Every coffee beverage is a combination of water and coffee. In fact, water makes up 90 – 99% of the most important components in every espresso or filter coffee. Now, BWT and Die Kaffeemacher, two key players in the fields of water and coffee, are entering into a partnership.
“Water offensive” is what Benjamin Hohlmann, coffee expert and Brewers Cup Swiss Champion 2014, calls it. “Coffee offensive” is what Otto Wyss, engineer and water expert at BWT, calls it. Both are experts in their fields and know well: when water and coffee meet, it gets interesting. Because in coffee, the quality of water is revealed. And it is only through water that coffee becomes a beverage.
Good water is a prerequisite
Basically, every coffee beverage consists largely of water. An espresso, strictly speaking, is a solution of 10% coffee particles and 90% water. A filter coffee, on the other hand, contains only 1.35% particles and correspondingly just over 98.5% water. These figures alone illustrate the significant role of water in coffee.
“The importance of water for coffee is often underestimated,” says Philipp Meier, judge at international coffee championships and sensory course instructor at Die Kaffeemacher. “Water itself, on the one hand, adds its own flavor to the coffee beverage. On the other hand, the mineral and organic composition of water also strongly influences the extraction ability.”
And it is here that it becomes clear that making coffee is, strictly speaking, a chemical process that depends on numerous factors. If water is very mineral, there is not only the risk of coffee machines calcifying, but also that the water is already too saturated to absorb coffee particles.
Coffee Water Partnership
“This is exactly where our partnership will come into play,” interjects Werner Salzmann, Division Manager water+more at BWT. Joint training sessions will show private individuals, restaurateurs, and coffee technicians how water influences the extraction of coffee. “We are very excited about the partnership with Die Kaffeemacher,” says Werner Salzmann. “With their coffee academy, their numerous coffee training courses, and their sensory training, they are the perfect partner for us to demonstrate the importance of water.”
Benjamin Hohlmann of Die Kaffeemacher also looks optimistically at the collaboration. “With its various filter systems, BWT offers the right tool for every type of water to create the perfect water. The partnership represents an absolute win-win situation. We can learn more about water and thus improve our coffee. BWT learns from us about coffee – a perfect medium to test the quality of water.”
The first training courses of the alliance have already been announced. Three intensive six-hour training sessions and several 1.5-hour evening courses are planned. More information about the course is available here.
Water and coffee in the media
- Beobachter Natur: Water as important as coffee
- Coffee Water – Results and Recommendations
