Choosing BWT Inline Water Filters for Espresso Machines

[@MongooseReflexes]

Fantastic information, as always, thanks!

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey Mongoose, you're welcome - thanks for the comment! Marc

[@Elfin4]

Would be good for you to do a water test after filtering the water just using a basic BWT Filter Jug to see if the basic water filter method is still suitable and as good as the installed filter systems.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Elfin, Thanks for the suggestion. I have done that in the past for the BWT Penguin Pitcher which feeds with all the reservoir machines I use in the studio. It provides performance similar to the Bestmax Premium filter.

[@missywholelattelove]

Thank you for making this video!

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey Missy, anything for you! Marc

[@edpauly1650]

Thank you for the information.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Ed, you're welcome and thank you for the comment! Marc

[@shayhare]

I follow you all the time! Coincidentally or not I saw the same filter in a coffee shop but there was no clock. Do I need it? I live in Switzerland, thank you very much for the answer!

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi SH! Thanks for following. If by clock you mean bypass setting then that’s only used on some filters like the Bestmax Premium in this video. Many BWT filters do not require the bypass. Marc

[@craigrussell6822]

Hey Mark. Thanks for this video, I'm really enjoying learning about water for coffee. I just tested my water in Southern CA and found total hardness at 17 and carbonate at 7. Sounds like I need the BestProtect. I don't plumb directly into my ECM Synchronika, but plumb to a tap that I also use for drinking water. My question is does the BestProtect produce good drinking water as well as good water for espresso? Thanks!

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi cr, You're welcome for the video! BestProtect is the proper choice for your test results which indicate gypsum in your water. The system does produce good drinking water. Many do what you do and run a single or extra tap. Marc

[@scottsil]

Hi Marc, thanks so much for this video. Helped me understand everything immensely! I’m in NYC and my water measures around 2.5° GH + KH, split pretty evenly between the two. Since I’m right in between the Bestmin and Besttaste what would you recommend for both extraction quality and protecting machine?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi s, You are welcome and thanks for the question. You are right in the middle between the 2 filter selections. By the book I'd go with the besttaste. Marc

[@harrymulligan1133]

Great video, thank you! To help out my direct-plumbed espresso machine keep up during times of heavy demand I was thinking of adding a mixing valve to my plumbing to feed warm/hot water to the espresso machine. It would typically be set to straight cold water (around 50 degrees F in the winter) , but could at most be 100% water from the hot water tank, so around 130 degrees F. Would that hurt a BWT water filter to pass 130 F water through it? Do you see any other issues with this approach that I might be overlooking?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi harry, You're welcome and thanks for the comment and question. According to BWT's Technical Data sheet for the Bestmax Premium filter the operating input water temperature range is 39.2-86F (4-30C). I do not recommend temperatures outside of spec. Marc

[@mcgovernjimmy]

Hi, we just had a whole house water softener installed. I have the BWT water test kit from you, used in this video. Prior to whole house softener install, the water tested at 14 Total Hardness, and 7 for Carbonate Hardness. After the softener install yesterday, the water now tests at essentially ZERO Total Hardness (the color immediately changes) and HACH test strips confirm it is ultra soft water. The Carbonate Hardness was at 8, after softener install. I think I may have a few options... Is the Bestmin filter the option for this, for that sort of filter setup? Another option... Can I use the Bestcup M in-tank filter? Finally, could I just add a bit of Epsom Salt to the softened water and target a test number / taste? Sorry for the multiple questions, but it seems like there are possibly several options available. Thank You for any advice!

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey mj, I took your question straight to the coffee water expert at BWT. His first comment was your softener is working very well because no hardness is surviving and all the alkalinity is still there! His recommendations/options: 1. If your softener system has a bypass open it slightly to recover some of the hardness to maybe 30-40ppm which is about 2 degrees total hardness on the test kit. a 30-40ppm hardness level will not cause scale in your machine but will improve flavor. 2. If your softener system doesn't already have activated carbon filtration you could use a Besttaste cartridge to remove chlorination if your source water is chlorinated. The cartridge does not add minerals 3. Install a line bypassing the softener and run it straight to the machine and use a Bestmax Premium filter before the machine if plumbing in the machine. if reservoir fed you can use the Bestcup, BWT Penguin pitcher or Bestsave pad filter on your unsoftened water. 4. He did not recommend using a Bestmin. Hope that helps! Marc

[@mcgovernjimmy]

@@Wholelattelovepage Marc, I really appreciate the time you took to help me figure this out. I was just talking to a buddy this afternoon about water and we both agree it's tough to get a handle on this because we just don't have all the knowledge we need, and we know it. My softener system has 2 cubic feet of media with carbon in addition to resin. It's a "custom setup" and is supposed to be really good and I'm glad BWT agrees. I do have a variable bypass lever; however, I would wonder about getting unfiltered chlorine into the mix as the city water is pretty heavy in that. I guess I may just use the garage sink for full bypass and install a filter on that. The sink will be for washing greasy hands and making coffee! :) Thanks again for your advice and helping me sort thru this. This is tremendous customer service!

