Espresso Machines: Testing Water & Filter Selection

Рет қаралды 16,181

Күн бұрын

A dive into water quality for espresso machines. How to test water and select the right filter based on testing. Learn how to get the best flavor and protect espresso machines from limescale deposits. Sergio Barbarisi of BWT Italy shows you how to test for total hardness and alkalinity. BWT filtering and treatment options use patented magnesium ion-exchange to better extract the good flavor acids from coffee while protecting machines from limescale deposits. Find out why using old school sodium based water softening is not good for coffee flavor, why using bottled water can present problems in regards to coffee flavor and scale, and how to deal with whole house water softening systems.
Chapters
00:00 Water Quality is Important!
01:20 Why Limescale Forms
02:20 Testing Total Hardness
04:30 Testing Alkalinity
05:30 Test Results/PPM
06:40 Filter Selection Chart
07:58 Softening with Sodium?
08:25 Filter Options
10:20 Bottled Water?
11:35 Remineralizing
12:40 No Scale/Great Flavor!
13:05 Whole House Softening
Products
BWT Water Test Kit: www.wholelattelove.com/produc...
BWT Bestsave S Anti Scale Filter: www.wholelattelove.com/produc...
BWT Penguin 2.7 L Water Pitcher: www.wholelattelove.com/produc...
BWT Bestmax Premium Filter Package w/Besthead FLEX: www.wholelattelove.com/produc...
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Products
BWT Water Test Kit: www.wholelattelove.com/produc...
BWT Bestsave S Anti Scale Filter: www.wholelattelove.com/produc...
BWT Penguin 2.7 L Water Pitcher: www.wholelattelove.com/produc...
BWT Bestmax Premium Filter Package w/Besthead FLEX: www.wholelattelove.com/produc...
WHOLE LATTE LOVE
Get expert advice on products to best fit your needs. Talk to our experts via chat or email: www.wholelattelove.com/contac...
Whole Latte Love on Social Media
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Пікірлер: 75

@erlynlopez9731 2 жыл бұрын

That joke was funny Marc.. I laughed it was funny to me...your the best......keep it up....

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hi EL, Think I caught Sergio off guard. Maybe a little something lost in translation. Marc

@SailingSVEasy Жыл бұрын

Finally a clear explanation. Brilliant. Thank you so much Sergio and Mark.

@Wholelattelovepage Жыл бұрын

Happy to help! Marc

@elephantcup 7 ай бұрын

Fantastic. Bravo Sergio. Simple and clear.

@Wholelattelovepage 7 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it!

@nikkisemple5191 Жыл бұрын

This was a fabulously informative video. Terrific

@Wholelattelovepage Жыл бұрын

Hi Nikki, Thanks a whole latte for the comment! Marc

@JakeMsnow 2 жыл бұрын

Mark!! Soo good to see you back! Love the beard!

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Jake, Nice to be here - thanks for the comment! Marc

@victorceicys7140 2 жыл бұрын

Superb teaching points, and served with a bit of humor. Great, bravo.

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Victor, Thanks for the comment! Marc

@DavidPetryk 2 жыл бұрын

Great video

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks David! Marc

@SonicOrbStudios 6 ай бұрын

Does this alow you to rest for things like the Bestcup M that mounts in your machine?

@cosmeticsandpurseswithevelyn 2 жыл бұрын

Wow how important it is to know the kind of water that is being used in an expensive expresso machine, like who knew it would damage the heating source 🤔

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Evelyn, Thanks for the comment. Yes it is very important to control the minerals to avoid creating what is essentially limestone in boilers and other passages within the machine. Marc

@calisson47 2 жыл бұрын

I was using a BWT Penguin for my Gaggia Classic with my city's 68PPM water. I descaled, but less frequently than otherwise--every five months or so. Then my brew head stopped putting water out (I had cleaned the solenoid only a few months prior) and I opened up the whole machine. My boiler was CAKED with heavy scale. It certainly reduced any faith I had in the BWT Penguin.

@PanzerIV88 2 жыл бұрын

You were changing the Penguin filter every how many liters? I use one since 2.5 years in my Rocket R58 along a Rocket pouch for water softening inside the tank, I change my BWT filter every 120L and never had any issue so far.

