Getting ahead

There’s no denying that consumers have been missing the coffee shop experience.

With reopening on the horizon the opportunity is huge, and yet so is the competition...

In such a competitive market, operators need to ensure their hot beverage menu is working harder than ever. But when it comes to serving great tasting coffee, well-sourced, roasted beans are really just the beginning.

It’s easy to forget the quality of water which makes up to 99% of the drink. It’s the same when it comes to making tea – unfiltered water can contain impurities including chlorine, lead and limescale, all of which can affect the flavour and dull the appearance, making the drink less appealing.

How can you improve the taste and appearance of your hot drinks?

1. Understand the particular characteristics of your water supply

Water quality and mineral content can vary drastically between regions, and even street to street, so the first step is to test the hardness of your water supply.

Request your free water test kit here. It’s easy – simply add drops of solution to 5ml of tap water until the colour is bright yellow. To fully understand how to set up your filter according to the results and start your journey to better tasting tea and coffee for your customers, we have created a how-to video.

2. Change your water filter on time

Water filtration and quality monitoring are not always standard practice particularly for smaller, independent operators, but they can make a huge difference to the quality of the drinks served.

A water filter is key to ensuring the best quality and taste of your hot beverage offering. BRITA’s Systematic Filter Technology treats water in four steps, delivering optimum results for all espresso-based beverages. It reliably protects professional espresso machines from limescale and enhances the taste and aroma for the perfect cup.

In addition, BRITA’s unique Intellibypass technology delivers consistent beverage quality and consistent protection against limescale regardless of flow, pressure and water hardness.

But it’s important to remember that installing a filter does not mean ‘job done’; for optimal performance of your hot beverage equipment, you’ll need to make sure that filters are changed on a regular basis once they reach capacity. Ask your contact at BRITA Professional how they can take care of this for you.

3. Location, location, location

BRITA Professional’s water map shows how water hardness and mineral content varies throughout the UK. It’s a misconception that soft water doesn’t need a filter. Even if you live in an area where the water is generally soft, the water still contains minerals that can have a substantial impact on the taste and appearance of hot beverages.

This is why testing the source water is so important to ensure the correct filter is installed from the start. This way you can be confident of consistently great tasting drinks and machine protection.