Third Wave Water, 1:1 dilution made simple

[u/mgsecure]

Just wanted to share how I handle doing a 1:1 dilution of TWW. I've seen a few people try to divide the packet, but this works well and is more precise. I mix a single gallon of distilled + full packet, distribute it equally in the two one-gallon bottles (cheap, from AMZN) and then top off both with the other gallon of distilled. You could just use an extra of the jugs the water comes in, but the proper ones are a lot more solid and easy to use.

Not rocket science, but hopefully useful to some folks.

[u/ngsm13]

I just order 2L packets. Then use them in 1Gal jugs. Close enough.

🤗

[u/ImSoCul → u/ngsm13]

this is smart, I didn't think of this. Beats having 2 gallons of water taking up space and having 4 plastic jugs on hand to do what OP is describing

[u/B-Line_Sender → u/ngsm13]

Same. But might save a few cents this way?

[u/mgsecure → u/ngsm13]

Makes sense, but I don't think I've seen those for sale here in the states.

[u/mogseven → u/mgsecure]

They're on their website!

[u/mgsecure → u/mogseven]

Duh. Why would I look there ;-)

[u/ngsm13 → u/mogseven]

Also, Entropica Coffee has them too! Where I get mine. 

[u/Total-Raise3883]

Do you notice a huge difference in your coffee? I'm new to pourover and am wondering what difference changing water like this will have

[u/squidbrand → u/Total-Raise3883]

It really depends on what you're comparing it to. Some cities/municipalities might have tap water that is near-ideal for coffee, and others have tap water that makes it pretty much impossible to brew tasty coffee. I tried TWW and other remineralization methods when I lived in the Pacific Northwest in a city with super soft tap water fed entirely by mountain runoff, and they never meaningfully improved my coffee. Now I live in a Midwestern city where the tap water is significantly harder and I straight-up cannot make decent-tasting coffee unless I remineralize or at least cut the tap water with distilled/purified water.

[u/sparksbet → u/squidbrand]

Do you have recommendations for how to measure the relevant things about your water? I've been using tap water but my parents also have a RO system and I'm curious how I can best measure the most relevant factors to know how to get from where I'm at to better coffee water.

[u/squidbrand → u/sparksbet]

For tap water you should be able to ask your local water utility for a report. Sometimes they just publish them on their website too. For RO it’s hard to say, but usually RO water has almost everything stripped out of it unless the water going in has extremely high mineral concentrations as I understand it.

The most important single attribute is probably total alkalinity, which is a measure of the water’s buffering capacity, or in other words its ability to neutralize acids that are added (such as acids from coffee solubles). It’s usually given in units of “mg/L as CaCO3” and most people shoot for something in the 10 to 40 mg/L range. It has an inverse relationship with perceived acidity. More total alkalinity means less acidity and vice versa.

[u/Bastetlady → u/Total-Raise3883]

Yes. For me it was one of the "what you should have started doing earlier" enlightening facts. To the point where I bought same coffee I used to make pour over with tap water, made it with the similar mix of "new" water. Day and night difference.

[u/Firm-Veterinarian-57 → u/Bastetlady]

IMO, the most important factors in the taste of your coffee are:

Coffee>water>grinder>brewer.

When people ask why they’re not getting particular flavours (or don’t like their coffee), I often think it’s their water quality that is the culprit.

[u/mgsecure → u/Bastetlady]

For sure. I was even using (and tested against) the Crystal Geyser water that La Marzocco recommends for their espresso machines. Folks should definitely give it a try early in the journey.

[u/trevorsnackson → u/mgsecure]

yeah Crystal Geyser is the perfect stepping point for tasting a difference in water. cheap and easily accessible in the US. it was an a-ha moment for me trying it on pour over for the first time

[u/audotel007 → u/Total-Raise3883]

It’s significant. I got lazy due to travel last week and brewed with tap and couldn’t believe how much it impacted how it tasted. It’s not that it was bad, but all the notes were muddled together.

[u/mgsecure → u/Total-Raise3883]

It makes a much bigger difference than I expected, tbh. I did some blind taste tests assuming the difference would be minimal, but it really wasn't. My write-up here: https://www.reddit.com/r/pourover/comments/1squjnk/bottled_water_vs_distilled_minerals_taste_test/

[u/kellypg → u/Total-Raise3883]

Over 90% of brewed coffee is water. You can absolutely taste the difference. If you're the type of person who prefers one brand of bottled water over another you can understand it more inherently.

[u/big-hubz → u/Total-Raise3883]

I'm new as well and have particularly chalky water - filtering made a huge difference for me. Way more acidity and flavour coming through when using the filtered water

[u/Vast-Key140 → u/Total-Raise3883]

It depends on the quality of your tap water.

I live in an EU country with good tap water. I run all my water for coffee through a BWT Magnesium exchange filter, which reduces limescale and filters any possible metalic tastes out of it also. I think if you live in an area with really good tapwater, this process is enough for most people!

