City guides
Home coffee brewing, city by city
The same beans and the same recipe taste different in Seattle than they do in Phoenix. Tap water hardness and altitude are the two local variables nobody tells you about. Pick your city to see what your water is doing to your coffee and what to do about it.
Target for brewing water: around 150 ppm total hardness (50–175 ppm is acceptable). Below that, coffee tastes thin and sour. Above it, cups taste flat and your machine scales up.
New York, NY
25–65 ppm · soft
33 ft · water boils at 212°F
A compact burr grinder that fits a narrow counter
Chicago, IL
136–150 ppm · moderately hard
594 ft · water boils at 211°F
A carbon filter pitcher (chlorine, not hardness, is the issue)
Los Angeles, CA
157–180 ppm · hard
305 ft · water boils at 212°F
Filtered or diluted brew water to control hardness
Seattle, WA
22–35 ppm · very soft
175 ft · water boils at 212°F
A precise burr grinder for light roasts
Denver, CO
80–100 ppm · slightly hard
5,280 ft · water boils at 202°F
A variable-temperature kettle you can push to the top of the range
Phoenix, AZ
250–300 ppm · hard
1,086 ft · water boils at 210°F
RO or distilled water plus mineral packets — the top priority here
Austin, TX
150–200 ppm · hard
489 ft · water boils at 211°F
Distilled water or a dilution routine to drop hardness
Boston, MA
20–45 ppm · very soft
141 ft · water boils at 212°F
Mineral packets or brew-water concentrate
Not in one of these cities?
Look up your utility's annual water quality report — hardness is always listed, usually as ppm or grains per gallon (1 gpg ≈ 17.1 ppm). Then read our water for coffee guide and dial your ratio in with the brew ratio calculator.
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