|
If you’ve tested as
much coffee and tea as we have over the last 100 years, you
would most certainly come to realize the importance of water
quality and purity in the preparation of these beverages,
hot or cold. Brewed leaf tea, for example, is more than 99%
water. When we consider some of the lighter, subtle flavors
that some teas bring forth, we quickly come to understand
that water quality has a large impact on brewed beverage in
our cup. Clarity, color, aroma and taste are the most important
aspects of any beverage.
Whether you use water from a municipal source, as we have
in San Francisco, or from your own well out in the country,
your water’s softness or hardness as it is affected
by mineral content (magnesium and calcium) can impact the
smell, taste and cloudiness of a cup of your favorite iced
tea or negatively impact the flavor of our French Roast you
might be so very fond of. Chemicals in the water such as chlorine
or odors from hydrogen sulfides loom large in affecting our
beverages.
Even lime scale buildup from water in our brewing devices
such as kettles, electric coffee brewers, espresso machines,
and even our ice makers can not only make for very poor tasting
coffee and tea, but also make for very inefficient operating
equipment.
Our message here is simple. Virtually no water source in
America today that we have sampled offers a high quality,
clean and “neutral” water. Most of our water resources
have imperfections that adversely impact our beverages. Whether
you experience turbidity, alkalinity, particulate matter or
odors, we strongly recommend that you consider water filtration
to improve coffee and tea. Our goal is to use water that is
soft and neutral enough to bring out the very best in hot
and cold brewed coffee and tea. More often than not this can
be done with simple carbon filtration. Sometimes water softening
is necessary. Frequently, special treatments for turbidity,
extraordinary lime scale, extra dirty water, excessive minerals,
lead and organic chemicals may also be necessary.
|
The
Importance of Water