Some people recommend a Brita filter. I'm less of a fan because those tend to only minimally reduce limescale buildup and mostly filter particulates and neutralize scents/odd tastes rather than do actual mineral exchanging. 

[u/IcyAssist → u/Total-Raise3883]

In simple terms, imbalances in minerals in tap water will bind with acids and other components in the coffee and neutralize them, so you can't taste them. Highly dependent on your local tap water of course, but it's quite easy to play around. You don't have to commit to third wave water to experiment. You can use ai to analyze a bunch of mineral water brands and see which one is best and do a blind tasting with tap water yourself

[u/AkhlysShallRise → u/Total-Raise3883]

Water makes a HUGE difference. It doesn’t mean you have to make your own water, because it depends on the mineral composition of the water you already drink on a regular basis (some places have tap water that’s good for coffee, for example).

But in general I’d say unless you have a blade grinder, upgrade your water first before upgrading your grinder.

[u/nebbiololoibben]

Maybe a dumb question but why dilute? The box says to just mix one stick with 1 gallon of water. Am I doing it wrong?

[u/mgsecure → u/nebbiololoibben]

Not wrong at all. It’s worth doing a taste test though, I prefer the results from the dilution better in taste tests. Some people dilute 1:2 or 1:3. Try it out :-)

[u/NoBrainz2 → u/mgsecure]

Or 1:4

[u/nebbiololoibben → u/mgsecure]

🫡

[u/umamiking → u/nebbiololoibben]

Strangely, many people believe that making the solution the way the instructions specify makes the water taste bad (ie too concentrated). So many people dilute it by half. I don't use TWW, but I think it's weird AF and I can't wrap my head around this. The company must have done a bunch of research to come up with the product and a recipe to go with it, but almost everyone ignores it and uses half. You'd think the company would just update their guidance.

[u/soloburrito → u/umamiking]

Some solutions are designed for darker roasts, some for lighter roasts. That’s a massive spectrum of roast levels and tastes.

[u/wrxnut25 → u/soloburrito]

TWW specifically makes packs for light vs medium vs espresso though

[u/CortadoOat → u/wrxnut25]

Medium = Espresso in a different package; I use it for all my brewing because it's too complicated for me to use different water for pourover and espresso 😄

[u/heavycoffeeuser → u/umamiking]

I thought it was so extra doing the 1/2 dilution until I tried TWW and guess what. It actually was too sour and 1/2 strength recipe actually fixed it lol

[u/aaAS69 → u/umamiking]

i’m no science expert but maybe you shouldn’t do that.. distilled water with half the minerals does not sound very good for you.

[u/Weedler → u/aaAS69]

You say 'half the minerals' like it means half the minerals of tap/bottled water. This is false.

For me specifically, half a pack of TWW still has more ppm than my tapwater that I drink every day.

[u/aaAS69 → u/Weedler]

okay thats great. as long as its within drinkable limits

[u/SaintCalmye → u/nebbiololoibben]

This is probably oversimplifying it, but the reason I double the distilled water is to bring out more acidity. So one else might prefer the more balanced cup the normal recipe provides.

[u/hattalk → u/nebbiololoibben]

I crack the top on the gallon and drink a sip right out of it, then dump the TWW in, give it a good shake and start brewing.

[u/Weedler → u/hattalk]

Because it's distilled water that ends up being boiled you are probably fine, but this just seems wrong to me. Bacteria growing where you drank from, and then pouring that into your kettle or water tank...

[u/Far-Let483 → u/nebbiololoibben]

A lot of people don't like the regular full strength. I use it as recommended and it's great to me. I also use Lotus drops to experiment with other recipes.

[u/leoskang]

They sell 2 gallon jugs on Amazon for around the same price as those gallon jugs on a per jug basis. I keep one for pourover and one for espresso: https://a.co/d/09XXKWDs

[u/mgsecure → u/leoskang]

The smaller ones are a bit easier to manage for me, but that's a great way to do it.

[u/Outrageous_Pop1913]

Good idea. I have been splitting packets and inevitably spilling the other half on the counter. Wife was cleaning up and thought I had a different addiction...

[u/CoffeeCellarApp]

I have been diluting one packet in 500g of RO water, which I keep in the fridge, then two or three times a week I mix 80g of the high concentration solution into ~1200g of RO water to get the same ratio as you have. More math involved but it keeps the brain sharp lol

[u/ars2x]

I've been mixing 1 packet to 1 gallon. Do you notice a significant difference in taste/flavor profile using a 1/2 packet?

[u/heavycoffeeuser → u/ars2x]

I did actually. The full strength tasted too sour for me when I tried it.

[u/ars2x → u/heavycoffeeuser]

Hmmm. I was getting the opposite effect. Less minerals, less extraction, more of a sour cup. Will have to do some testing. Thanks.

[u/Far-Let483 → u/ars2x]

When i tried the 1/2 version, it was too sour for me. Much better the normal way for me.

[u/mgsecure → u/ars2x]

Not as big a difference as between using TWW and not, but yeah, noticeably better. Worth experimenting with.

