Beat The Heat With Natural Spring Water, Or Filter Your Own
The Summer season is in full swing here on the North Coast and along with my favorite sailing weather comes a growing number of inquiries from folks wondering if we’ve done something to change the taste of our coffees.
We haven’t changed a thing, but if you notice a change in how your coffee and other foods taste as the temperatures rise, what likely has changed is how your local water company treats your water. That’s because along with the hot weather comes an increase in algae, bacterial growth and other nasties, many of them bad tasting contaminants that water departments must treat to ensure your tap water remains clean, healthy and a least somewhat palatable. Unfortunately, these unwelcome intruders, and the chemistry to deal with them, mess up the taste and smell of your water, as well as everything you make with it.
A cup of coffee is more than 98 percent liquid so it makes sense to use the cleanest, best tasting water you can. It’s also very important to be sure your water isn’t purified to death. By that I mean don’t use distilled water, reverse osmosis (RO) or any kind of filtered bottled water to make your coffee or to cook with. In addition to adding to the plastic waste stream, the processing these receive removes all of the trace minerals critical to bringing out flavor. Brew with them and you’ll likely be greeted with a flat, flavorless cup of warm brown water.
If you must buy water at a store, be sure to choose natural spring water for brewing and cooking because unlike nearly every other kind of bottled water, it hasn’t been stripped of the minerals needed for great flavor. If you must use RO, be sure to buy and add the correct amount of re-mineralizer to replace the missing elements. Sink-top and under-sink filters are also fine. Simply choose a quality system that meets your needs and be sure to change filters according to the manufacturer’s recommended schedule.
From our location on the South shore of the Great Lakes, the planet’s largest source of fresh water, we’re fortunate to be able to enjoy great tasting water, pretty much year-round. That said, Summer still brings the occasional bad taste from the tap, so we installed an affordable, top-rated under-sink filter and use it for all our brewing and cooking needs. It’s made a significant improvement in the flavors we enjoy from our food and drinks, and saves a significant amount of money when compared to buying it at the store — even after factoring in the cost of replacing filters every six months.
