Cafe News
Why is water filtration so important for hot drinks?
A closer look at how water can enhance the quality of hot drinks and protect equipment from breakdowns.
There is no question that Britain is a nation of coffee connoisseurs – recent figures estimate we drink 70 million cups of coffee daily. What’s more, consumers’ expectations on taste, quality and presentation are higher than ever before, making for fierce competition on the high street.
For cafés, standing out in such a competitive market is no easy task. This is especially true in the current climate – with the hospitality industry recovering after the UK’s lockdown period, operators are battling to attract a surge in consumers looking to quench their thirst for professionally made hot beverages.
Samantha Scoles, Business Manager at BRITA Professional, explains the role water filters have in helping cafés serve high quality beverages, as well as offering key considerations for businesses when it comes to choosing a filtration solution.
Why is water filtration so important for hospitality operators?
Filtration improves the taste and appearance of your drinks. When serving stand-out drinks, sourcing high-quality beans and great tasting tea is just the beginning. With water making up to 98% of the cup, it’s no surprise that it plays such a huge role with respect to the taste of tea and coffee. One way cafés can enhance the water quality in their hot drinks is by using a water filter on beverage equipment. This process helps to remove unwanted particles, metals, minerals and chlorine, which negatively affect the taste, appearance and aroma of tea and coffee. This includes the elimination of limescale, which can form an unsightly residue in the drink.
Water filters protect your equipment too. Another factor contributing to the consistency of the taste and quality of hot beverages is the equipment it’s prepared with. Water can impact beverage equipment; a build-up of internal limescale can lead to machine breakdowns, limited efficiency and affect the taste and appearance of the beverage further down the line. Using the right water filter helps to keep beverage equipment in peak condition by removing the risk of limescale deposits. Cafés can reduce the chance of premature machinery breakdowns as maintenance is performed on a preventative basis, saving valuable time and money.
See how unfiltered water can affect your drink quality in this short video.
Whenever we do this demo at training sessions, it never fails to surpise people.
1.No one-size-fits all: It’s important to note that there’s no one-size-fits-all filter, as the mineral content in water varies drastically between regions, and even street to street. Cafés need to identify the best filter to suit the water characteristics in their location and achieve a consistency of taste. At BRITA, we offer water test kits, which help cafés understand the particular characteristics of their water supply. What’s more, BRITA Professional and Matthew Algie work in partnership to offer a specialist filter management service by advising on the correct filter and when to carry out essential filter changes. This means operators can rely on their beverage equipment to deliver great tasting tea and coffee time and time again. 2. Quality you can trust: Choosing a brand you know and trust is another key consideration, giving operators peace of mind that they can rely on the filter to do the job it is supposed to. Not all filters are made equal. The word “filter” does not mean that you will experience comparable quality; it comes down to the technology used inside a BRITA filter and its ability to provide consistent quality for its entire life. 3. Go green: While cafés often focus on ethically sourced and sustainable coffee, it’s essential to consider the water’s sustainability too. In fact, two-thirds (67%) of UK consumers recently stated they would boycott brands that lack an ethical conscience
BRITA has a zero to landfill initiative and our filters are recyclable through our own dedicated recycling plant. Did you know? In 2019 Matthew Algie returned 87% of all BRITA cartridges used – that equates to over 20,000 KG of recycled plastic waste that avoided going to landfill.
How do our filters work?
Our products are designed to produce the best filtered water for food and beverage preparation by reducing particles, metals, minerals and chlorine that have an unfavourable impact on the taste, appearance and aroma.
BRITA filters improve machine longevity by reducing limescale build-up and deposits of unwanted minerals. By guarding against potential damage, operators can improve the reliability of equipment and make significant cost savings. What makes BRITA’s filters stand out is our unique IntelliBypass technology, which allows for a constant by-pass water rate, regardless of volumetric flow. This helps our customers achieve high water quality consistently, with optimum extraction and low output rates.
In addition to this, BRITA Professional’s filters meet The Specialty Coffee Association’s standards for water used to brew specialty coffee for a superior quality extraction of coffee solids.
