3M Water Filtration Products CFS8112-S 12 7/8" Replacement Scale Reduction Cartridge - 1 Micron and 1.5 GPM

Hey everybody, it's Hemang here back with another Water 101 video. Today, we're talking all things espresso and how to select the right filtration for it. Espresso machines are actually more prone to corrosion and scaling than typical coffee machines because of their high operating temperature. We're talking near-boiling water and sometimes even high-pressure steam, which means a high potential to form scale. Now, one way to help reduce scale buildup is to reduce water-hardness (the calcium and magnesium ions) and reduce TDS (or the Total Dissolved Solvents). However, the Specialty Coffee Association recommends leaving some minerals in the water for flavor, so it's a nuanced science. Since water makes up almost 100% of an espresso shot, it's almost as important as the coffee beans you use in terms of flavor. Not only can excess chlorine, hardness, and scale affect the service life of your machine, it can actually cause a bitter taste in the espresso. So with all that in mind, what are your options? For small cafes using less than 5 gallons or 20 liters of water per day, consider a filtration system with an ion-exchange resin to reduce water hardness and help reduce scale buildup. It should be adjustable to leave the right level of hardness for optimal flavor. For higher-volume applications, chances are good that you would use up ion-exchange filters too quickly, which gets expensive. Instead, a reverse-osmosis system may be a more cost-effective solution in the long run. You can visit 3MFoodservice.com to learn more.