There’s no doubt Australians love their coffee. Most of us start our day with a cup of our favourite brew and so much attention has been paid to the freshness and variety of coffee beans and types of milk. But what about water – coffee’s main ingredient?

One of the most distinct movements in our coffee culture over the last decade has been the shift to replicating barista quality coffee at home. Manufacturers have gone to great length to develop innovative home espresso machines and coffee products (like pods) to satisfy coffee lovers’ desire to create an authentic home brew.

Why do cafés install commercial grade filters for their espresso machines? 

That’s right, almost all cafés use commercial grade filters to filter water before it enters their espresso machine.

Why? Even though Australia have great water with strict quality control in place, the water from our tap can be compromised by our infrastructure. Before water arrives in our homes, commercial properties or schools, it would’ve travelled through kilometres of pipes of varying age and conditions, some can be up to 50 years old. This means you are likely to find rust or debris in the pipes which results in water carrying impurities such as heavy metals (like Lead and Copper), sediment, and other unwanted impurities.  (find out what contaminants water can pick up from pipes, click here). 

As coffee is largely made up by water, some of the undesirable contaminants can impact the aroma, acidity and mouthfeel of the coffee. Furthermore, they could also have a large impact on the functioning of the espresso machines (click here to find out how your appliances can be affected by impurities).

A simple way to produce a great cup at home: fresh coffee beans and filtered water.

For the perfect cup at home, you need to start with quality ingredients. BRITA filtered water powered by our innovative microflow technology (click here to find out more about MICROFLOW Technology) is a simple solution to ensure you have the best quality water available for tea and coffee.

Whatever type of machine you use in your home – espresso, capsule or percolator – it’s important to keep it clean and free of limescale. This will not only improve the taste of your coffee, but it will safeguard your investment in the home-brewed coffee experience.