Importance of Water Filtration
One of the biggest issues in the coffee industry today is a problem that the industry has been trying to deal with for over 40 years.
To make a great tasting coffee or tea you need to have great tasting water and this has always been a problematic issue for the coffee and tea vending industry due to the many issues with taste and machine reliability. Baristas and other coffee ‘experts’ have stated that high levels of these elements are needed to extract the flavour from the coffee and tea.
The main problem is that the water in our country is constantly changing and in some areas water supply companies frequently mix localised water with other water sourced from around the country, therefore causing fluctuating pH levels.
Neutral water is 7 pH, anything that lowers the pH drastically could cause acidic water. For example a pH value of 4 is ten times more acidic than pH 5 and 100 times more acidic than pH 6. Acidic water can result in the consumer experiencing bitter or metallic tasting drinks. Ideally a minimum of 6.5 should be observed in all coffee/tea machines.
Another issue is machine reliability due to scale build up as this cost the industry millions of wasted man hours during a year and is one of the ever increasing costs. Excessive scale build up can cause the machines to break down with issues such as blocked pipes, temperature control problems, leaks etc which will in turn potentially leave a customer with no machine and costly servicing.
Water Hardness Checker
Water Quality
Water in different parts of the UK varies in the amount of dissolved mineral ions it contains. This determines whether it is hard or soft water. There are advantages and disadvantages to each, but the damage that can be caused to water pipes and appliances by hard water means that water may need to be filtered.
Hard Water
Hardness is caused by dissolved Magnesium Ions and Calcium Ions. These can get into the water when it comes into contact with limestone and other rocks that contain calcium compounds. This can happen, for example, when rainwater flows over these rocks on its way to a reservoir.
When hard water is heated, harmless lime scale is formed. This can lead to scale forming and may affect the appearance of hot drinks, increase risk of hot water pipes clogging and damaging boilers.
Soft Water
As rainwater falls it is naturally soft, however, as water makes it way through the ground and into our waterways, it picks up minerals like chalk, lime and mostly calcium and magnesium but if those minerals are absent or are in a small quantity the water will remain soft.
Water Hardness Checker
Use our postcode checker below to find out the hardness of your water.
Results are based on Regional Water Supply figures and may vary.
