When making coffee, not all water is created equal. Water that tastes good may be mediocre when brewing coffee, but the goal is for the coffee to be great. Good taste is a good start. However, the coffee you are brewing may need different minerals to help tell the full story your cup of hot greatness is trying to tell.

How I talk about water for coffee has changed a little over time. I used to talk about using a specific amount of calcium and magnesium in water to properly extract coffee. This method has been proven irrelevant to coffee extraction. What is true is the minerals in water will react with coffee and produce different flavors.  In a YouTube video called “Demystifying Water for Coffee,” Lance Hedrick and Scott Rao discuss further developing thoughts regarding minerals in water and the water’s TDS (Total Dissolved Solids). The mineral salts have stayed the same while their understood impact has changed.