Importance of Water Treatment Systems

When it comes to creating coffee, water is a vital ingredient of course. However, what those in the coffee industry know about water is that everyone’s water is different. This is why coffee machines contain water treatment systems that help ensure that the hundreds of espresso cups created each day tastes the best that it can be.

Baristas know that the quality of water used will improve the taste of the final drink, that’s why water should be treated before it enters the coffee machine. Not only will it give great tasting coffee, it will also reduce scale build up in the coffee machine. According to Rob Ward, La Cimbali’s coffee specialist, water quality and treatment are extremely important for creating great tasting coffees and at the same time, protect the equipment used.

Water composition will greatly affect the taste of coffee. Although it is up to the coffee roaster to get the right composition of water, here are some tips that will help prevent scale build up and protect the coffee machines.

Coffee machines with steam boilers are extremely vulnerable to scale build up because the high temperatures encourage the deposit of scale and then this scale can lodge in various components of the machine causing blockages.

Descaling coffee machines is expensive and often requires the machine to be taken away to be treated and parts replaced, it’s crucial to have an appropriate water treatment system in place to prevent this. With plenty on the market to choose from, there are a number of factors that need to be considered before purchasing, including; cost, effectiveness, corrosiveness of output water, waste water, taste, capacity and environmental considerations.

At La Cimbali it is recommended that the use of sodium water softeners, as they auto regenerate and help keep a stable pH. However whichever water treatment system you choose, we have these top tips to help you find the right one:

·        Capacity – All systems have a defined maximum capacity and it’s important to size them correctly to avoid running out of treated water or paying too much for an over specified unit. We recommend fitting individual water meters for each coffee machine that are non-resettable and count up because the water history is never lost.

·        Check water hardness – Many people do not test the hardness of the water entering their coffee machine before installing a water treatment system. Lots of areas of the UK do not have hard water so water treatment systems are not always necessary.

·        Installation – Try to arrange installation in a place where the system can be seen rather than hidden away, to be reminded about routine exchanges and maintenance.

·        Service and maintenance – Scheduling regular service and maintenance is essential. It’s not unusual to arrange the service of the water treatment system at least every six months, and in harder water areas this may be much more frequent. It should be given the same importance as boiler inspections and other equipment maintenance visits as it can easily be forgotten, as the damage being done by scale is unseen until it’s too late.”