Water, extraction, and the limits of both
Journal
Six pieces on what water does to coffee — written against the literature rather than around it.
- Is Dubai tap water hard or soft? What DEWA's own figures sayDEWA specifies hardness at 40–120 mg/L, typically 60.7 mg/L as CaCO₃. That is soft water, not the hard water many softener sellers describe.5 min read
- Choosing espresso beans for UAE waterUAE tap water is desalinated and low in hardness. What that can change in an espresso, what it can't, and how to choose and dial in beans for it.5 min read
- What we don't claim about water and coffeeOur blend recommendation is our judgement, not a published finding. Here is exactly where the evidence stops and our opinion begins.3 min read
- Softened water is not soft waterA sodium ion-exchange softener removes hardness and leaves alkalinity untouched. For coffee, that is the opposite of what people expect.2 min read
- What the SCA Water Chart actually saysThere is no SCA water standard. There is a handbook and a chart, and the chart is more useful than the phrase people keep misquoting.2 min read
- Hardness and alkalinity are not the same numberMost coffee writing treats hard water and alkaline water as one thing. They are two independent measurements, and they do opposite jobs in the cup.3 min read