@calisson47 2 жыл бұрын

@@PanzerIV88 The answer is "apparently not often enough"?

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hi c, What city do you live in? I wonder if there's something else in the water like gypsum or chlorides. Rather unlikely water at 68ppm total hardness would result in scale - especially heavy caking!

@calisson47 2 жыл бұрын

@@Wholelattelovepage I am in Boston, and actually I just retested my water with a new water testing device. The 68PPM was in fact not what was coming out of my faucet -- it was 111, and then it was 87 out of the Penguin. I am now thinking that at least a good part of my problem was user error (= my own misunderstanding of the variables, and the actions I took-- or did not take--often enough). By the way, the water that goes into the Penguin is already pre-filtered with an under the sink Multipure Filter, but I don't know about gypsum or chlorides.

@Dan155 2 жыл бұрын

Where on the graph does the Penguin pitcher fall? Would be nice if you could expand on this

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hi KD, The Penquin pitcher falls in the Bestmax Premium section of the graph. Did mention the Penguin, Bestasave resin bags and Bestcup filters all do the same thing as the Bestmax Premium. Should have been more direct with that in the video. Marc

@Dan155 2 жыл бұрын

@@Wholelattelovepage thank you Marc

@bubbaO6 2 жыл бұрын

This was a great review of the water treatment process using a scientific lens. I have a breville oracle touch machine, and I use a reverse osmosis system as my water source. I remineralize my water with Third Wave water packets(espresso blend). This blend consists of magnesium sulfate, potassium bicarbonate, and calcium citrate. The TDS is around 120-130 after mixing the packets with the water. Since the packets have calcium citrate instead of calcium carbonate, will this prevent scale buildup in the boilers? I want to know if this is a good solution for espresso water, or if I should remineralize another way. Thanks!

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Bill, Hard to be certain as I have not tested Third Wave remin products. Only way to know for sure is to test total hardness and carbonate hardness (alkalinity). At a TDS of 120-130 there may be some scale potential. But with some of the hardness coming from magnesium that potential is likely reduced compared to typical tap water which gets most of its hardness from calcium. Marc

@bubbaO6 2 жыл бұрын

@@Wholelattelovepage Thanks Marc! I'll have to test it out

@denisaschkenasi564 6 ай бұрын

Hey Mark, One again a great video. Thanks a lot for that. One question I cannot find an answer anywhere: how to detect that the maximum capacity of the filter is reached? I'm using bwt best save m. I know the dH but my maschine ist not measuring the water going out. Cheers from Germany, Denis

@Wholelattelovepage 6 ай бұрын

Hi Denis, You will need to estimate. Bestsave ranges from 100 liters treatment capacity at 10 dKH to 50 liters at 20dKH. If your machine has a 2 liter reservoir, your water is 10dKH and you fill daily you would change the filter every 50 days. Hope that helps! Marc

@oldgeezersendurochannel8487 Жыл бұрын

Very helpful video, but unfortunately I still have a couple of questions. I have a plumbed machine and installed your BWT Premium S Filter Cartridge and have been running it with bypass on #3. I've now purchased the BWT water hardness test kit so I can know if I'm actually doing things right. The Total Hardness check was 3 drops and worked pretty much like your video, color change was immediate on 3rd drop. The Carbonate test though took 12 drops and color change was very gradual, unlike the video. I just received the kit and the Carbonate bottle has an expire date of 10.2022 which is odd since the total hardness is 3.2023. Question 1: Does the carbonate test seem normal for the gradual change in color? i.e. can I trust it? Question 2: Assuming the numbers are accurate, according to your graph my hardness should only require the Besttaste filter but the alkalinity puts me into the Premium which is what I have. I think I'm protecting my machine with the Premium but I don't want to leave any flavor out of the cup. What to do, what to do... Question 3: The table in the filter manual gives a recommended bypass setting based on ppm but which ppm? The total hardness ppm or the carbonate ppm? Sorry for being long winded but I've spent a lot of money on this filtration system and just want the best possible coffee I can get. Thanks a ton for putting all this information out there for us.

