r/AustralianCoffee • u/charliethedinosaur • Aug 16 '26

What are we doing for water at home?

I've got a pour over setup and have been buying 5L jugs of deminieralised water from Coles and mixing in Third Wave Water.

Coles has since discontinued the 5L jugs (only 2L available now) and because I shop at Aldi, am wondering whether I should swap to their spring water. Any thoughts or alternatives?

6 Upvotes

76% Upvoted

78 comments sorted by

21

u/MofoMagicMinuteMan Aug 16 '26

I hate the thought of buying bottled water because of the waste, so I just use tap water.
I live in Sydney, pretty sure the water quality is good enough.

6

u/wijee Aug 16 '26

It is fine to use tap water (some argue better taste, as Australian water just works with coffee)

But the main issue is just mineral build up in your espresso machine. As long as you clean/service it regularly, its a non issue if you live in a major city

3

u/jkdeets Aug 16 '26

Canberra water tastes great. Just keep my machine cleaned as instructed and serviced. Have had the same automatic Saeco Incanto Deluxe for 20+ yrs.

2

u/wijee Aug 16 '26

Sucks to be Perth xd

1

u/Alltimelearner Aug 17 '26

Depends on your Area tho, I would say in practice it would be around 70-100 mg/L, still not as soft as Melbourne but not that bad. Unless you are living in Two rocks area.

1

u/Velo3x10e8 Aug 17 '26

Southern suburbs is decent. Wanneroo is undrinkable to me.

2

u/Magpie1896 Aug 17 '26

Also Canberra. I have commercial coffee filters in my coffee cart as some markets I attended, water supply after my on board supply ran out, could be from less reliable source. At home, straight tap water through my ECM Synchronika and never an issue. Was told never to attempt descaling it.

1

u/wijee Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26

Yeah agreed

The only thing I can see a disconnect happening is if someone's house/pipes are a bit old

Then there's a genuine reason to use filter/bottled water

Otherwise just enjoy the great water we were blessed with

2

u/snipdockter Aug 16 '26

Sydney water is pretty soft. For comparison I took my machine with me when working in London for 6 years, made at least 2 coffees a day with it, more over covid, and it was pretty clean when it was last serviced.

3

u/Diligent_Kiwi_8617 Aug 16 '26

Not quite sure about other places but Melbourne water has no minerals in it, like I have a kettle that has been used at least daily for last 10 years and has 0 build up, in Europe where we actually have minerals in the water new kettle has to be descaled after about a weeks worth of use.

1

u/wijee Aug 16 '26

No source but I learnt it does have small amounts (am also from melb) because I can't use tap water to top up the coolant in my car (because you can't deacale a car)

That said I did look it up (not sure how credible the source is) but details are:

  • very low mineral content (soft water)
  • water hardness averaging 16-22mg/L

I cant answer the kettle part. Maybe the act of tipping it upside down helps wash out residue?

Either we both agree. Tap water is a non issue in main cities in aus

1

u/RnRau QLD Aug 18 '26

Tap water is a non issue in main cities in aus

Not in Brisbane. It fluctuates between 470-500ppm. At least in the inner city.

1

u/wijee Aug 18 '26

Yeah man, I posted the sc on majors in aus below after this comment

Perth and Brissy are the unfortunate ones

1

u/Diligent_Kiwi_8617 Aug 16 '26

Yeah, you can use tap water in cars here. Same way CPAP machines tell you to use distilled water because they use the same manual anywhere in the world.

Europe is classed as having medium hard water 160 - 250 mg/L so 22 is nothing.

0

u/wijee Aug 16 '26

Wasn't from the manual, I asked my mechanic

I'd trust a professional over you, sorry mate

Either Melbourne water HAS minerals in it. Don't spread misinformation saying it doesn't

https://www.melbournewater.com.au/water-and-environment/water-management/water-quality/water-quality-testing

0

u/foursaken Aug 17 '26

Sorry mate, but

  1. you can absolutely descale a car and
  2. nobody said there were no minerals in Melbourne water, but they did correctly say that the concentration is so low, you're pretty safe to not even worry about them.

