By admin 
Every day, we Brits drink 100 million cups of tea and a whopping 95 million cups of coffee in Great Britain. But how is it possible that your coffee and tea taste bad one day and good the next? There is a small reason for this, and it is quite common.
When you drink a cup of coffee or tea that isn’t your cup of tea, people tend to blame their tea bag, their beans (especially if it’s the store’s own brand), and the milk. However, it could all have to do with something you wash dishes and shower with. Yes, your water could be the problem.
Experts out BRITAone of the world’s most trusted water filter companies and a leading coffee roaster, Matthew AlgieSuppose your water quality has a ‘significant’ impact on the taste. So don’t throw those beans away just yet.
Samantha Scoles, BRITA Sales Director and Certified Water Sommelier said: “The taste and aroma of coffee and tea are significantly affected by water quality. There are different levels of minerals in water, and then there are substances that are added to the water by purification companies. This all has an effect.”
She said drinkers often ignore water as the problem, but it’s still something to consider when making a cup of tea. She explains: “Water makes up 98% of a cup of coffee, but it is often overlooked as an ingredient, with coffee beans and tea leaves being prioritized. However, water directly affects the extraction rate and taste of a cup of coffee. So it’s important to understand the quality of your water and how to treat it.
“When it comes to tea, the flavor profile can be very delicate, especially with white or green tea. So if you have an imbalance of minerals and substances in the water, these can be easily detected. It is critical to treat water accordingly. Additionally, different teas require different water temperatures and steeping times.
“It is therefore important that you understand the correct preparation method for the type of tea you are making. For example, many people say that they do not like the taste of green tea, but perhaps they are not brewing the tea correctly. Green tea generally should be brewed at 85 degrees and brewed for three minutes, which people often don’t realize.”
BRITA has been producing water filters for the home and your favorite coffee shops since the 1960s. But what does filtering your water actually achieve? “Filtered water essentially means that the water contains the right balance of minerals,” Samantha continued. “There are a number of impurities added to our water that kill bacteria and pose no health risks, but may have a certain taste or odor, such as chlorine. Calcium and magnesium are present in minerals that water can absorb when it flows through limestone, for example, on the way to our taps.
“Too many minerals can make drinks look dull and lifeless. On the other hand, too few minerals can make hot drinks sharp, bitter and unappetizing. Professional BRITA filters ensure your water meets the Specialty Coffee Associations water specifications This is essential for high Filtering of water also has environmental benefits. High mineral content in the water can lead to limescale deposits in the equipment one millimeter increase in scale results in 7% more energy, which results in higher CO2 emissions.”
What should we pay attention to and how can we help prevent this?
Samantha added: “If the water coming out of your taps has a high mineral content it can cause foaming and clouding – cloudiness. To find out how often you should replace your water filter, filters should be replaced at capacity or annually, whichever comes first. It is very important to measure water hardness regularly and monitor usage via a filter cartridge to ensure it is replaced at the right time.”
BRITA also claims that those who choose bottled water are not avoiding the problem. “Many people drink or use bottled water because they think it does not contain the minerals found in tap water. Yet they often have the same effect as making tea or coffee with a high mineral content, because it is mineral water. This means they can still affect extraction, flavor and cause limescale issues. This means filtering is the best option for hot drinks – and the more environmentally friendly option.”
Matthew Algie said people who own coffee machines should be particularly careful, warning that machines can actually break down due to poor water quality. A spokesperson for Matthew Algie said: “Using unfiltered water in your machines can cause limescale deposits, resulting in excessive energy consumption and machine breakdowns. Hard water can cause mineral deposits on components such as level probes.
“When probes become covered in limescale, they often lose their effectiveness in detecting the water level and temperature in the machine’s boiler. Particles from the pipework can also enter the machine and cause blockages in pipes and valves. One way to The risk of This is done by ensuring that your water filters are replaced at the necessary intervals.”
What are the signs that my coffee machine is damaged?
“As for spotting the signs of damage, if your coffee maker takes longer to reach temperature, there’s probably a problem,” the coffee expert added.
“Test your water to see if you are in an area with hard water. Scale shapes above 4 dH. Install a filter and make sure the filter is on the correct settings for that specific water quality. By monitoring the use of your filter and ensuring it is replaced before it is empty, you ensure that your machine remains limescale-free, is energy efficient and maximizes the life of the machine.”
Matthew Algie is all for using filtered water to ensure top quality coffee – whether at home or in a commercial environment such as a café. “In commercial settings, customers pay a premium for a coffee they think they might not be able to achieve at home. To ensure the best experience, especially in coffee shop chains, you want to ensure that the quality of your drink is consistent regardless of the geographical location of the store, so that customers come back again and again, and that you ensure the protection of the machines.”