Oct 3, 2024
What is Water Hardness
Water hardness and water quality are defined by the contents of the water itself. Tap water typically has higher levels of minerals including calcium and magnesium. While high levels of water hardness aren’t necessarily a bad thing it can impact different factors of brewing coffee. Because hard water has minerals in it, the water may have a slight taste which impacts the flavor of the coffee. The minerals in hard water can also impact coffee extraction, causing the coffee extraction to be more difficult to control and create inconsistencies within brewing. Water that has been filtered has had many of the minerals removed. Water high in calcium and magnesium can cause issues with coffee equipment and cause scale buildup, so often we recommend water filtration for any coffee brewers that are going to be producing high volume.
How Water Quality Impacts the Taste of Coffee
There is a “sweet spot” when it comes to water quality and the necessary minerals in water to bring out the best flavors when brewing coffee. While minerals are necessary for flavor development, using a water filtration system to lower the water hardness will provide a much cleaner flavor for coffee brewing. Some cafes will use water filtration systems to remove calcium, magnesium, and other minerals so they can fully control the level of water hardness. Once these minerals are removed from the water, they can control the amount of minerals that goes back into the water making it optimal for brewing and maximizing flavor. By controlling the water composition you are able to control the water quality enough to find a happy balance between the flavor of the coffee, and the water hardness going into your coffee machines.
How Water Quality Impacts Coffee Brewing Equipment
Often the water that comes from our tap is considered hard water, and is very rich in minerals. While minerals are necessary for well made coffee to have the best flavor and taste, the machines that coffee is brewed with work better without a high concentration of minerals in the water. An espresso machine has many parts that water goes through including the group head, water tap, boiler, steam wand, and more. When brewing, all of these parts come into contact with high temperature water, which as it moves can leave behind trace particles of the minerals in hard water. Calcium crystals will slowly create a layer of scale inside the machine, the pipes, and chambers and begin to build up. There are many parts to a commercial espresso machine which will suffer in efficiency when exposed to high levels of water hardness over long periods of time. Protecting your coffee machine by understanding water composition and using high quality water that has been filtered will yield the best results.
Why Water Matters for an Espresso Machine
An espresso machine is a long-term investment that should last many years, especially if taken care of and maintained. When using water that doesn’t have the appropriate water composition an espresso machine is constantly exposed to magnesium, calcium, and other minerals that can cause buildup and scale. Not only does this impact the coffee brewing, and the taste of the espresso, but it can impact the efficiency of the espresso machine. Over years of brewing with inadequate water quality the machine will require additional maintenance and will probably need parts replaced. Coffee machines in specialty coffee can be finicky, but with proper care and maintenance the investment is well worth the effort. For questions regarding our maintenance services please reach out to Ohio Specialty Coffee Equipment today.
Local Coffee Business
What started as a group of people passionate about brewing coffee has evolved into a business to help establish and maintain excellent quality coffee programs for businesses across Ohio. With our collective experience brewing and roasting coffee we have developed a team of industry professionals. From extraction and flavors to water quality and brewing temps, our team has developed and perfected industry techniques to help your business brew excellent coffee every time.
OSCE Services
Ohio Specialty Coffee Equipment uses our industry knowledge and insight to offer a variety of helpful services for our clients. From coffee maker calibration to testing the water hardness of your local water source, we can make sure your equipment is dialed in for the best brewing experience. Through our maintenance and repair services we keep your equipment running smoothly and brewing interesting and dynamic flavors. We provide emergency repairs as well.
Coffee Equipment Installation
Ohio Specialty Coffee Equipment prides ourselves on our industry knowledge, both when it comes to equipment installation, use, and brewing of coffee. As a part of our service we offer an installation service where one of our technicians will come to your site to professionally install your coffee machines. We can help install and calibrate grinders, coffee machines, water quality filtration systems, espresso machines, coffee brewing machines, and more. When necessary we can schedule training sessions where our technicians will help you and your staff better understand the unique characteristics of each coffee machine and piece of equipment. This can include things like equipment calibration, regular maintenance and cleaning, as well as helping your staff understand extraction, taste, and coffee brewing as a whole.
