How specialty coffee woke up to water’s role in flavour

How specialty coffee woke up to water’s role in flavour

For the longest time, the coffee community only cared about water’s impact ruining espresso machine boilers and kettles. But what about water’s impact on coffee flavour?

In this episode, I tell the story of how the specialty coffee community came to understand water chemistry: the pioneering work of the computational chemist Christopher Hendon and British roaster Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, the genesis of the SCA’s Water Quality Handbook, and where we are today understanding the impact of minerals on our water.

I strongly recommend listening to the two episodes before this one first Getting great water for coffee, step-by-step & The two ingredients in water that ruin your coffee, and the ancient story behind them

Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee! Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story Write a review on Apple Podcasts

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Want to go deeper into water chemistry?

Read the SCA’s Water Quality Handbook BWT White Paper on the effects of magnesium (German) Christopher Hendon’s Instagram where he’ll announce his new version of his book, Water for Coffee Do an online Certificate of Advanced Studies at the Coffee Excellence Centre

Season 3 of The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations:

The Coffee Quest | BWT | TODDY | Algrano | Probat

Note: this is a reworked version of my 2022 episode Water for Brewing Coffee, including portions of my 2024 episode How to think like a scientist, part 2.

Check out Standart, the award-winning coffee magazine. Get a free magazine and a free bag of coffee by clicking here. How does Perfect Moose detect what kind of milk is in the pitcher? Click here to find out. What kind of racing car does the Gaggia Classic GT home espresso machine remind you of? Use discount code FS202610 to get 10% off. What does the Marco MilkPal look like to you? WALL-E? Something Steve Jobs would be proud of? Check it out here.

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Hot vs Cold: The science behind temperature and taste

Hot vs Cold: The science behind temperature and taste

For years, I used cold brew as a last resort—the only brew method to tame dark, oily beans that were too bitter for hot water.    Then one day, I took a chance on a Guatemalan Gesha and brewed it cold...

3 Feb 202545min

Introducing: Season 3 of The Science of Coffee

Introducing: Season 3 of The Science of Coffee

We’re back with another series of The Science of Coffee—and this time we’re diving even deeper into coffee’s hidden microscopic secrets!   Over the past year, narrative audio producer and coffee profe...

27 Jan 20252min

Freshness and Grinding, Part 2: How grinders work deep inside

Freshness and Grinding, Part 2: How grinders work deep inside

Deep inside your coffee grinder, tiny changes can have massive consequences.  This episode takes you deep inside Mahlkönig’s grinders to show you how coffee is ground and the importance of particle ...

6 Maj 202447min

Freshness and Grinding, Part 1: Protecting your coffee’s flavours

Freshness and Grinding, Part 1: Protecting your coffee’s flavours

For your coffee to taste its best, it’s crucial you buy fresh roasts and grind fresh.… .….Or maybe not.  When I began creating this episode, I was convinced that ‘fresh is best’. But, after delving i...

22 Apr 202449min

What Is Good Science? Part 2: How to think like a scientist

What Is Good Science? Part 2: How to think like a scientist

In the last episode, I discovered that rinsing my Chemex filter papers was a waste of time! As a result I’ve managed to claw back over seven days of my life left on earth.  But why stop there?  The ...

8 Apr 202455min

What Is Good Science? Part 1: How to brew coffee like a scientist

What Is Good Science? Part 1: How to brew coffee like a scientist

Should you rinse your filter paper before making a filter coffee? Almost everybody in coffee internet says you should.  But what if most of coffee internet was wrong? In this episode, I show you how...

25 Mars 202446min

Organic Coffee, Part 2: Why don’t we see more organic coffee farms?

Organic Coffee, Part 2: Why don’t we see more organic coffee farms?

Farming coffee organically is amazing because soils are more alive, birds and insects are more plentiful, farmers avoid getting sick with agrochemicals. But, if it’s so great, why is less than 10% o...

13 Mars 202441min

Organic Coffee, Part 1: The magic of soil

Organic Coffee, Part 1: The magic of soil

The world’s farming soils are deteriorating quickly. Conventional coffee farming where plants are grown using agrochemicals allowed farmers to reap huge harvests these last 70 years. But these agroch...

26 Feb 202438min

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