Start with better-tasting water

Try this first

Taste your drinking water. If it smells of chlorine or tastes unpleasant, compare your next brew with freshly filtered drinking water.

Keep it fair

• Use the same coffee, grind, dose, and method.
• Make a cup with your usual drinking water and another with filtered water.
• Taste after cooling a little. Notice sweetness, clarity, and aftertaste.
• Follow the filter maker’s cleaning and replacement instructions.

Keep it simple

Minerals affect brewing, but a custom mineral recipe is not needed to begin. Distilled water alone often makes a disappointing cup. Follow your espresso machine’s water and descaling requirements.