Coffee, explained.

Our product pages describe our coffees by taste, origin, variety, processing and roast. The chapters below explain the main terms, where the Specialty Coffee Association sets a standard and how it applies to our six coffees.

On this page

Specialty coffee.

The Specialty Coffee Association describes specialty coffee through the distinctive attributes that give it additional value. These include what we taste, smell and feel in the cup, together with information about origin, producer and processing. A single score cannot capture all of them.

Where our coffees grow.

Altitude is the height above sea level at which a coffee grows: a number, not a ranking.

Tasting notes.

Tasting descriptors refer to sensory impressions, not ingredients. Use them to compare how the coffees are described.

Light and medium roast.

Roast degree is not strength: strength is how concentrated the brewed coffee is.

At the same strength, a darker roast gives a darker cup, research published by the SCA shows. Cold brews tend to look redder, hot brews browner.

Acidity.

Acidity is one part of a coffee’s sensory character. Its intensity describes how pronounced it is, not how much you will enjoy it. Our product pages describe it per coffee:

Mouthfeel.

Mouthfeel is the weight and texture of coffee in your mouth, including sensations such as drying. Body, the perceived weight, is one part of it. Neither is strength, which is how concentrated the drink is.

Java and Pacamara.

Java and Pacamara are names of coffee varieties. World Coffee Research traces Java to Ethiopian landrace material. Pacamara is a cross of Pacas and Maragogipe.

The Coffee Value Assessment.

The Coffee Value Assessment is the SCA’s framework for recording a coffee’s attributes. It brings together physical, descriptive, affective and extrinsic assessments. Descriptive assessment records sensory characteristics; affective assessment records the evaluator’s impression of quality.

We cup our coffees with the Specialty Coffee Association’s Coffee Value Assessment.

In the cup, the SCA’s Coffee Value Assessment names three types of defect: mouldy, phenolic and potato. They are kept apart from the physical defects counted in green coffee. In the SCA’s cupping standard, each coffee is tasted in five cups for the affective assessment. That shows whether every cup tastes alike.

Starting with brewing.

Weigh your coffee and water, note your grind setting and keep a record of the result. Change one thing at a time. A repeatable method makes it easier to understand what changed in the cup.

Water shapes the cup.

Water is an ingredient in every cup. Its mineral composition and buffering capacity can change the result, even when the coffee, grind and recipe stay the same.

Minerals. Calcium and magnesium contribute to hardness and can interact with coffee compounds. More minerals do not automatically make a better cup.

Alkalinity. This is water’s ability to neutralise acids. High alkalinity can soften a coffee’s brightness; low alkalinity leaves more of its acidity perceptible. The right balance depends on the coffee and brewing method.

TDS. Total dissolved solids describe how much dissolved material the water contains. A single reading in parts per million (ppm) does not reveal its mineral composition, hardness or alkalinity. These are different measurements.

Choose your water.

Start with fresh drinking water that tastes clean. Choose treatment for the water you actually have: some filters reduce chlorine taste while retaining minerals; others also reduce carbonate hardness. “Filtered” alone does not describe the result.

For bottled water, read the mineral analysis rather than choosing by brand or price. Calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate are useful clues. Bicarbonate in mg/L is not the same measurement as alkalinity reported as CaCO₃.

Keep the coffee, grind, dose and brew recipe fixed when comparing suitable waters. Taste the cups as they cool, and keep a note of the water you used. This gives you a clearer comparison.

Protect your equipment.

Water that tastes good in filter coffee still needs to meet your espresso machine’s specifications. Scale formation and corrosion depend on water chemistry and operating conditions.

Check hardness and alkalinity separately, and follow the manufacturer’s limits for pH, chlorides and other parameters. Chloride is different from the chlorine that can affect water’s smell or taste. Do not use untreated distilled or reverse-osmosis water in a machine unless its instructions specifically allow it.

Berlin’s tap water is generally hard. Check the Berliner Wasserbetriebe analysis for your postcode, then choose suitable treatment and maintain it as instructed. These are regional data, not a measurement at your tap.

Water, answered.

Is one ppm number enough?

No. It gives an overall dissolved-solids reading, not a complete water profile. Test hardness and alkalinity separately and check the water’s mineral analysis.

Does every filter soften water?

No. Filter functions differ. Some reduce unwanted tastes while retaining minerals; others also reduce carbonate hardness. Check what your cartridge does.

Does more magnesium always mean better coffee?

No. Research does not establish a universal “more is better” rule. Mineral composition, buffering, the coffee and your taste all matter. For organic acids, a 2024 study in Heliyon by Bratthäll et al. found little variation at calcium and magnesium levels typical of drinking water. The study used one dark-roast Arabica blend.

Can I use one water for filter and espresso?

Possibly, if it suits both the coffee and the equipment. Their brew ratios differ, and espresso machines have specific water requirements. Test the cup and follow the machine’s instructions.

Water sources.

Further reading:

SCA sources.

Read the Specialty Coffee Association’s definition of specialty coffee, Coffee Value Assessment and published standards.

Further reading: