Water

[Intellidepth]

I met up with an ex-cafe owner at a business conference recently, and he said the Brita filter I have on my domestic tap is insufficient on its own for filtering water for a coffee machine and there should be at least 3 types of filters.

Im a home user, not a cafe, using an unplumbed VBM Super, pouring 3-5 double-shot coffees a day. Do I need to go to the extra effort?

Can someone elaborate on the specifics please?

[TC]

Re: Water

I met up with an ex-cafe owner at a business conference recently, and he said the Brita filter I have on my domestic tap is insufficient on its own for filtering water for a coffee machine and there should be at least 3 types of filters.

Im a home user, not a cafe, using an unplumbed VBM Super, pouring 3-5 double-shot coffees a day. Do I need to go to the extra effort?

Can someone elaborate on the specifics please?

I disagree intellidepth,

Assuming your cartridges are replaced regularly, the brita is more than adequate for home use as it filters and softens water. I replace mine every 80 litres. I believe that this is fine except in very hard water areas such as Adelaide.

This regime and a similar use profile led to no visible scale in my machine after 3 years.

Another excellent option for your style of machine is to purchase a resin cartridge water softener from Attilio (Cosmorex). These attach to the water inlet in your tank and can be replenished simply by soaking in a salt water every couple of weeks. They are inexpensive and will pay for themselves very rapidly.

regards

Chris

[Randy_G.]

Re: Water

I have a VBM DS and use a blend of about 80% reverse osmosis and 20% brita water. 100% brita water can be fine, but it depends on the condition of the tap water being treated and the age of the Brita filter (how much water has been passed through it). I use that blend because our water here is VERY hard with a lot of calcium/lime. I suggest getting an inexpensive TDS meter (search eBay) as these are easy to use and are an excellent way to keep track of the effectiveness of the filter being used.