[@marksmith4512]

Mark great video. I was wondering I have an Express Ro water system. The water tasted astringent (leaves my mouth feeling dry after drinking straight water from the Ro) and the coffee tasted bitter. I added a re-mineralization cartridge from them but the coffee still doesn't taste right almost chalky. I had my water company test my water and they told me the water's PH is 7.4. 7.6 from the tap and my TDS is 4 PPM from the RO system. How do I fix this? I though adding in the Alkaline cartridge from express would solve this problem. Also can the BWT be added to my system. If so where in line do I place it? After the Post activated carbon filter which comes after the RO cartridge?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey ms, Thanks for the comment and question. Straight, near zero TDS water does not taste good to most people. Also, lacking minerals it over-extracts coffee resulting in those bitter flavors. I'm not familiar with the remin cartridge you are using but since you mention alkaline i'm guessing it significantly raises pH of water. For your RO system I'd recommend adding a BWT Bestmin: www.wholelattelove.com/products/bwt-bestmin-premium-m-filter-cartridge The Bestmin is specifically designed for remineralizing RO treated water for use in food service and beverage prep. The best min cartridge would be positioned post RO treatment as the last filter in the chain. Hope that helps! Marc

[@rebeccagrace5753]

Getting ready to plumb a new ECM Synchronika that I just bought from Whole Latte Love and I did the BWT water test on my tap water (Naples, Southwest Florida) and I got 7 degrees for total hardness, but my test for carbonate hardness did not go like what you show in the video. I never saw blue in the water at all, it turned faintly pink with the very first drop and just got redder and redder. I thought maybe there was something wrong with my chemical solution so I tested some bottled water (turned blue initially as shown in your video, then returned to red at 5 drops). Rinsed the little vial and tested my tap water again, and it was just like the first time, no blue color showing up at all even with that first drop, just faint pink that gets redder and redder. So I'm thinking that I must have super high sulfate levels in my tap water -- is this water going to be safe to use in my Synchronika if I filter it with the BWT Bestprotect, or am I better off filling the reservoir with bottled water instead? Really wanted to plumb the machine but I don't want to destroy it with gypsum scale. Thanks.

[@chrisrizzo627]

Did you ever get a reply? I live in Tampa so I’m confused as well. I got the bestmin m. Most expensive. 😮

[@rebeccagrace5753]

I got this reply directly from WLL Support: Hey Rebecca, That sounds like there is a large mineral content in your water leading me to believe there are chlorides present in which case the best protect might not cut it. If there was an option for direct plumbing it would then have to be an RO system to a Bestmin filter just to be safe. -Zach Shouse Whole Latte Love

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Thanks for reposting!

[@brandoncostner7437]

Total hardness is 160mg and alkalinity is 220mg Do you add both and divide by 17.9?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Yes, diiving by 17.9 gets results in degrees of German hardness

[@brandoncostner7437]

@@Wholelattelovepage so mine is 21 😵

[@sAmiZZle82]

If my tap water is below 2° Total Hardness (18ppm) and Alkalinity is only 14ppm, is it required to still have a prefilter or RO system before the Bestmin to avoid limescale? Or can the Bestmin be connected directly to the tap and simply remineralise the water without needing to worry about scale? Do I need to worry about chloride levels at all apart from this?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

HGi sA, No need for prefilter or RO for your very soft water! Connect the Bestmin directly to tap and remin. Chloride not an issue unless you are aware of high chlorides.

[@rockp5396]

Hey Marc, I bought a bestmax premium V and “table 1” of the installation manual that lists bypass settings and capacities references degrees of general hardness. Is dGH the same as total hardness as calculated with the BWT test kit? If no, how do I derive this metric? Thank you.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Yes, use results of the Total Hardness test to set the bypass setting.

[@korvinas]

I bought the bestmax premium filter from you but I still taste chlorine. And actually my water is pretty soft at ~1 degree. Which filter would be the best choice for protection and taste?

[@gilbertonobrega8209]

I have the same problem. My water still has a chlorine taste with the bestmax premium filter. Apparently, Whole Latte Love does not acknowledge this issue.

[@korvinas]

WLL suggested I purchase the best taste filter but obviously I didn't want to throw away a brand new filter. I ended up adding an inexpensive carbon filter which solved my problem. I also have a problem with my BWT pressure regulator. Spent 4k with WLL and their suggestion to fix a faulty regulator that I had just purchased less than a year ago was to just buy another LOL @@gilbertonobrega8209

[@Element9846]

Tested my water. I have an in-house water softener. I got 1° (1 drop) TH and 19° KH (19 drops) I tried to use the app but it just told me to contact BWT. Any suggestions?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

I would contact BWT that KH number is very high!

[@Element9846]

@@Wholelattelovepage unfortunately I contacted them and I haven't seen a response.

[@TjGeneroso]

Would I still need a RO system if I’m using this filter?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi T, If you already have RO then you can add a Bestmin filter to the RO's output. That will remineralize RO water to prevent corrosion and provide good flavor. The Bestmin is the only type of cartridge one should use on the output of an RO system. If your tap water is safe to drink and does not have edge case issue like high gypsum (calcium sulfate) content then you do not need RO and the Bestmax or Bestprotect is the way to go depending on test results as outlined in this video.

[@400080vikkash]

What about removing sodium, chloroform and other bad things for you, how's this filter do with those elements?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi vk, Thanks for the question. BWT filters have activated carbon which removes many chemicals like those used to chlorinate water. Most municipal water supplies have a small amount of sodium which presents no health risk. If you have abnormally high sodium levels or other edge case contaminates at high levels you may want to consider reverse osmosis filtration plus re-mineralization. Marc

[@400080vikkash]

@@Wholelattelovepage Thanks Mark!

[@christ63]

Are you using English, French or German degrees?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

German

[@SudburyMan]

No filters on website link?! Also where would I go for Canada? Thanks

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi James. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. The link in the description has been fixed. To shop BWT products on our Canadian Site, please use the following link. wholelattelove.ca/collections/bwt

[@SudburyMan]

@@Wholelattelovepage You are very welcome! Thank you for the link also! 🙂

[@jefferygivens9993]

Thanks for making this video. The BWT website isn't at all helpful.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey Jeffery, You're welcome! Marc