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Soft Water sour, hard Water Sweet-- on the effect of Water on Coffee Flavor

Published: 2026-07-20 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/07/20, Communication of professional baristas Please pay attention to the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style) the quality of a cup of coffee not only depends on the quality of the beans, the way it is brewed, but also the effect of water on the coffee. Good water does not necessarily make good coffee, because the minerals in the water will affect the color and flavor of the coffee. Water contains many kinds of minerals, such as calcium ion and magnesium ion.

For professional baristas, please follow the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style)

The quality of a cup of coffee depends not only on the quality of coffee beans and the way they are brewed, but also on the effect of water on coffee. Good water does not necessarily make good coffee, because the minerals in the water will affect the color and flavor of the coffee.

Water contains many kinds of minerals, such as calcium ion, magnesium ion, calcium carbonate. Its mineral content is mg/l, and water can be simply divided into two kinds: soft water and hard water.

Soft water: the content of calcium carbonate in water is lower than that of 100mg/l. Most of the tap water and groundwater in Japan are soft water, which can highlight the sour taste of coffee.

Hard water: the content of calcium carbonate in water exceeds that of 100mg/l. In Europe, it is mostly hard water, which can highlight the bitter taste of coffee.

When the content of calcium or magnesium ion in water is too high, it is easy to affect the release of caffeine and tannic acid. In addition, the bitterness of coffee is also difficult to dissolve in water with low hardness, so season, climate, place, time and temperature will affect coffee, and because everyone's taste is different, the effect of water on coffee flavor is also difficult to distinguish between good and bad. it still depends on individual taste, can only be said that water will have a certain impact on coffee flavor.

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