Coffee Water Profile

[brewcat]

If I have RO water what sort of additions would help? Using a drip system. I'd post in the coffee forum but seems it will be seen here.

 

[TAK]

I don't make drip, but RO water is my preference (though I typically just use carbon filtered). As for additions, I only add a pinch of kosher or sea salt, and I put that on top of the coffee grounds.

I find salt rounds out a really dark roast, but I don't typically find it elevates a medium or light roast.

 

[timdillon36]

Thats like asking if i make beer with RO water what should i add to it. I dont know what style of beer or coffee you are trying to make. Buy and read the book water and then read it a few more times. The info is out there and if you want to learn than do the work. There is no such thing as a free lunch, or education.

 

[TAK]

Dude, isn't this forum for connecting people and giving them a venue to ask questions?

Maybe I'm wrong, but if you google water profile mineral additions for brewing coffee, I doubt you'll get a lot. Asking a bunch of opinionated beer brewers is a great way to get some info or opinions on the OP's topic.

 

[blackschnauzer]

Second that

 

[Yooper]

Thats like asking if i make beer with RO water what should i add to it. I dont know what style of beer or coffee you are trying to make. Buy and read the book water and then read it a few more times. The info is out there and if you want to learn than do the work. There is no such thing as a free lunch, or education.

My take is that if you don't have anything helpful to say, there are others who can come along and provide info. Chastising others for asking a question is against the point of a forum, as we're here to help each other.

Anyway, I'm no coffee expert, but I prefer RO water for coffee, with no additions at all.

 

[timdillon36]

My take is that if you don't have anything helpful to say, there are others who can come along and provide info. Chastising others for asking a question is against the point of a forum, as we're here to help each other.

Anyway, I'm no coffee expert, but I prefer RO water for coffee, with no additions at all.

I was not intending my post to be chastising in any way.

I am not a coffee drinker but I know there are as many styles and ways to drink it as there are beer. (My dad drinks it so hot you cant taste it my sister so cold all you taste is the cream and suger.)

I drink tea. Some warm and some chilled but at all times of the day, maybe a slice of citrus with it but no milk or suger.

I like PAs and IPAs and Stouts and Sours and good beer but if we agree that water for different types of beer should different water profiles than is it too far of a reach that different water for different coffee is too far of a strech.

I sugested a book that contains a wealth of inforrmation on water and thought thatcthe OP could gain more from reading that book than reading a short response of "put some salt in it"

I was baiting the hook rather than plating his fish.

 

[andrewmaixner]

I was wondering this also, now that I have RO installed. Tagging in case we get an answer. I saw a sciency article on coffee water minerals last year, but it was short on actual minerals and hard numbers:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2014/06/06/the-secret-to-awesome-coffee-is-in-the-water/

This one looks a little better:
http://grindscience.com/2016/03/dissolved-minerals-in-water-and-their-effect-on-coffee/

 

[schematix]

Since i first learned about brewing water and figured the same concepts applied to coffee, so I've been doing a little experimenting on this subject.

I almost exclusively do espresso, with fresh roasted light city beans from a local roaster. Typically beans are 3-20 days old at the most.

For my tastes i find straight RO water to be a little bland. Adding a few grains of salt helps but i don't like doing that. What I've found is even better is mixing my moderate alkalinity tap water with RO water about 2-3 parts RO to 1 part filtered tap water. Seems to help cut the sharp acidity a little while giving a little more roundness to the brew.

I find straight RO water with drip coffee to be thin, but i haven't experimented much since i don't do a lot of drip. I think a little alkalinity may be the key based on some other research i've done.

There are some other websites out there already devoted to this topic and can offer water profiles much the same as our beer profiles. They may be a better resource than here, although i'd definitely be interested in a thread here on the subject.

 

[TAK]

if you want to learn than do the work. There is no such thing as a free lunch, or education.

This sounds dismissive. You did give a book as a reference, but basically said he should read it a few times before asking anyone else for an opinion.

I realize that my response was brief, but I do love coffee and have an opinion on what I think makes a great cup. I don't do much with water, so I have nothing but a short response to offer. But, I did give the OP a opinion, directly on topic, from experience.

 

[TAK]

Schematix, what do you use to make your espresso? I exclusively use a Moka pot at home. They call it "espresso," but it's certainly not what I'd call espresso. I'd love to have real espresso at home, but I lack the space, let alone the funds for a real machine.

Whatever you use, do you have any issues with mineral buildup running a portion of tap water through the system?

 

[schematix]

Schematix, what do you use to make your espresso? I exclusively use a Moka pot at home. They call it "espresso," but it's certainly not what I'd call espresso. I'd love to have real espresso at home, but I lack the space, let alone the funds for a real machine.

Whatever you use, do you have any issues with mineral buildup running a portion of tap water through the system?

I've got a Rancilio Silvia v3 + Rocky grinder.

I've never run really hard tap water through it. So far no issues and its about 7 years old.

 

[BrunDog]

I am interested to hear some advice/direction on this topic (not from timdillon though). I use RO but realize it's.probably not the best water chemistry. My machine actually warns against demineralized water, I guess the thinking is it can be corrosive?

 

[jpoppinmoneyunit]

I've got a Rancilio Silvia v3 + Rocky grinder.

I've never run really hard tap water through it. So far no issues and its about 7 years old.

I've dont a few searches on adding real espresso shots to stouts/porters and havn't had a ton of luck. Just happened to stumble upon this thread today.

If you don't mind my asking, about how many shots would you add to say a 5 gal batch of porter? Is it better to add after the boil, primary, or secondary?

I make espresso from a Breville machine almost every day. Would be a shame to not brew some beer with it

 

[schematix]

If you don't mind my asking, about how many shots would you add to say a 5 gal batch of porter? Is it better to add after the boil, primary, or secondary?

I would say 0. Coffee beer is gross.

 

[Yooper]

I am interested to hear some advice/direction on this topic (not from timdillon though). I use RO but realize it's.probably not the best water chemistry. My machine actually warns against demineralized water, I guess the thinking is it can be corrosive?

Yes, that would be my guess as RO water lacks the buffering capacity of mineralized water and is considered corrosive. But I don't have stainless or copper in my coffee maker, and I wouldn't think it would be all that corrosive to plastic and it doesn't sit in there that long. So I don't know.

I have very alkaline tap water, with lots of CaCO3, and the lime scale is atrocious in the coffee pot(s) without using vinegar frequently so RO water is really great for me! Plus, I have RO water for my brewery so it's easy and cheap.

 

[TAK]

I've dont a few searches on adding real espresso shots to stouts/porters and havn't had a ton of luck. Just happened to stumble upon this thread today.

If you don't mind my asking, about how many shots would you add to say a 5 gal batch of porter? Is it better to add after the boil, primary, or secondary?

I make espresso from a Breville machine almost every day. Would be a shame to not brew some beer with it

I haven't brewed any coffee beer, but if you're adding shots of espresso, I'd add it just before packaging. As for how much, the best way to know would be to brew the recipe you're wanting to augment, and experiment in the glass (with cooled espresso). When you find what you like, scale it up from the glass to a full batch, and brew again to dose your next batch.

 

[Redlantern]

great - now my wife is going to wonder what is wrong with me as I try to figure out the best water profile for our coffee. She does not understand why it is important for beer (and really does not care), but she definitely sees no need for me to change our coffee water. If I get it wrong, she will wonder why I had to ruin the coffee. Thanks!!

Planting thoughts in my head - Jeeeze!...

 

[brewcat]

Thats like asking if i make beer with RO water what should i add to it. I dont know what style of beer or coffee you are trying to make. Buy and read the book water and then read it a few more times. The info is out there and if you want to learn than do the work. There is no such thing as a free lunch, or education.

Don't make assumptions that I haven't been reading. The info I found wasn't as in depth as I thought I'd find here. My main goal is getting a general idea for best extraction. I figured some brewer on here probably has messed with a water profile for their coffee. I also think it is a relevant discussion for brew science.

 

[brewcat]

I think mixing water might be the best bet for now.

 

[MerlinWerks]

I too find straight RO a bit bland for coffee and have settled on for now a 50/50 mix of RO and bottled "spring" water from the local grocery store, which yields a TDS in the 125 mg range.

FWIW here is the SCAA's spec:

http://www.scaa.org/chronicle/2013/07/08/dissecting-scaas-water-quality-standard/

 

[daygobrewer]

If I have RO water what sort of additions would help? Using a drip system. I'd post in the coffee forum but seems it will be seen here.

https://waterforcoffeebook.com/products/water-for-coffee

Matt Perger's recipe:

"Here it is again, inspired by the Water for Coffee book. All you need is bicarb soda (baking soda, NOT baking powder), epsom salt (magnesium sulfate), and distilled/deionised/ultra-pure water (don’t worry about the “not for drinking” labels. That’s just if you consume a lot). All ingredients are super cheap and readily available.

1 Add 8.6g bicarb, and 25g epsom to 500g distilled water. This is your concentrate.
2 Shake the concentrate and make sure it’s all dissolved. Might need a few hours or higher temp to fully dissolve.
3 Add 2g of the concentrate to 500g distilled water. This is your brewing water.
4 Boil and brew!
5 Save the concentrate for future brews!"

 

[BrunDog]

Crap... I just bought a pound of USP epsom and was wondering how long it would take me to burn it up brewing. Problem solved!!

 

[andrewmaixner]

https://waterforcoffeebook.com/products/water-for-coffee

Matt Perger's recipe:

"Here it is again, inspired by the Water for Coffee book. All you need is bicarb soda (baking soda, NOT baking powder), epsom salt (magnesium sulfate), and distilled/deionised/ultra-pure water (don’t worry about the “not for drinking” labels. That’s just if you consume a lot). All ingredients are super cheap and readily available.

1 Add 8.6g bicarb, and 25g epsom to 500g distilled water. This is your concentrate.
2 Shake the concentrate and make sure it’s all dissolved. Might need a few hours or higher temp to fully dissolve.
3 Add 2g of the concentrate to 500g distilled water. This is your brewing water.
4 Boil and brew!
5 Save the concentrate for future brews!"

Thanks, that's exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to fnd

 

[Cottonmouth]

Anybody adding minerals to their RO water for coffee? I use straight RO water myself but I might experiment and see if I can spice things up a bit.