Humidification & Water Systems

Formulated water for coffee & tea

Without water we might never have been introduced to the pleasures of coffee or indeed tea. It is a crucial part of the brewing / an extraction process and is therefore found in every cup of coffee or tea we drink. The true role it plays in brewing either of these is often overlooked or simply misunderstood.

In recent years our palettes have become more sophisticated than perhaps ever before, as consumers we have become more discerning and where water is concerned, many people now buy mineral water to drink, or have domestic water filters to remove unwanted flavours, odours and even sediment.

At the simplest level we should accept that unpleasant tasting water might well have an undesirable effect on the flavour of a cup of coffee. It is often noted that a cup of coffee or tea will taste different in different parts of the country or world despite having used the same brands of coffee or tea as raw materials. Quite clearly it is the water, the frequently overlooked raw material, which affects the flavour together with the other components used to make up a cup.

Moving on from the action that water might have at a simple level, the next step is to accept that when coffee is made, particularly espresso, chemical reactions will be taking place that will have their own affect on the final flavour achieved. These can, depending upon the makeup of the water, be beneficial or detrimental to its ultimate flavour.

With all of the above in mind you may already be wondering just what can be achieved by employing a good clean water supply with a specific mineral makeup, in conjunction with the other components of a cup which are basically constants.

The coffee bean is chosen specifically for its qualities. It is then roasted to a predetermined colour, ground to a certain size, tamped down correctly, then the water is delivered at a specific temperature, at a specific pressure, for a specific time and usually the latter part of this process is performed by a trained coffee maker or Barrista. Yet, up until now, virtually no care has been taken over the quality of the water being used, other than to be sure that it will not create lime scale deposits in the coffee making equipment.

PENDRED Water Systems utilise a variety of water filtration technologies to cater for the varying needs of the coffee market, given the varying local water qualities experienced across the globe.

These systems range from simple Taste and Odour Control Systems, to Water Softeners, to full Reverse Osmosis Systems which will remove sediment, chlorine and reduce Total Dissolved Solids or TDS and hardness by 95 to 99%.

Water Softening

Within the coffee industry it has long been accepted that some form of water treatment is required for any installation in hard water areas. This is because without suitable protection the equipment used to make the coffee will suffer due to the high content of scaling minerals in the water, calcium, magnesium and manganese being the main problem.

In the hard water areas, London being one, people will be used to seeing scale in their kettles and possibly de scaling showerheads on a regular basis with one of the proprietary brands of de-scaler available.

If this degree of damage and maintenance is transferred to a commercial operation, the problem of addressing hardness alone in water will become quite clear, before even considering taste, colour, odour etc.

As has already been indicated, hardness can be overcome with one of the many proprietary water-softening devices available. These most commonly employ a form of ion exchange filter, which literally swaps the harmful calcifying ions for sodium ones that have no ill effect on the equipment and render the water soft.

We have already suggested however that, although treatment by softeners does fully address the problem of equipment life and reliability, they do not take into consideration the flavour of the drink you are trying to sell. Exchanging calcium ions for sodium ions in the water actually impairs the infusion process and requires more coffee or tea to achieve the same flavour.

Water Softeners will remove hardness from the water supply by means of exchanging calcium ions in the water for sodium ones. The total count of minerals in the product water will remain at virtually the same level as the supply water, but the water will now be soft.

Water softeners are commonly used where scaling is a problem. There are several sizes and type of softener available, depending on the quantity of water required per day, the space available and budget.

PENDRED commonly employ a softener to pre treat the water prior to a Reverse Osmosis unit, which will extend the service life of the RO membranes. We would also connect the softened water to supply the hot water system and dishwasher present in most installations, to eliminate scaling and guarantee spot free washing.

Carbon Filters

Carbon filtration is a commonly used form of filtration, which should be used as a bare minimum by any coffee business, but usually in combination with a standard pre filter, whether you already use a softener or are supplied with naturally soft water.

Pre filtration is used to remove any physical sediment or organic matter from the water. The carbon will then neutralise the unpleasant taste and odour imparted by chlorine and can do much to reduce the levels of other organic chemicals and off flavour components of water.

Components commonly removed are iron, detectable in a cup of coffee at concentrations less than one part per million, hydrogen sulphide and manganese.

