Numerous factors affect the taste of the coffee. Their origin, process, roast profile, and brew method dramatically affect the flavours of your coffee. Each section of the coffee process goes through meticulous and technical practices that affect your whole coffee experience. In the last stage of making your cup is the brew method. When brewing your coffee, you will have to use specific equipment to get an adequately extracted cup.
One of the critical elements of making a good cup of coffee is the water you use when you brew. The minerals that are in the water you use will significantly affect the flavours of your coffee.
Some people like to experiment on different levels of minerals for their water, but some are focusing on alkaline water. Avid coffee drinkers swear by the difference in their brew’s taste whenever they use alkaline water for their cup.
But can alkaline water really make coffee taste better? Here’s the lowdown on alkaline water and its effect on your coffee.
What is alkaline water?
The term "alkaline" actually refers to the pH level of your water. The pH level is a numbered guide to know how acidic or alkaline on a scale of zero to 14. For instance, when you read that a substance has a pH level of 1, this means it is incredibly acidic. However, if a substance's ph level is 13, then it is alkaline.
Another thing you should know is that alkaline water also has a higher percentage of oxygen. This allows your blood to flow through your body to neutralise excess acid build-up.
Alkaline water contains several minerals, making its pH level relatively high. The minerals contained in alkaline water are calcium, magnesium, potassium and silica. When you use alkaline water for cooking or making drinks such as coffee, the flavour and body changes because of these minerals.
Will alkaline water make my coffee taste better?
Before we explain the answer, we’ll let you understand the complexities of coffee first.
Coffee, though a tiny bean, contains numerous complex flavours and acidity. These elements change during farming and production, roasting, and then finally, brewing. After growing in a coffee farm in the right conditions, it is then passed to the roaster who will roast the coffee and enhance its flavours. Lastly, the roasted coffee goes to the barista, who will then extract its flavours.
When brewing the coffee, aside from the ratio of your recipe, other essential elements you should consider are the temperature and the type of water you are using. When you're brewing your coffee with alkaline water, you allow a chemical reaction to take place with your coffee and water. These minerals blend with the coffee's flavours and produce a more harmonious cup, especially when you follow the right ratio and temperature settings.
Back to the questions if alkaline water makes your coffee taste better. The answer is yes. Magnesium and calcium minerals found in alkaline water help extract the fantastic flavours of the coffee. These minerals affect the coffee's sweetness, fruity flavours, body, and acidity. You cannot get these characteristics when you use water with little to no minerals present in it, such as distilled water. This is why many coffee shops have their custom filters installed in their water system, and an alkaline water filter is what you'll often find.
Conclusion
If you want to get a harmonious and balanced cup of coffee and hit all the right flavours, using alkaline water to brew your coffee is best. Making better coffee at home is more accessible now that there are alkaline water jugs available in the market. All you need to do is add water to the pitcher, let it go through the filter and heat your water. A few minutes later, you'll have a great tasting coffee set on your table.
Ecobud Australia focuses on health and our environment, we produce high-quality water filters for businesses and homes. Some of our products include water filter jugs, filtration systems and eco-friendly mugs and cups. Check our products and start having better water today!