@homewiththeharveys6215 Жыл бұрын

@michel7339 6 ай бұрын

En what do you Do you recommend for the bypas on the head of the bwt water filter, there are 3 positions on it, is it 1, 2 or 3

@Wholelattelovepage 6 ай бұрын

Hi m, Hopefully your BWT filter came with a manual/reference chart that lists the blend setting (bypass setting) based on your water hardness. If not, here are settings for a BWT Bestmax Premium filter by dKH (German hardness): 7 dKH or less = 3 8-14 dKH = 2 17 or higher = 1 Marc

@SavoirLife Жыл бұрын

Excellent presentation Mark. Just to be clear are you saying that we can continue to use bottled water in say a Rocket Mozzafiato V, safely when you add a BWT Best Save? By using the Bestsave there is no need to test the bottled water because the pouch will regulate the water quality? Is that right?

@Wholelattelovepage Жыл бұрын

Hi SB, Thanks for the kind comment! Bottled water plus the Bestsave works! Only caveat is do not use bottled Mineral Water! Marc

@PanzerIV88 2 жыл бұрын

Question Marc: I use since 2.5 years a BWT Penguin for my Rocket R58 and change the filters every 120L rather than as soon as the light blinks way too early. I use the pitcher for my machine and drinking water too, however... I ALSO use inside my water reservoir, a softening pouch from Rocket since day 1 as I've been told to do it to extend the life of my boilers. I change that one once a year while doing 2 espresso a day. The BWT guy from the video said those pouch are good at softening water but kills the flavor as it is a bad extractor "sodium". Does that mean it will always be way better to use one than do nothing at all... but if I use the Penguin already, I would still be safe as for limescale while also having a better tasting cup WITHOUT the pouch?!? O_o

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hi P, No need to double up with the softening pouch. So long as your water does not have edge case issues like high gypsum or chlorides the Penguin pitcher will protect you from scale and produce better flavor as magnesium is a better extractor than sodium.

@biniyammengistab6553 2 жыл бұрын

The BWT best cup m package is discontinued (out of stock on your site, too). What’s the best alternative for that (something that plugs into a Gaggia classic pro)? Thx!

@Wholelattelovepage Жыл бұрын

in stock here: www.wholelattelove.com/products/bwt-bestcup-premium-m-water-filter-cartridge

@tlee7429 2 жыл бұрын

I have a whole house soft water salt system that then runs to the RO system in the kitchen. I use this for my espresso machine. What product do you recommend and do you sell water testers?

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hi T Lee, Test kit used in video available here: www.wholelattelove.com/products/bwt-hot-beverage-water-hardness-test-kit Unfortunately currently out of stock. You can use other test kits. You will need one for total hardness and carbonate hardness (alkalinity) If test results read in German degrees you can use those test results with graph in video. If test gives results in parts per million (PPM) then dive each result by 17.9 to convert to German degrees. Some options with whole house sodium softener: 1. Your sodium softener may have a bypass which mixes back in some unsoftened water. If so, you (or a plumber) could adjust the amount of bypass so there is some calcium in the water but not so much that you'd have a scaling problem. If you do that do not run the water through the RO. 2. Your RO system may have a bypass which allows mixing back some softened water. This would give you some minerals in the water in the form of sodium. As mentioned in the video coffee flavor is better with mineral content coming from calcium or magnesium. But if you're not super picky flavor may be good enough for you. 3. If your RO does not have a bypass and produces essentially mineral free water you can remineralize with the BWT Bestmin filter cartridge: www.wholelattelove.com/products/bwt-bestmin-premium-m-filter-cartridge

@kpurpose1078 2 жыл бұрын

Should you still use a filtered water pitcher like the penguin or peak water to filter your water first then add that water to your boiler if you use the Best Save M Anti Scale Filter in your water reservoir? Would that be over doing things?

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hi K, No need to do both as they do the same thing. Marc

@StevenJNYC 4 ай бұрын

Say you treat the water and you have a filter in your water container within the machine (I have a Breville Oracle) does that counteract or enhance the benefits?

@Wholelattelovepage 4 ай бұрын

Hey Steven, thanks for the question. Some old Breville filters I'm familiar with did not do any softening of water - the smaller "squishy" ones. Some of their newer filters (in plastic case) do have some ion-exchange so likely soften the water. Neither type will counteract benefits but the plastic type but may be redundant If your treatment softens and dechlorinates the water prior to use.

