Remove the chlorine from the water before making coffee.

[Ron R]

I use Brita water filter off the tap and it works OK if you want a nice cup of coffee of tee with out a chemical taste or scent. In the spring time in Alberta Canada the Municipalities and cities add more chlorine to water for safety concerns from spring time river run offs so at the end of the tap water that is exhausting is their greatest concern goal after that it is up to owners of homes to make it better if possible.
I have been using Brita for about 15 years and it works good enough and change the filter every 4 months.
The Brito tap base unit I have to replace on average about every 16-24 months it seems, the price I pay for quality water.
There is a cheaper Brito version similar to this unit, the photo shown model works the best & lasts longer IMO.(reason I took the picture if folks are interested!)

Have a great day!

 

[Quaznoid]

Sounds like a lot of trouble. In the morning, I want my coffee ASAP. I load my drip coffee maker with coffee and water the day before. In the morning, all I have to do is push a button. By the time I go to the bottom of the driveway and back to get the paper my first cup is ready. I don’t want any complexity added to this routine.

 

[Herrenberg]

Sounds like a lot of trouble. In the morning, I want my coffee ASAP. I load my drip coffee maker with coffee and water the day before. In the morning, all I have to do is push a button. By the time I go to the bottom of the driveway and back to get the paper my first cup is ready. I don’t want any complexity added to this routine.

Here's how deep the well of complexity has gotten for me.

1. Roast the coffee
2. Prepare a gallon jug of reverse-osmosis water with added potassium and magnesium
3. Grind right before brewing
4. Heat French press by running hot water into it
5. Add to French press. Fill 1/3 with water
6. Add water to coffee cup, put in microwave, set timer to 3 1/2 minutes (this helps the coffee stay hot)
7. Stir up the contents of the French press (the coffee will have risen and formed a cap on the top; this breaks it up)
8. Add the rest of the water. Set timer
9. When microwave is done, dump the water out of the headed cup
10. When the timer goes off, press and pour and dump out the grounds and rinse.

I regret not a single step; anyway, I could do it all in my sleep now, except the roasting. The coffee is really good.

 

[TexLaw]

Sounds like a lot of trouble. In the morning, I want my coffee ASAP. I load my drip coffee maker with coffee and water the day before. In the morning, all I have to do is push a button. By the time I go to the bottom of the driveway and back to get the paper my first cup is ready. I don’t want any complexity added to this routine.

Then something like a Brita pitcher or tap filter is about perfect.

 

[Old Hippie]

In the spring time in Alberta Canada the Municipalities and cities add more chlorine to water for safety concerns from spring time river run offs...

Here in BC, too. We live next to the North Thompson River. Our community water system is being choked by a large sandbar. Every spring they use a lot of chlorine, then have to add even more because there's a lot of manganese tied up in the sand and it eats chlorine. This is why we have a well.

We have moderately hard water -- makes excellent ales -- and no chlorine. All I do is run it through a 5-micron filter to take out some of the iron.

O.H.

 

[Ron R]

Here in BC, too. We live next to the North Thompson River. Our community water system is being choked by a large sandbar. Every spring they use a lot of chlorine, then have to add even more because there's a lot of manganese tied up in the sand and it eats chlorine. This is why we have a well.

We have moderately hard water -- makes excellent ales -- and no chlorine. All I do is run it through a 5-micron filter to take out some of the iron.

O.H.

The Peace River in Northern Alberta changes all year round with changes of the seasons it seems + Dams regulate the water output also. Nature rules most of the time it seems!

 

[learningeveryday18]

I stumbled by accident how important it is to remove chlorine from the water before brewing coffee.

Tap water in the public water supply most anywhere in the USA is treated with small amounts of chlorine gas. It dissolves in the water & kills bacteria and micro-organisms. Where I live in Maryland, more chlorine is used in warm weather & less in cold weather. I can easily smell it in the summer.

I learned that chlorine in the water has a negative effect on brewed coffee. It’s hard to describe, but to me it adds a slightly “burned and/or bitter flavor” to coffee. (I used quotes only because that’s how I describe it to myself, but I don’t know if that really means anything to others.)

There are two easy ways to remove chlorine from water. 1) Bring the water to a full boil. 2) Pass the water through a filter that contains activated charcoal, such as a Britta filter. These filters do need to be replaced as they get used. Both methods work.

How did I learn this? I already knew from years in a lab that chlorine, bromine, & iodine gas are easily dissolved in cold water, and that they kill micro-organisms. As the water temperature goes up, those gasses become less & less soluble. Shortly before water boils, those gases come completely out of water. Chlorine gas is colorless, but you can easily see bromine gas (amber) and iodine gas (purple) as they come off the top the water’s surface. I remember camping where there was well water, treated with iodine. In the morning, boiling water for some instant coffee and instant oatmeal, I distinctly remember seeing a very brief gasp of purple vapor coming off the water, shortly before it boiled.

In my early just-married days, I made coffee with a simple Melitta drip pot. They still sell them today. I first boiled water in a kettle, and then poured a little onto the grounds to wet them. A few minutes later, I poured the rest of the water over the grounds. It was simple, and worked great.

As time went by, I eventually got a number of cheap electric drip coffee makers. They were easier to use, but the coffee never seemed to taste as good. Out of nostalgia, one weekend, I got out that old Melitta drip pot & made coffee. Surprisingly, it tasted better. Everything was the same except the drip pot, and that I boiled the water in a kettle. I had already read somewhere how most inexpensive electric drip makers didn’t actually heat water much above roughly 180-185°F. That was said to be due to the cheaper 1,000 Watt heaters in those makers. So, I wondered, if it doesn’t boil the water, it might not drive off the chlorine.

The next day, I tested that idea in the electric drip pot using water from a Britta filter. It tasted no different from coffee made with the Melitta pot! That had to be the answer! Remove the chlorine and no more burned, bitter taste.

I later learned that Technivorm uses more expensive 1,400 Watt heaters in their Moccamasters. They got water hotter. The next time the cheap heating element in my electric drip pot died, I sprung for a Technivorm. That was sometime around 2005 or 2006. I still use it today. And just in case, I also use water filtered through activated charcoal.

I thought readers might enjoy learning about a simple way to improve your daily caffeine hit. I have no idea if this also improves espresso. I don't make it at home.

Great and informative share. Thank you...................

 

[learningeveryday18]

Had to share this...

 

[DAVIDY97]

Our tap water is fine. I don't mind using it.

 

[kombivan]

I don't thinkthe clorine is bad in the coffee where I live we have plastic and steel piped from Bootawa Dam all the way and No asbestos pipes that were put in up until the 1970's our old house was supplied with asbestos pipes and gal and the water tasted so disgusting saying it tasted like **** would be a compliment. Yes I worked in the pipeing industry thats how I know what went where in what year in our area. It's part of the reason I purchased this block of land and built my house here.

 

[Deano]

Last time i tested my tap water it was 2 ppm chloramine. Toxic to fish, which is why I tested it. My dog, my reptile and myself drink bottled spring water. I also use it for teas and coffee.

 

[saf]

This is a deep rabbit hole. I am now buying distilled water and adding minerals to it just for my coffee. I have talked to people in the industry and ind it’s impossible to have the right water for different coffees and roasts. I have a pretty simple recipe and shoot for 140-160 and it works pretty well for the beans I end up using. Oh I add epsom salts baking soda and potassium carbonate.