cost $441.65. Within 10 years, you would spend more on bottled water than a water filter.
For coffee worthy of being served in a cafe, you need the same equipment that coffee shops use. If you already have all the coffee gear, the only thing holding you back from making truly exceptional coffee may be a water filter. Consider investing in a whole-house filter, and enjoy the many fine cups that will follow.
To learn more, contact a company like Hague Quality Water of Kansas City Inc. with your questions.
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