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70% of your body and 98% of your coffee is water. Without quality water, it is impossible to prepare coffee properly. Its composition therefore plays a key role in how your coffee will taste. In this article, we will focus on home water treatment options to ensure it is suitable for brewing the most delicious cup of coffee possible. Hard or soft water? Right at the beginning, we unfortunately have to disappoint you, because neither hard nor soft water is ideal for brewing coffee. Hard water contains large amounts of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. These minerals bind more easily to certain compounds in coffee, resulting in a very intense flavor profile. However, hard water also contains high amounts of bicarbonate, which is responsible for accentuating bitter notes. Over time, hard water causes mineral buildup in coffee makers or electric kettles. Besides shortening their lifespan, it also negatively affects the taste of your coffee. Conclusion on hard water: Some minerals are necessary to extract all the vital flavors from coffee, but an excess of them causes subtle aromas and sugars to be masked by bitterness. On the other hand, soft water is usually rich in sodium, which is added using water softeners to remove impurities. Coffee brewed with softer water tends to taste flat because the water contains fewer minerals. Neither hard nor soft water is ideal for the perfect cup of coffee; however, studies by chemist Christopher H. Hendon have demonstrated that different levels of water hardness highlight different flavors in coffee. His work explains why the water in your home may work brilliantly with coffees from certain regions or with blends, while others taste dull and hollow. Conclusion on soft water: Hendon's studies also found that extremely soft water resulted in poor extraction levels, and coffees brewed with such water were very thin. If you must choose one extreme, opt for hard water. However, there are better ways to brew genuinely high-quality coffee at home. “Water hardness across various regions in Slovakia.” How to treat water at home Water filter jugs The simplest and most cost-effective way to filter tap water at home is by using water filter jugs, such as Brita, BWT, and many others. You will find a wide variety of filters from different manufacturers on the market. Most filters are compatible with nearly all jugs. But how do you know which filter to use? We tested several of the most common and affordable filters for you. We selected 6 filters for our test – Brita Maxtra+ PL, Brita Maxtra+ PO, BWT Gourmet Edition Mg+, Laica Bi-flux Coffee and Tea, Laica Bi-flux, and the BWT Bestmax S inline filtration system. We tested in 4 rounds, initially pitting filters from the same manufacturer against each other. We evaluated them using the cupping method, and our latest release, Ethiopia Aludra AMO natural, served as the perfect test coffee. In the end, the test did not yield a single clear winner, but rather three. BWT Mg+ is ideally suited for naturally processed coffees. The water pleasantly enhanced the coffee's acidity, resulting in a very clean taste with a distinct and easily recognizable flavor profile. The body, however, was lighter. Brita Maxtra+ PO. We concluded that it is better suited for espresso preparation. The coffee had a significantly fuller body while still maintaining a very clean flavor profile. Acidity, however, took a back seat. Laica Bi-flux Coffee and Tea emerged as the most neutral contender in the test. It is therefore best suited for anyone planning to brew coffee using multiple methods. With both, the coffee preserves its flavor characteristics. Note, however, that the filter is not fully compatible with Brita or BWT filter jugs. The remaining filters did not meet our flavor standards at all. The coffee tasted very dull and flat. Conclusion Water can truly have an immense impact on the quality of your home-brewed cup of coffee. Most people are completely satisfied with using standard tap water for coffee preparation, but if you are truly serious about your coffee, experimenting with different types of water is definitely worthwhile, and we believe you will soon notice a pleasant difference.