@Magnemand 11 ай бұрын

Hi guys. I use a limescale water filtration (Brita) and I'm able to get my tap water levels down to a Total Hardness of 5dH and Carbonate Hardness down to 4dH. After 2 weeks it goes up to 9dH of TH and 5dH of CH. So I bought the BestSave pad M for my 2ltr water tank (linea micra). After +10h it brought it down to 4dH of TH again - but due to a short weekend trip I didn't use the machine and the water tank for 2 days. When I tested the water from the tank again both the TH and CH was down to 1dH. So my question is - is it possible to overfiltrate with a pad that is in contact with the water for a longer period of time?

@Wholelattelovepage 11 ай бұрын

Hi M, thanks for the question. I'm going to forward it to the BWT water chemists for comment. A longer resident time with the filter could continue to reduce hardness but I believe there's a limit as the filter uses ion-exchange. So once it has exchanged out all the calcium ions for magnesium decreases in hardness should end. The surprising number to me is your total hardness.

@chookchack 2 жыл бұрын

Hi i have an RO system, can i use the besttaste filter for my espresso and for drinking water as well? If so, its gonna look like this: RO->bwt filter->accumulator then split to drinking spout and espresso line. We have been drinking RO water for a couple of yrs now and i just realized its not good for our body and i plan to remineralize. Will my diagram work?

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hi AB, Thanks for the question. Assuming your RO system doesn't already bypass some water around the RO membrane and mix back into the RO treated water (a common setup) then yes your diagram will work.

@lordkubikum 2 жыл бұрын

Hi, is this water good for drinking? Where I leave water is very hard and I don't want to use RO, because it wastes a lot of water. Maybe this filter and the Mg exchange makes good drinking water

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hi l, Yes - these products make excellent drinking water so long as the input water is safe to drink. Marc

@pulakbhatnagar Жыл бұрын

Hi, I have a question regarding the BWT bestsave pouches. I purchased a set from your website, and I use it with water that has the following values: Total ppm: 15-20ppm Sodium: 0.1mg / 100ml Magnesium: 0.3mg / 100ml Calcium: zero As the water I use without any filtration, already has the above ideal values and is quite soft, will using the bestsave pouches add any further value? Will the bestsave pouches remove sodium and add more magnesium than already present?

@Wholelattelovepage Жыл бұрын

Hi pb, you have very interesting water values! Are you running an RO system? TDS of 15-20ppm is incredibly soft if that's what's coming straight out of your tap with no other treatment. The Bestsave filter will dechlorinate the water but I suspect yours is not chlorinated. Since the filter works by ion-exchange of calcium to magnesium I doubt it will add any minerals to your water. Water as soft as yours tends to over-extract coffee and may produce a flatter flavor due to low mineral level. Additionally, low mineral content water, over time can be corrosive to metals in your machine. For those reasons water experts suggest remineralization of water with your values. If running an RO system you could add an inline remineralization filter like this one: www.wholelattelove.com/products/bwt-bestmin-premium-m-filter-cartridge If using packaged water with those levels there are commercially available remin packets for smaller volumes or you can make your own for pennies per dose using baking soda and Epsom salt as I demonstrate in this video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n655as10ldm1iqM.html Hope that helps! Marc

@pulakbhatnagar Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the quick response Marc! If I take the water with above mentioned values, and add magnisium and buffer as suggested in the video you linked, will that be good to use with my machine? Or do I absolutely need distilled/RO water to start with? Will adding the buffer to the water I mentioned change its alkalinity in any way?

@jamesexline689 2 жыл бұрын

Does the BWT Penguin Water Pitcher soften hard water?

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hi James, Yes it does! Traditional water softeners use sodium to replace the calcium in tap water. Calcium causes hardness and scale deposits in combination with carbonates. The BWT Penguin Pitcher replaces calcium with magnesium to reduce water hardness and prevent scale when used as directed. Magnesium is better for coffee/espresso flavor as it's more effective at extracting the good flavor acids than calcium. www.wholelattelove.com/products/bwt-penguin-2-7-l-water-pitcher Marc

@SpeedisSpeed 3 ай бұрын

Can you hook up a sinchronica to a RO system?

