Third Wave Water touched down in South Africa!

It took a lot to keep the secret, but it's finally out. We're the official exclusive distributors of Third Wave Water in South Africa! Some of you will be reading this, and mirroring me 3 months ago sayin' 'third wave what'? 

Remember Third Wave Feminism? Bare with me, it's a quick analogy to get you up to speed. While Third Wave Feminism is out there breaking down the patriarchy, Third Wave Water is debunking the myth that all water is created equal when it comes coffee brewing.

It seems silly, until you visit a coastal town or mountain town with water is so harsh in minerals you can barely bare the taste. I'm currently in Valencia Spain, and the tap water here is safe to drink, but has such a strong taste I wont even boil my spaghetti in it. 

Third Wave Water was created to tackle the issue of inconsistent tap water ruining great coffee because the big problem with making really good coffee is using really good water.

My exposure to TTW before this was limited to none, so I was keen to test this thing out and get a sense of the hype. (I can see Romero's face palming while reading this.). Last week in Budapest, I visited Kern Collective Coffee, and was so impressed to see on their manual brewing menu "made with Third Wave Water". 

Thankfully you don't need to travel all the way to Budapest, you can buy a box of Third Wave Water from us and have it delivered anywhere in South Africa. If you buy a box of Third Wave Water from our website, you'll receive a box filled with sachets. Each sachets contains a few grams of powder that you mix with 2 liters of distilled water.

After tasting, testing and tinkering with Third Wave Water, here's why I opt in to the fandom:

1. Accurate Flavour Notes
2. Consistency in your brew
3. Protect your equipment

The main goal you have when brewing a cup of coffee is to get the tasty notes from the bean into your cup. Water contains several minerals that compliment these flavour notes. On the other hand, there are minerals in your water which does the exact opposite for your brew. Certain minerals can completely throw off the flavour profile of the beans, and even worse, do it inconsistently. If you're using tap water, you're basically entering the casino of brewing accuracy. Good luck. You can imagine, the roaster defining the flavours, people all over buy the beans, and brew the same roast of beans with different tap water all over the country. Sounds like a recipe for flavour disaster.

Apart from protecting your cafe or home coffee machine for calcification by using distilled water, you can always gain greater clarity in the brew when you pair it with Third Wave Water. Choose either distilled water, or reverse osmosis water, to ensure all solids have been removed from the water. This type of water is also called 'dead' water, where the minerals have been completely removed and no solids are present. You can easily get a sense of this on the label of a bottle of water and reading the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) measurement. TDS comprises organic matter and inorganic salts such as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and others.

You do need these minerals to compliment the coffee. Steps in the hero of the story, Third Wave Water. Third Water Water in simple terms, is dehydrated water, or a powder containing the right amount of minerals you need to add back into your distilled water to get the balance of taste. There are different profiles you can choose from depending on the roast. Head over here to see the profile's we sell. I'll write another article on how to choose the right Third Wave Water profile for you, but a safe choice is using the Classic Profile.

There are recipe's and guidelines out there, but personally I recommend you experiment with the ratio of Third Wave Water mix with your bean to get the best results. Best way to do this? Do a blind tasting! What better way to remove bias from the process and let your senses guide you.

Still not convinced? We'll be hosting some cupping events at various locations for the community to come experience the difference and magic of TTW. Head over to our social media channels to keep an eye on the upcoming events!

So, whether you're stirring up change in society or in your coffee pot, always remember, it's all about the quality and essence of your blend, be it coffee or equality!

Remember, life happens, coffee helps. Until next time,
Stephanie.