Drinking safe and clean water is essential for our health. Our bodies are around 70% water, and water is more important to us than food! Keeping well hydrated ensures that we function properly, and the recommendation is to drink around 2 litres of water per day.
It's estimated that there are around 1.3 billion bottles of water consumed each day! Whilst buying bottled water may be a convenient way to consume clean water, there must be a way to reduce this amount of plastic.
A simple way of reducing this is to purify your tap water. Purifying your tap water is a cheaper way to assure yourself of a filtered and odour-free drink. Whilst the UK has some of the cleanest potable water on the planet, there are still some trace elements of chlorine and heavy metals that we should remove – especially if we want to brew better coffee. In addition to this, around 60% of us in the UK live in a hard water area, an area where potable water has a high mineral content. Whilst this is harmless and safe to drink - if you look inside your kettle you will see the damage that this can sometimes do.
What you see inside the kettle will also be present in other hot water systems, systems like a coffee machine! The hard chalky deposit you see inside your kettle is limescale, which mainly consists of Calcium Carbonate. Trying to remove it once it is there is often quite a chore. Prevention, in this case - as with most things - is often better than a cure. To prevent this, it is essential to filter your water.
How can I filter my tap water?
There are a few different options available to do this: Brita Water Jugs with in-built and changeable water filters, and in-line water filters for your water supply. Brita filters utilise carbon, zinc, and copper to remove chlorine, heavy metals, and other contaminants from tap water. Brita also removes bad odours and tastes from your water, giving you the peace of mind of knowing that you're enjoying the freshest, purest water possible.
Is drinking purified water from a Brita filter good for you?
Brita filters utilize carbon, zinc, and copper to remove chlorine, heavy metals, and other contaminants from tap water. By drinking Brita-purified water, you're eliminating potentially hazardous particles that can lead to a variety of health issues. Brita also removes bad odours and tastes from your water, giving you the peace of mind of knowing that you're enjoying the freshest, purest drink possible. In addition to being safer for your body than normal tap water, Brita-purified water also tastes better!
How long does a Brita filter usually last?
Your filter is designed for a set volume of water to filter a finite amount of impurities. The P1000 Filter Cartridge will typically work for 1200 litres per year, but if you have hard water then this cartridge may exhaust much quicker. You must consult with the technical specification of the filter, and understand your water quality for you to accurately answer that question.
How does filtered water help my coffee machine?
Water plays a very important role in coffee. Filter coffee is around 98% water, so it's important to get it right. Without water filtration, the inside of the machine will become full of limescale, but not only that, the presence of minerals in the water can affect how your coffee tastes – water with high mineral content can under-extract coffee. The opposite is true too – water that is too soft tends to over-extract coffee.
We believe that filtering water is vital for so many reasons but particularly important to us as we are keen to brew our coffee correctly. If you are struggling with extraction, next time you may want to consider the water that you use and see how you can improve it.