@Wholelattelovepage 3 ай бұрын

Hi SisS, Yes, but you must either remineralize the RO water or use an RO system that has a bypass so you end up with some minerals in the water. RO systems with a bypass typically treat all input water with particle filter and activated carbon. Then some of that water is bypassed around the RO membrane so it retains some minerals. The other option is a remineralizing cartridge. This option from BWT uses magnesium to remineralize so you get the mineral level needed without risk of scale: www.wholelattelove.com/products/bwt-bestmin-premium-m-filter-cartridge Pure, zero TDS (no mineral) water from RO systems causes three issues. First, the fill level probe in the steam boiler will not work as it uses electrical conductivity of water to operate. No minerals in water = no conductivity. Second, pure RO water can be corrosive to metals with long term use. That's why RO systems do not use metal plumbing/components to carry treated water. Third pure RO water over-extracts coffee leading to poor flavor. Hope that helps! Marc

@SpeedisSpeed 3 ай бұрын

I believe RO water has some minerals that make it through. It is the RODI that makes it 0 TDS. @@Wholelattelovepage

@petervansan1054 2 жыл бұрын

Why not use evaporative distiller instead of filtering?

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hi PV, At first glance that makes a lot of sense. Problem is distilled water has no minerals and you want some minerals for good flavor when extracting coffee. Also, mineral free water can cause corrosion of metals in machines. You can use a distiller or reverse osmosis water so long as you remineralize before use in machine. Marc

@CartonOne 2 жыл бұрын

I stopped using the Penguin also, could not get any good coffee. Tried and tried. ROS system alone and works fine.

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Hi CO, Do you have other water quality issues beyond excessive hardness? Reason I ask is many who install RO systems do so to treat for less common issues beyond hardness, particulates and chlorination. If you're happy with flavor using RO that's great. Most tasters are not. Be aware that pure 0 TDS water from an RO system can cause metals to corrode over time. Hopefully your system mixes back in some water that did not go through the RO membrane to remineralize the water prior to use.

@CartonOne 2 жыл бұрын

@@Wholelattelovepage oooh Thanks a lot, I forgot to mention I use remineralizer at the end. 😂 💗

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

@@CartonOne Then you're good to go! I just never know what some people have as far as RO and sodium softeners. Some have bypasses, some don't. Some remin and some don't. Some have no idea how their system works. I run into a bunch who think pure RO is the way to go - not a good idea for machine health or flavor. Marc

@PlantswithCoffee Ай бұрын

it's confused me when u said '' the water that has less mineral content will be weak on extracting coffee that leads to more extracting high acidity"...

@Wholelattelovepage Ай бұрын

Hi PwC, Water that's low in mineral content tends to over-extract.

@PlantswithCoffee Ай бұрын

@@Wholelattelovepage exactly… that is why in brewing when water is hard we tend to extract less compounds from the coffee while soft water are always extracting more compounds from the coffee. Thank you for the clarifications. The rest are very informative, im actually using bwt hot drink test kit to check my water alkalinity and total hardness so i came up with your channel.

@400080vikkash Жыл бұрын

What do you do if the first drop you put in the water does not change color? Keep dropping drops before it turns pink and then your count total for green? Or how does that's work?

@batterystarter 2 жыл бұрын

1st? 🤷🏻‍♂️

@Wholelattelovepage 2 жыл бұрын

Yes you are! Marc

@paul--b 2 жыл бұрын

Why would you not test the bottled water that people actually use I.e. Crystal Geyser? So disingenuous.

@youraveragebreakfastcereal5285 Жыл бұрын

They're in new York I doubt they have water available or how common it is from pnw. Bottled water varies drastically regionally, they were just proving the point that different bottled water has different properties. Even the same "brands" source from varying springs/sources in a given market. Dasani and Aquafina use municipal sources in varying parts of the country. Nestle, who bottles Poland spring also bottles Ozarka in the part of the country I live in and Ozarka has different sources/springs depending on region, even though the same brand is sold in multiple states. Usually they will bottle water from a source and sell in the same place because most regulations allow intrastate bottled water to be sold without publicizing water quality standards.