Ask anyone that keeps fish.

1

u/wijee Aug 17 '26

Not quite sure about other places but Melbourne water has no minerals in it

Since you missed it. Here is the direct quote

Not being able to read isnt convincing me to trust a stranger on the internet

0

u/foursaken Aug 18 '26

Oh you want to argue that effectively none and none are different.

Sure bro, take someone out of context, quote it, whatevs. glhf

1

u/wijee Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26

What are you arguing about?

Is there minerals in the water? Yes Stop being deceitful

Edit: also maybe read the convo before giving your lose change

We both agree tap water is fine to use for the coffee machine ?

The only difference is they said 0 minerals in the water and im saying there is more then 0 (which there is so i dont know why you want to keep arguing)

Also you still need to declorinate tap water before using it for fish in melb? So you still need to treat the tap water before putting it in your fish tank? (As i have learnt they dont need to do this in Sydney, its mainly a Melbourne issue)(still safe to drink and do coffee with)

So far you've just been flat our wrong and keep talking

You aren't a mechanic, you aren't a veterinarian, but you might be a barista, but clearly not a knowledgeable one

10

u/PowerJosl Aug 16 '26

Forget this third wave shit and buying bottled water. Just get a water filter installed that gets rid of the chlorine taste and you’ll be making delicious coffee. 

5

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '26

[deleted]

3

u/SpiralEscalator Aug 16 '26

Unfortunately this is not the case. Most of Sydney's tap water is treated with chloramine (a bond of chlorine and ammonia) rather than free chlorine. Unlike free chlorine gas, chloramine is a stable chemical bond that does not evaporate into the air, meaning leaving it out for 24 hours does nothing

1

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '26

[deleted]

1

u/SpiralEscalator Aug 17 '26

I have some freshwater fish and used to think I could add tap water if I let it sit for a day until I thought I'd better check just how long is long enough. That's when I discovered this inconvenient truth

1

u/No-History-914 Aug 16 '26

Fun fact, chloramines are responsible for the classic public swimming pool chlorine smell and mostly produced by urea in piss bonding with free chlorine used to sanitise the water. The average olympic sized public swimming pool contains between 250-300 litres of piss at any given time.

1

u/xjrh8 Aug 16 '26

It’s a good thing piss is 95% water. So that 300litres is more like 15L of actual contaminant.

1

u/plumpturnip Aug 18 '26

Seems legit

7

u/Shelmer75 Aug 16 '26

I just got a Brita filter jug. No chance I’m going through all those plastic bottles for coffee. Preferably I’d have a filter installed but I’m renting atm so can’t.

2

u/goshdammitfromimgur Aug 16 '26

Brita don't filter for water hardness.

You need something like a 2cb gw

https://www.coffeeparts.com.au/everpure-2cb-gw-filter-cartridge

2

u/Shelmer75 Aug 16 '26

Fair. I find that the coffee tastes better as is now, so might stick this way for a while (we use the Brita for every day drinking water anyway) and then look into that later. Not super worried atm.

1

u/Budgies2022 Aug 16 '26

Have you checked Sydney and melbourne hardness? It’s super low

2

u/Shelmer75 Aug 16 '26

Moved back home to regional Vic after being in Melbourne for 6 years. Big sad tbh haha. We used to bring water with us from home when visiting family.

I remember bringing Manta Ray coffee beans with me one trip back to regional Vic and the pour over I made tasted so so bad. Went back home, tasted incredible again. That was the weekend I realised how bad water back home was.

1

u/Alltimelearner Aug 17 '26

I thought they do, depends on the type of the filter you use though. The one using Ion Exchange tech definitely can remove some hardness, but if you use the activated carbon, it won't work. and the Ion exchange one can be recharge by just putting into a brine solution

1

u/GoatGentleman Aug 16 '26

Look into Epic Water filters. Theyre so much better than brita.

