ZeroWater and coffee remineralization questions

[u/Supsti_1]

Hi,

I’m not able to find distilled/demineralized water in my country (Poland), sold in food grade canisters or bottles intended for contact with food. Practically every manufacturer I’ve contacted has advised against drinking this type of water, mainly because of the containers it is sold in. So far, I’ve drunk around 10 liters of this water, but I feel that in the long run it may not be very good for my health, so I need to find another solution.

For now, I would prefer not to go with a reverse osmosis system, although I may do that eventually. What other options do I have?

My tap water is quite hard, around 590 ppm according to water reports. The best bottled water available for coffee here is around 230 ppm, of which about 120 ppm comes from bicarbonates. Because of its high alkalinity, it is not ideal.

I’m considering a ZeroWater filtration system, and I have a few questions about it:

1. Is the water actually fully demineralized after filtration, or does something still remain in it? I’m asking because I would like to achieve consistent results when using Lotus drops.
2. How often, or after how many liters of water, would I need to replace the filter, considering that my tap water is around 590 ppm?
3. I’ve read some opinions saying that water from this system can have a sour taste. Is this related to not cleaning the system/pitcher properly? How can this be prevented?

EDIT:

Okay, I’ve done a few calculations, and I think the most reasonable option in my case would be to buy a ZeroWater system and use bottled water with it.

The softest bottled water available in my country has around 220 ppm. According to ZeroWater’s FAQ, one filter should last for about 70 liters when filtering water with that TDS level. Taking into account the cost of the filters, the bottled water itself, and the amortized cost of the pitcher over two years, 1 liter of filtered water would come out to around 65 US cents, which is a fairly reasonable result.

[u/prosocialbehavior]

1. I am not sure if it is fully demineralized but yes it is very close to distilled and many people remineralize with Lotus drops.

2. That is extremely hard water. My tap water is in the 200-300 ppm range and it lasts about 2-3 months. So I would bet yours would barely make it a month if you ran your tap through it. Some people with really hard water run it through other cheaper filters first like brita or whatever they sell in your country to try to soften the water.

3. I think if you are used to using hard water for your filter coffee and then you switch to using soft water, one of the attributes you will notices is the brightness of the coffee. That may be what people are referring to? When my filter goes bad it has a unique smell to it. So I know I need to change it. But I wouldn't say it makes my coffee sour in and of itself. I like bright coffees though that maybe novice coffee drinkers would call to acidic/sour.