[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":183},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-\u002Fbrewcraft\u002Fdocs\u002Fwater-quality":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":175,"extension":176,"meta":177,"navigation":178,"path":179,"seo":180,"stem":181,"__hash__":182},"docs\u002Fdocs\u002Fwater-quality.md","Water Quality for Espresso",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":167},"minimark",[9,13,22,27,30,75,78,82,98,101,105,112,123,131,135,155],[10,11,5],"h1",{"id":12},"water-quality-for-espresso",[14,15,16,17,21],"p",{},"Espresso is roughly ",[18,19,20],"strong",{},"98% water",", so what comes out of your tap shapes both the flavour in the cup and the health of your machine. Water that is too hard leaves scale in the boiler; water that is too soft tastes flat and can be corrosive.",[23,24,26],"h2",{"id":25},"targets","Targets",[14,28,29],{},"SCA-style guidance gives a workable window for espresso:",[31,32,33,49],"table",{},[34,35,36],"thead",{},[37,38,39,43,46],"tr",{},[40,41,42],"th",{},"Measure",[40,44,45],{},"SCA target",[40,47,48],{},"Why it matters",[50,51,52,64],"tbody",{},[37,53,54,58,61],{},[55,56,57],"td",{},"Total dissolved solids (TDS)",[55,59,60],{},"~75-150 ppm",[55,62,63],{},"Extracts flavour well; too low tastes flat, too high tastes dull",[37,65,66,69,72],{},[55,67,68],{},"Calcium hardness",[55,70,71],{},"~35-85 ppm",[55,73,74],{},"Drives extraction and scale; high hardness builds scale, near-zero can corrode",[14,76,77],{},"Aim for the middle of these ranges for a good balance of taste and machine safety.",[23,79,81],{"id":80},"testing-your-water","Testing your water",[83,84,85,95],"ul",{},[86,87,88,89,94],"li",{},"Use the ",[90,91,93],"a",{"href":92},"\u002Fbrewcraft\u002Fproducts\u002Fwater-test-kit","Water Hardness Test Kit"," dip strips for a quick hardness reading.",[86,96,97],{},"A TDS meter gives a numeric total-dissolved-solids figure if you want more precision.",[14,99,100],{},"Test the water you actually brew with, not a generic figure, since tap water varies by area and season.",[23,102,104],{"id":103},"the-scale-problem","The scale problem",[14,106,107,108,111],{},"Hard, mineral-rich water deposits ",[18,109,110],{},"scale inside the boiler and lines",". Over time this causes:",[83,113,114,117,120],{},[86,115,116],{},"Slow or restricted flow",[86,118,119],{},"Temperature instability",[86,121,122],{},"Eventual damage to heating elements and valves",[14,124,125,126,130],{},"The fix is prevention: filter the water, and\u002For ",[90,127,129],{"href":128},"\u002Fbrewcraft\u002Fdocs\u002Fmaintenance-descaling","descale"," on a regular schedule set by how hard your water is.",[23,132,134],{"id":133},"choosing-water","Choosing water",[83,136,137,143,149],{},[86,138,139,142],{},[18,140,141],{},"Filtered tap water"," is the simplest good option for most people.",[86,144,145,148],{},[18,146,147],{},"Remineralised low-mineral water"," gives the most consistent results batch to batch.",[86,150,151,154],{},[18,152,153],{},"Avoid distilled or zero-TDS water on its own."," It tastes flat and can be aggressive toward some boilers, since water with almost no minerals tends to pull them from wherever it can.",[14,156,157,158,162,163,166],{},"Dialling in flavour but the water checks out? See ",[90,159,161],{"href":160},"\u002Fbrewcraft\u002Fdocs\u002Fdialing-in","dialling in",". To keep the machine healthy long term, pair good water with routine ",[90,164,165],{"href":128},"descaling",".",{"title":168,"searchDepth":169,"depth":169,"links":170},"",2,[171,172,173,174],{"id":25,"depth":169,"text":26},{"id":80,"depth":169,"text":81},{"id":103,"depth":169,"text":104},{"id":133,"depth":169,"text":134},"Choosing and testing water that tastes good in the cup and protects your espresso machine from scale.","md",{},true,"\u002Fdocs\u002Fwater-quality",{"title":5,"description":175},"docs\u002Fwater-quality","CCWT2KKk1WJySKDPFeK2n9K_HyEfSoNSdpBzFm-z5N0",1784149344560]