• Beans

  • Are we too fussed about the notes in the coffee?

LMSC KH (Well, total alkalinity which I believe is the same thing) I can give you. It goes from over range on my meter (capable of 0-300 mg/L) to 112mg/L. I don’t have the drops for GH though, which I presume is what is referred to as “total hardness” in the pool world.

  • LMSC replied to this.

      😂 What do you mean “finally found it”? This was written 300 years ago…

      (worth watching for the staging as well as the singing, unless you are allergic to Baroque music)

      cjbailey1 That alkalinity range is on the higher side IMO. The 50mg/l to 60mg/l is typical range for espresso.

      The drop kit will give you an accurate reading. Please get it. It’s worth it. As Dave said, a lot of people here are very happy with Zero Water.

          LMSC I hate you all (not really, but I suspect my wallet will shortly)… I know I should have been thinking about my water before but I’ve been content with where I was! Looks like I will probably end up going down the murky path of RO in reality, the worktop machines aren’t too bad space wise as I should be able to get rid of the kettle with an instant hot water module. Lots to think about.

          • LMSC replied to this.

              cjbailey1 Well. You can use Zero Water jug. We have members who are very happy with it. If you are not making too many espressos and steaming, the zero may just do. I think @dutchy101 is one such happy user.

                I am indeed a happy Zero water user, although the plan was to use this as a stop-gap until my Skuma water unit arrives. Having said that I still have a few filters left so might continue using it until these are all gone

                I was looking at the skuma as a possibility, but will look at the zero jug as well. With the zero jug it seems there is the need to make a concentrate, store and mix this relatively accurately. I like the idea with the skuma of not having to faff with the output (although the concentrates look expensive) which would probably be am easier sell to my wife as she uses the machine when I’m away on work. The downside is the long term unknown of it being a speculative product still.

                  cjbailey1 With the zero jug it seems there is the need to make a concentrate, store and mix this relatively accurately

                  I make up batches of 5 litres of zero water (I am using 2 × 5 litre former Ashbeck bottles for this) and add 320mg of sodium bicarbonate to each bottle to raise the alkalinity to an appropriate level and that’s it.

                  The Skuma will dispense pure RO water without the minerals added too, so I will probably adopt the same approach when using it (adjusting the sodium bicarbonate as required). Without using the unit it is difficult to know what I will need to add to the water and how repeatable it is. If the water is in the correct KH and GH with the mineral solution that will be ideal as it will remove any need to add anything to the water.

                  I know exactly where I stand with the Zero jug which makes life quite easy.

                      cjbailey1 the concentrates look expensive

                      I haven’t seen the prices expected for the Skuma concentrates, but I got

                      • 1 kg KHCO3 for £6.99
                      • 0.5 kg MgSO4 · 7 H2O for £3.99
                      • 300 g Ca citrate · 2 H2O for £12.45

                      I can mineralise hundreds of thousands of litres of water… with different recipes!

                        Just to echo some comments on here. Now in the 20+ of roasters I’ve tried. Some of the tasting notes have been very accurate, some have been vaguely on point and some I suspect just marketing.
                        I have found though the companies that have done the best descriptors, have tended to garner my repeat business. What I mean is the ones that have allowed me to build a trust of what their notes mean in the cup have allowed me to return and purchase various single origins to my taste and preference.

                        I also think technique, equipment, water, grinder have all had major effect on the tasting notes. I usually run every bean through multiple tried and tested recipes, ratios and brewing methods (available to me) and then I make an informed choice by the end of a 1kg bag of what I thought of it.

                        I’ve started now focusing mainly on my favourites and exploring their range and even some blends.

                        In the end use it as a guide and judge everything whether you want another cup of it the next day 🤪

                        dutchy101 Hi. I’ve just got my zero jug which was supposed to be long term solution but now thinking it’s a stop gap until. Skuma I’m thinking of ordering (not that I’m copying with Minima and Zero already 😂.) But importantly, how do you measure in your bicarb? Do I need more scales?

                            I’m using some jewelers scales I got off Amazon years ago. I intially bought them for weighing my coffee in and output, but they couldn’t handle the weight of a cup. I beey nearly threw them away but kept them and thankfully they are accurate enough to cope with 0.01g tollerances.

                            Defurhome 200×0.01g Portable Digital Scales, Digital Weighing Scales with Back-lit LCD Display, Pocket Scales for Gold, Jewellery, Food, Coffee, Herbs, Powder (Batteries Included) https://amzn.eu/d/giHmEtM