If your V60 turns out tasteless even when you follow the perfect recipe, it’s probably not the coffee. It’s probably the water. The quality of water is the factor that coffee enthusiasts underestimate the most — and it can make the biggest difference in your cup with the least effort.
Why water matters
A cup of coffee is 98-99% water. Only 1-2% consists of the dissolved solids from the coffee. If that water has chlorine, too much hardness, too many minerals, or too few, everything it extracts changes.
The SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) has an official water standard for coffee:
- TDS (total dissolved solids): ideally between 75 and 250 mg/L, optimal around 150 mg/L.
- Calcium hardness: 17-85 mg/L (≈1-4 °f).
- Alkalinity: 40 mg/L of bicarbonate (≈4 °f).
- pH: close to 7.
- No chlorine, no strange flavors.
What happens if your water deviates
Water too soft (low TDS)
Characteristic of many reverse osmosis systems or distilled water. Cup result: watery, acidic, and harsh coffee. Water without minerals has no "grip" for the flavors.
Water too hard (too much hardness)
Too much calcium and bicarbonate. Cup result: bitter, flat, lacking nuances, with a stone-like aftertaste. Hardness neutralizes the positive acidity of the coffee and saturates the body.
And, of course, it wrecks your coffee maker with scale buildup.
Chlorine
Chlorine from tap water destroys the aromatic compounds in coffee. A cup with noticeable chlorine will never be a good cup, no matter the bean.
Solutions — from least to most
1. Low mineral bottled water
Brands like Bezoya, Solán de Cabras, Lanjarón Sierra have a mineral profile quite close to the SCA ideal. It’s the easiest option if you don’t want to complicate things. Cost: 0.30-0.50 €/L.
2. Brita filter or similar
Reduces chlorine and softens the water somewhat. Significantly improves compared to tap water, especially if you live in a hard water area. But it doesn’t bring the TDS closer to the coffee's optimal level.
3. Specific hospitality filter
BWT, Brita Purity, Everpure. Professional filters that connect to the water supply and leave a controlled mineral profile. This is what we use in our cafés. High initial cost but the best results.
4. DIY mineralized water
If you want to take it seriously: osmosis water (TDS = 0) + added minerals in exact proportions. There are commercial kits (Third Wave Water, Hardwater) that come as packets with salts to add to 5 L of osmosis water. Total control.
How to measure your water
A TDS meter costs 10-15 € at any online store. Measure your tap water and the filtered water. If you're between 100-200 mg/L, you're good. Above 300, improve it.
The quick trick
If you don’t want to buy anything new: try making your V60 with Bezoya water (low TDS, soft mineral profile) and compare it with your current water. If you notice the difference, you’ve got your answer.
And if you don’t notice it… your water is probably already good enough. Congratulations.
