A roaster in Portland told me my water was the problem, not my beans, and I owe him $18

Rose Clark · 2026-09-24T17:00:03.454144+00:00

I always thought people who messed with their water were just overthinking a simple drink. Then last Tuesday I was at a small roastery in Portland and the guy behind the counter asked what I used at home. I said tap water from my sink in Beaverton, and he just nodded and poured me two cups of the same Ethiopian beans, one with my tap and one with his filtered mix. The tap cup tasted flat and kind of bitter, the other one was sweet and had this lemon thing going on that I never got before. So my real question is, do you all actually buy those mineral packets, or is there a cheaper way to fix hard water without spending $18 on powder?

Librear

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A roaster in Portland told me my water was the problem, not my beans, and I owe him $18 | Coffee Enthusiasts - Librear