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Advanced — Test Kits

The first step in delving deeper into the water you are using is to increase the quality of the testing. There are a plethora of testing devices available to measure the different values of any given water.

TDS METER

A TDS meter, also known as a conductivity meter is a low cost device that measures the movement (conductivity) of the ions in the water. These would be minerals such as calcium, magnesium and sodium etc.

TDS meters are low cost and easy to get hold of. The Coffee industry has utilised these meters as a quick test of a waters overall hardness. The reading is an approximation of the mineral continent in terms of ppm (parts per million) and will allow you to gauge the overall amount of minerals in the water. It will not however denote any differentiation between the mineral type. It is this reason our test strip kit that comes with Peak is alkalinity specifically.

Once you are aware of the type of water you are working with by utilising other test methods mentioned below, you can then use the TDS meter as a quick way to measure that water. It can be used to measure the overall hardness or softness of the water coming out of peak easily and conveniently.

TITRATION KITS

Titration test kits are drop-test kits used to measure the concentration of different types of hardness in water. They are low cost and easy to use. Simply take a sample of the water you wish to test at the quantity defined but the test (usually 5-10ml) and add the agent to the sample. The sample will turn one colour. You keep adding drops until the sample turns the second colour (different per test provider). Count up the number of drops you have added and this can be converted to understand the amount of that complains in the water.

They aren’t the most accurate, but you can always double the test sample fo the water which means you will require twice as many drops to get the same result and each drop represents a more specific measurement.

We recommend having a drop test kit for alkalinity(same as the strip peak comes with) and general hardness (calcium and magnesium). Red Sea test kits used for Aquarium assessment offer magnesium and calcium specific tests to go that bit further in understanding the difference in the water.

PH METERS

The PH of the water determines how acidic or alkaline the water is. Coffee itself is a mildly acidic beverage at around 5.5. A PH of 7 is neutral. Interestingly, a neutral or slightly alkaline water is preferable for brewing coffee.

Measuring the PH of your water allows you to understand the impact it may have on flavour – a more acidic water will actually produce a slightly less acidic brew and vice versa. It will also allow you to combine the reading with a few other key metrics to utilise the Langlier Saturation Index to understand the impact the water you are using could have on your coffee equipment.

There are many types of PH meters. With all devices it is essential they are regularly calibrated ensure accurate and consistenet results.

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