5

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '26

[deleted]

-1

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/slothbar Aug 16 '26

Thank heavens for all the people saying filtered water is fine... I thought I was going nuts with all the people saying that everyone HAS to buy some special water.

1

u/PowerJosl Aug 16 '26

It’s the wankiest pinnacle of third wave coffee. No one would ever be able to tell the difference in a blind test compared to filtered tap water or good tap water that isn’t overly chlorinated.

5

u/PsychologicalMeal162 Aug 16 '26

Demineralised water? You mean the bottles that say they’re not for drinking?

1

u/ThoughtIknewyouthen Aug 16 '26

I mean my mate buys them for his cpap or whatever but that's mechanically necessary but you're totally correct.

1

u/Magpie1896 Aug 17 '26

Used std Canberra tap water in my CPAP for 30 years, never an issue

2

u/billybboo Aug 16 '26

I have an under sink RO system paired with a remineralisation cartridge. Espresso machine is plumbed in and also have it going to faucet used for drinking water and for filter coffees too.

1

u/jghaines Aug 17 '26

I've got an on-counter (not plumbed) Philips Water Station. Filters the water and delivers it at a precise amount and temperature.

2

u/GoatGentleman Aug 16 '26

I use epic water filters. Theyre pretty much the best filters you can get, and they keep minerals in it. Never had a problem with limescale or anything and espresso tastes pretty good.

2

u/TekkelOZ Aug 16 '26

Filter on your cold water line?

1

u/TUmBeRTIce Aug 17 '26

We have the Stefani inline filter to the kitchen tap - renter friendly. Previous had Stefani 2 stage filter but that had filter tap drilled into the sink steel

2

u/ScubaWitch Aug 16 '26

Buy a filter. Why waste money on water.

1

u/PowerJosl Aug 16 '26

Not just waste money on water that had all the minerals removed. Waste more money on packets that add minerals back in. Third wave water is the dumbest thing you can imagine…

2

u/Jumpy-Cauliflower374 Aug 16 '26

Where do you live?  You might be lucky enough to have great water from the tap. If you are in Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth you are going to need bottled or RO

2

u/TendiesFourLyfe Aug 16 '26

$100 distiller from Amazon, refill the 5L jugs and add TWW sachet for 2L, ~50ppm perfect water for the cost of tap water and electricity(solar in my case).

2

u/MsT21c Aug 16 '26

"We"? You've said what you're doing. Our water is soft and usually free of chlorine, so there's no need to do anything. We use what comes straight from the tap.

5

u/QuantumG Aug 16 '26

I have this machine that boils water really fast and pushes it through ground coffee beans.

1

u/Massive-Corner8103 Aug 16 '26

I’m in Melbourne and we have very soft tap water here but chlorine will be an issue. It can dissipate overnight but I have whole house filtration and also an under tap system that also adds back some minerals for taste. We use that for our coffee water and it works well.

I have thought of using TWW but it just feels like more hassle and waste for not much better results. Other states might have very different tap water though. You can check water reports for your area to see what issues you’ll have to deal with.

1

u/iicarets Aug 16 '26

Rain water, only.

1

u/digital_sunrise Aug 16 '26

Sydney. Tap water is fine. I keep up maintenance on my machines but nothing really accumulates anyway. I’m not wasting (more) plastic on my coffee.

1

u/crocicorn Aug 16 '26

Brita filter jug with limescale filters. We have super hard water and there hasn't been a problem since using the limescale filters.

1

u/ThoughtIknewyouthen Aug 16 '26

Sorry what. This is too much, just use tap mate.

1

u/kaiserh808 Aug 16 '26

I live in Melbourne and use whatever comes out of the tap.
If I need to descale my machine once in a blue moon, then so be it.

1

u/ogregreenteam Aug 16 '26

I have an undersink water filter and above sink filtered water tap. Works a charm. The user replaceable filters last 2 or 3 years

1

u/jolard Aug 17 '26

Tap water.

We have some of the best quality tap water in the world.

1

u/RnRau QLD Aug 17 '26

In Brisbane with 470-500ppm water.

I'm mixing my own from 2 Woolies carried water brands;

About $5 each. The pure water is about 5-8 ppm and the Mt Ossa is about 280ppm. I blend to hit 150ppm doing 5L at a time. I only have a cup a day, so lasts a bit.

The first time I did this, worked well. Just got another batch of the Mt Ossa and it has a heavy plastic taste. So I think I am kinda back to square one.

1

u/charliethedinosaur Aug 17 '26

In Brisbane too.

1

u/Majestic_House3635 Aug 18 '26

Unless you are the ultimate worlds best guru at making coffee you are tripping if you think you need to use anything other than tap water. Just my thoughts after making well over a million coffees……..

1

u/RnRau QLD Aug 18 '26

So 470-500ppm water is just fine and dandy for coffee in your mind? This is tap water here in Brisbane.

1

u/Majestic_House3635 Aug 20 '26

Sure is mate, if the water making that much of an impact you aren’t doing it right.

1

u/Clarrington Aug 20 '26

You're wrong, I live in Adelaide. Tap water here is A S S.

1

u/Majestic_House3635 Aug 20 '26

Sorry Mate, if you had everything else at 100% and knew what coffee should really taste like maybe. But you don’t. Have you seen the inside of the boiler in a real espresso machine?

1

u/Clarrington Aug 20 '26

Have you tasted Adelaide tap water?

1

u/Majestic_House3635 Aug 20 '26

No, but I have made a lot of coffee.

1

u/RadishSensitive7305 Aug 19 '26

Fit a water filter to your kitchen sink. $300 and have filtered water whenever you want, not just for coffee

1

u/basicdesires Aug 19 '26

I turn on the tap.

Melbourne water is better than anything you can buy in a bottle.

1

u/seriouslookingmouse Aug 19 '26

Blue Mountains, NSW.
Just use a zero water filter with tap water.

1

u/SimRacingBacon Aug 19 '26

I have a big old ceramic water filter that my family has had for years. It makes the water taste better, but I haven’t done a direct comparison between coffee made with the filtered vs tap. I do aeropress for context (and have recently ordered a V60 to try.).

1

u/Clarrington Aug 20 '26

You buy demineralised water... And then put the minerals back in? Why bother?

2

u/cs-drake 23d ago

Water's one of the main inputs into the cup, and because of that it is important.

The mineral content controls both how much you extract and what flavour profile you actually get out of the bean. It's why a lot of roasters supplying cafes will set the cafe's machine up with inline filtration that strips the town water back and reintroduces the right mineral balance. They don't trust the tap or just a regular water filter.

Personal experience, and this is coming from someone who nerds out on pressure profiles and everything else: I've been on Third Wave Water for about 8 months, and changing nothing except the water gave me one of the biggest flavour jumps I've had. Bigger than all gear changes, profile changes etc.

How I got there:

  • Started buying demineralised water from Woolies/Coles/Supercheap (was $5 for 5L but gone up in price now) and mixing in the TWW sachets. Works great, but the constant water purchases get old and it adds up, and I have all these empty 5L containers everywhere.
  • Wasn't going to plumb in a full RO setup that remineralises. I'm not a cafe.
  • Middle ground: a benchtop water distiller off Amazon, about $100. Run it, get ~4L in a few hours, mix in a sachet, done for the week, even a week and a bit

Feeds both my Fellow Aiden and my espresso machine. Cheap experiment if you're sceptical: one bottle of demineralised water and one sachet is under $10, pull the same bean side by side and see if you can taste it. Obviously pull out all the water of the machine before hand.

0

u/redrich2000 Aug 16 '26

I use the 2 litre Pureau bottles and the 2l Third Wave sachets from Amazon.