Maintenance & Repairs
Along with providing and installing coffee equipment we can provide regular maintenance services and repairs to ensure the efficiency and lifespan of your investments. Most water, even most filtered water still contains minerals in the water composition, so descaling helps prolong the life of the coffee machines. Grinders, coffee brewers, espresso machines, automated pour overs, and any other coffee maker equipment benefits from professional care and maintenance. We provide maintenance and repairs for brewing equipment to maximize temperature control, water quality, taste and flavor, efficiency of grinders, and to eliminate any unnecessary variables for brewing coffee. Regular maintenance on coffee equipment can reduce need for repairs, and for larger maintenance projects like descaling, or parts replacement.
Emergency Repairs
Because we understand that even with proper care commercial machinery can sometimes have problems, we offer an emergency repair service for our customers. Once contacted via our emergency phone number we will have a technician travel to your site to assess and repair as quickly as possible to get your equipment brewing properly once again. With our quick emergency repair service we will eliminate unnecessary downtime with your equipment. Each emergency repair outside of our normal service area will have an additional travel fee.
Coffee Equipment and Water Filtration Providers
Ohio Specialty Coffee Equipment works with businesses across the state of Ohio to provide professional grade specialty equipment. We work with a variety of top manufacturers to provide the best options for the needs of our clients. With the right equipment and training, brewing excellent coffee is possible for anyone. With the right equipment you can easily control variables like temperature and water quality to make sure you’re brewing coffee that offers the best extraction and taste possible. If you or your business are in search of a local specialty coffee equipment provider call OSCE and we can start building your order today.
Professional Industries We Work with
While many of us have a background in working in specialty coffee shops, we have experience working with many clients of different calibers. Because the range of our clients varies so widely we regularly work with clients with different needs. Matching and providing the right equipment for each client means understanding how they will be using the coffee brewing equipment, what volume they will be operating at, and the technical level of coffee experience by their staff. OSCE provides for restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools and universities, offices, bakeries, and specialty coffee cafes.
Speciality Coffee Equipment
We provide many pieces of specialty equipment for brewing coffee. Water Filter Systems and Reverse Osmosis Water Systems allow more control over the minerals in the water and the overall water quality. Hot Water Towers provide water at a consistent temperature to eliminate time wasted waiting for water to be heated. We provide grinders specific for espresso, and multi-purpose grinders that can be calibrated to fit your needs. Coffee brewers, espresso machines, and automated pour over machines provide consistent, professional grade brewing.
Coffee Equipment Manufactures and Brands
Our experiences working with different coffee equipment across many different manufacturers has provided us with a solid foundation on what machines work best in different environments. While we provide equipment from many top manufacturers we provide options at different price points depending on the needs of our clients. Some of the top coffee equipment manufacturers we can provide:
Astoria, Bunn, Compak, Eversys, Fetco, La Marzocco, Malkonig, Marco, Mazzer, nuova simonelli, Slayer, Victoria, Ardwiro, Wega, and more.
Contact Ohio Specialty Coffee Equipment
When you work with Ohio Specialty Coffee Equipment you have access to our years of hands-on coffee experience. We work with each client to best understand their needs so we can provide suggestions for coffee equipment that fits their individual needs. When it comes to water quality, our team understands how important it is to dial in the correct amount of minerals in order to achieve proper extraction and flavor without having a negative impact on brewing or the specialty equipment. We are a local specialty coffee equipment provider and are proud to serve our home state of Ohio. To learn more about our sourcing, coffee equipment, coffee quality, repairs, maintenance, installations, educational training sessions, or more please reach out to OSCE today.
Brew Great Coffee with OSCE
We partner with local businesses to provide quality specialty coffee equipment so they can create the best product possible in every single cup. Through providing equipment, handling installation, doing staff education and training, providing maintenance services and more OSCE is more than a provider. We focus on maintaining family-owned values and building strong relationships with our clients across the state of Ohio. When you work with OSCE you get a team of coffee professionals that know the industry inside-and-out. Reach out to our offices and we can get your business started on the track to brewing excellent coffee every day.