We've talked a little bit about the water mineral content for great espresso, specifically in terms of descaling vs. using distilled water, but we didn't have a great understanding of how the water can effect coffee and tea brewing -- until now.

In this informative article, Joshua Lurie of Food GPS introduces us to Cirqua, a customized water company employed by Starbucks, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Intelligentsia, among others, to create a water profile specific to enhancing the flavor of the brew. He walks us through a taste test of both coffee and tea, with the only variable being the type of water used. The results? Low mineral content water produced a more bitter taste, high mineral content yielded a muted taste and the customized water...well, it was delicious.

While Cirqua's products have been available only to commercial groups until now, they will be launching a kit for you to use at home in April at the Specialty Coffee Association of America. We're excited to try it out and compare the difference!