A barista in Austin told me my water was the problem, not my beans

I was at a little spot on South Congress last week and complained to the barista that my home pour over tasted flat no matter what beans I bought. He asked what water I use and I said straight from the tap. He told me my city water runs hard enough that it's basically coating the grounds and blocking extraction, and that even a $20 filter pitcher would change things. I tried it the next morning with the same beans and the same grinder and the cup actually tasted like the bag description for once. Anyone else mess with their water before touching anything else in their setup?

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violamurray27d ago

Wait, hard water coats the grounds? I always figured bad water just tasted bad on its own, not that it was actually messing with the brew itself. Did you test your tap water at all, or just grab a pitcher and hope for the best?

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