Reverse Osmosis Formulated Water

To remove other mineral flavours and also reduce Total Dissolved Solids or (TDS) to an acceptable level, (including any sodium added through the use of a softener), the best method available is Reverse Osmosis Membrane Technology. This is a broad-spectrum water treatment unit that will remove the cations and the anions, it will reduce alkalinity and it will break everything down into an area where it should be.

Reverse Osmosis has not previously been well represented in the speciality coffee industry. It has often been said that this kind of filtration unit will leave the water too pure for good quality coffee making.

Although this is true of pure RO water, the way around it is to pass the water through an additional chamber to replace small traces of minerals and give the water sufficient substance to react with the coffee.

Through this method we are able to select the minerals we choose to return to the water and thus mould the characteristics of the water around the requirements of coffee making. This leaves the proper amount and types of minerals after the membrane to allow the correct infusion process to take place.

Hydrogen exchange units (Brita style)

These popular cylinder units are known as Ion Exchange Softeners, which effectively reducing the hardness of city water by removing the Calcium and exchanging it for Hydrogen. Whilst this does not affect the total mineral and chemical content of the water it does remove the hardness which is responsible for the scaling experienced in brewers and boilers. They require little space and can be installed easily.

However, despite Pendreds lower costs, they can be costly to use per litre of water produced in the long term. They require regular exchange units to be fitted at varying expense on a regular basis. Also, unless they are replaced at the appropriate time, which can be difficult to determine due to varying qualities of water provided by water companies into one area or even one street, large quantities of calcium can be released into water boilers causing excessive scaling and thus negating the benefits to be had from the system from the outset.

Conclusion

We at PENDRED Water Systems have been involved in the business of water filtration installation and service for over ten years and have established strong links with one of Americas leaders in the supply of coffee specific water filtration units. They already supply names such as Starbucks, Peets Coffee & Tea, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Seattles Best, Diedrichs Coffee, Kellys Coffee and also come recommended by the Speciality Coffee Association of America for achieving their Gold Cup Award for flavour.

Through the right choice in filtration your company will: -

* Increase Profits by reducing the amount of coffee or tea required for full flavour
* Increase Customer Satisfaction
* Increase % of repeat customers in a highly competititve market
* Reduce Equipment Maintenance costs
* Improve equipment performance/life
* Reduce downtime on equipment
* Reduce the cost on water treatment
* Improve the flavour of your tea and coffee product!

The Equipment

Hydrogen Exchange Units (Brita Style)

These popular cylinder units are known as Ion Exchange Softeners, which effectively reducing the hardness of city water by removing the Calcium and exchanging it for Hydrogen. Whilst this does not affect the total mineral content of the water it does remove the hardness which is responsible for the scaling experienced in brewers and boilers and buffer the flavour of the water to a degree. They require little space and can be installed easily.

The application for this system would be where chlorine is present in mains water and hardness is above 90 PPM. This system is ineffective in reducing total dissolved solids (TDS) but will combat scale above 90ppm of hardness.

System A Filter System

This taste and odour system will remove chlorine, sediment, reduce corrosion and will inhibit scale build up with mains water having under 85ppm of hardness. Filters used in this system are NSF listed and meet standard 42 with standard 53 options.

The application for this system would be where chlorine is present in mains water, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) are reading below 200ppm and hardness is under 85 PPM. This system is ineffective in reducing total dissolved solids (TDS) and will do little for scale reduction above 90ppm of hardness.

System B ®¢ Nano System

This system is designed to meet the criteria for areas where hardness and TDS begin to be a problem. The application for this system would be where chlorine is also present, Total Dissolved Solids are reading between 200 and 400ppm and hardness is between 86 to 190ppm.

This system is two systems in one. First, where an ice machine is present in the store, a taste and odour system is employed, similar to the system A described above to provide it with plain filtered water. The second is the Nano system for brew water that reduces hardness by 85% and TDS by 50%.

The standard B system package also includes the system B mini softener.

System C & CM Reverse Osmosis Formulated Water System

This Formulated Reverse Osmosis system will remove sediment, chlorine, reduce TDS and hardness by 95 to 99% and produce up to 115 litres per hour (System C). Special feeder units in the formulated system adjust pH and adds back in desired minerals.

Applications would be where TDS is greater than 400ppm or Hardness is greater than 173ppm. This system always will be used with the System C Twin Tank Water Softener.

Depending upon the type of water required by the customer and the quality of water being fed to site, a variety of water filtration systems can be employed to achieve the desired results.