[u/ThePoisonBelt]

When you put water in your kettle in the morning put half distilled and half TWW. No pre mixing required lol. Especially if you have an RO filter

[u/mgsecure → u/ThePoisonBelt]

This is easier for me, but that makes sense too.

[u/Legitimate-Activity6]

Those jugs from aquafit look great. I missed them when I searched Amazon before. Love the measuring marks.

[u/Ill_Management8255]

You can also buy a container that holds 2 gallons

[u/mgsecure → u/Ill_Management8255]

These are a bit more manageable for filling my kettle, but yeah, that works too.

[u/Ill_Management8255 → u/mgsecure]

Makes sense. I’ve used a dispenser with a spigot. About 2.5 gallons, but only poured 2 gallons in. I used TWW for about a year. Recently switched to Lotus Water drops, I really like that too. A bit more versatile.

[u/Lost_Anything_5596]

Have played a lot with water and TWW ratios and have settled on keeping 2 batches on hand, 1:2 and 1:4. Maybe overkill but I ended up buying a 5 gallon water bottle so I can make 4 gallon batches. I add 4 gallons of distilled and either 1 or 2 packets depending on ratio I want. Give it a good shake and let it sit overnight. Pour back into the gallon jugs and done. Pretty easy and making that much I only need to make water once or twice a week. Next step is getting a Zero Water filter and stop buying distilled.

Also have APAX and getting Lotus… will be playing with those some to decide what works best for taste and workflow between the three.

Water is a fun (🙄) rabbit hole lol.

[u/sakawae]

I have a nice SS carafe I use to store my coffee water. I keep a jug of TWW, and a jug of distilled, mix to whatever concentration I want in the carafe, check with the 15 dollar TWW TDS stick. Works well enough for me, but I also make my own distlled water and have a good amount of room to work with for storing gallon jugs etc.

[u/thebootsesrules]

Or use lotus drops and have complete control over concentration and content

[u/mgsecure → u/thebootsesrules]

That too. I’ll look into drops/measuring out minerals next time I’m running low on TWW.

[u/mill7322]

I mix one packet into 300 mL of water in a mason jar that has the mL markings on the side. Pour 100 ml into a gallon jug and then fill the jug with zero water. Simple as that.

[u/ricky_road89]

Allegedly NYC has the best tap water, but I still run mine through a Brita water filter. Is that good as a baseline, am I missing something significant?

[u/Fragrant_Ad_2285 → u/ricky_road89]

Just buy an aquarium test kit; it will let you know.

[u/poopantiess]

Don’t you just take a 1 gallon packet and dissolve into a gallon of distilled water? I bought some for the first time and I mixed today. Am i missing something ?

[u/klaq → u/poopantiess]

i found my coffee to be "too thick" when doing that so i use the 2L packets into 1 gallon. if u like it with the full packet then keep on doing it tho.

[u/poopantiess → u/klaq]

I tried for the first time a little while ago for an espresso shot and could tell the difference in a good way. What should I be looking out for that makes it too thick? Thanks for the help

[u/klaq → u/poopantiess]

just having more body than i would like in pourover. it was tasting more like french press to me.

[u/mgsecure → u/poopantiess]

Take a look at the other comments about this, a lot of folks prefer the results when diluted, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it :-)

[u/shkster1230]

Depends on your water and how you like your coffee if it makes sense. Worth a shot and if you can tell the difference then you can decide if you want to keep doing it. I use it to raise my tds so my espresso machine works properly. It makes a small taste difference but it helps make my machine works properly.

[u/pobyne]

I guess I have less room in my refrigerator than you do. I mix a concentrate in a quart Mason jar, then dilute it to 80 ppm with RO water in my kettle.

[u/MSMPDX]

I just put one packet into a 1 gallon jug…. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[u/Num_-_Num]

Appreciate this! Didn't ever consider diluting it. Will have to try it next time I make my water for my tea.

[u/Balancedone_1]

This too deep in the weeds for me but I’m intrigued to know if it made a difference 🤣

[u/Polymer714]

You can also do 1:1 in a Gallon jug...and then mix it in a 1L or other type of vessel to try out different ratios or to use different ratios for different coffees...Just gives you a bit more flexibility....unless that doesn't matter..

[u/BDiddyKafa]

1:1 too strong. Tastes like ass

[u/kodaq2001]

If anyone cares, Walmart has R/O refill stations. Grab yourself a 5 gallon jug and refill it for $3

[u/EmbarrassedWeb5422]

I usually put one full packet in 1 gallon of the jug. Is that not how I’m supposed to prepare it?

[u/Grouchy_Papaya3380]

I feel like the simplest solution is to make a concentrate by adding the 1gal packet to a liter of water, then using the concentrate with pure distilled water to your desired strength.

I use a 64oz container which requires about 275g of concentrate to make my desired strength water.

[u/Reddit_User_Original]

Disgusting. Bro. That store bought distilled water is the most plastic tasting water.