Podcasts · The Science of Coffee

1) Water For Brewing Coffee

· 1 h 02 min · S1 E1

Episode 1) Water For Brewing Coffee

0:00 1:01:42

A newer, updated version of this episode is out — listen here instead!

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Water really matters when you’re brewing coffee. Different waters can dramatically change how a single coffee will taste. But what is the right water for the best coffee? In this episode I will give you the answer, but I will first take you back billions of years to tell you the story of a single mineral and how it's responsible for making our coffees taste lame. Because here’s the thing: water science is chemistry, and chemistry is very complicated and easily forgettable. But with a great story, I’m hoping you’ll remember! In the second half, I show you why Christopher Hendon’s book Water for Coffee made a big splash in the coffee community, but also why some academic chemists are critical of the book, and how this all manifested in the creation of the Specialty Coffee Association’s Water Quality Handbook. And, to cap it all off, I offer you some environmentally conscious ways to get hold of good water for coffee, so your coffee brews can finally explode in flavour. —--- Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee! Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story Write a review on Apple Podcasts Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify Discover this episode’s sponsor BWT’s water filtration products. I use their Penguin Magnesium Mineralised cartridges and cafes can use their BestAqua ROC Read Marcia Bjornerud’s amazing book, Reading The Rocks Want more to listen to more documentary podcasts about coffee? Check out Filter Stories Want to go deeper into water chemistry? SCA’s Water Quality Handbook BWT White Paper on the effects of magnesium (German) How to add magnesium to your soft water out of the tap (scroll to bottom) Christopher Hendon’s Water for Coffee Certificate of Advanced Studies at Zurich’s Coffee Excellence Center online course Read ‘The Craft and Science of Coffee’ Barista Hustle's Water course James Hoffman's water video Connect with my very knowledgeable guests: Samo Smrke - LinkedIn and Instagram Chahan Yeretzian - Linkedin Frank Neuhausen - LinkedIn Marcia Bjornerud - Academic profile Christopher Hendon - LinkedIn and Instagram The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations: BWT Water and More - https://link.filterstories.org/3EEpuxN Marco Beverage Systems - https://link.filterstories.org/3T2YDzY Trabocca - https://link.filterstories.org/3Tjn8bV Eversys - https://link.filterstories.org/3CBkp6X Oatly - https://link.filterstories.org/3exvlKS Fiorenzato - https://link.filterstories.org/3T3nmUQ Subscribe to my A History of Coffee podcast

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