1 min read
Introduction
Ever wondered if there's a better source of zero TDS water for diluting mineral concentrates and packets to make your brew water, than distilled or reverse osmosis water?
You've probably heard of deionized water before, but had no idea it makes incredibly tasty coffee water. Deionized water usually beats distilled water in any taste test, since it maintains the natural levels of gases present in water, which are stripped away through distillation. Deionized water delivers improved mouthfeel, flavor delivery, and aftertaste compared to distilled water.
It also features true zero TDS as opposed to reverse osmosis (RO), which does not. It should be noted that TDS meters typically underreport TDS as roughly 2/3rd of its actual value. This is due to error based on conductivity-based estimations.
There is usually significantly more TDS in RO than believed based on conductivity readings of one's water. The 5-10 ppm remaining even in excellent RO systems is enough to ruin a mineral profile, and the resulting coffee, if it consists of the wrong minerals.
The most common feedback we hear from those using RO is that it dulls the taste of coffee compared to deionized water.
Deionized water is the ideal type of zero TDS water for diluting your mineral concentrates. There are 3 ways to get deionized water.
Option 1
Step 1: Buy a Zero Water. Cheap and requires no installation.
Step 2: Run the lowest TDS water you have access to through the Zero Water. The lower the TDS of your starting water, the more deionized water the Zero Water will be able to produce before the filter needs replacing.
Option 2
Step 1: Buy an under-sink reverse osmosis system.
Step 2: Buy a deionization step and some extra deionization resin. This will need to be refilled dozens of times within the lifespan of the RO system to maintain zero TDS.
Step 3: Get this setup installed.
Option 3
Try empirical water's ready-to-go Deionized Water.
