WATER WORKS
John Colangeli is the Founder of Coffee Machine Technologies
Coffee’s best friend Coffee Machine Technologies Founder John Colangeli on the growing need for water filtration as water quality drops and machine technology and cost of repairs rise.
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e have several elements that are necessary to create the perfect espresso, the “foundation” of all espresso machine-based beverages. But without one element you can’t build a solid foundation, this element is quality water. Increased awareness of good coffee is water filtration and now more important than ever. If we have water that is altered in taste by any means, how does the café expect to achieve the highest standard for service and taste? Not too many years ago, the market was very unsophisticated when it came to water filtration. It was just “another expense” and water filtration wasn’t considered necessary to a café. Many cafés were using basic sediment control filters or overseas sand filters, which softened the already soft Melbourne water. Around the same time, at Coffee Machine Technologies (CMT) we were starting to see an increase in scale build up in coffee machines. Inadequate water filtration can lead to product failure. Most coffee machines will suffer breakdowns within the heating circuit or the water hydraulic circuit when scale forms. Without good filtration, a grain of salt or dirt can block the internal passages or the restrictors in the group heads, which ultimately results in a loss of water flow. Block the flow then everything behind it works harder as a result, again leading to component or machine failure. The water filtration options we had available weren’t in line with modern water technology and didn’t meet the needs of cafés, so we needed to move ahead to improve the coffee machines longevity.
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Coffee Machine Technologies Tech Bar/Viper Steamer creates quality silky textured milk.
BRITA was also looking to develop an Australia-wide water filter dealer network and identified CMT as among the largest independent service companies in Melbourne (our consumption of filters per week was the same quantity that a coffee company would order in six months!) BRITA was able to provide a quality yet economical solution for us and our growing CMT client base. The introduction of the BRITA C150 allowed us to blend the already soft water, but still use the high properties of sediment and carbon control all housed in the one filter. BRITA and CMT also developed the BRITA C50 to work particularly well in areas with soft water, and for most innercity cafés, that was more than enough to control scale build up and eliminate external taste from the water. Our clients saw the immediate economic benefit in terms of service and maintenance. As time progressed, they
also started to see water as one of the critical elements to produce the perfect espresso, the foundation of all espresso beverages. A common misconception I hear is that “our water is good, so why do I spend this money to filter it?” Back in the day, our data and sales showed us that the water filter was only really needed to remove sediment and for taste control. But as the technology and our taste for coffee have improved, the machines have become more sophisticated, and the water quality has reduced as water table levels drop. The water filter as we know it today needs to work harder to ensure the best taste and the best protection for the equipment. If we were to not evolve water filter technology, then our current day machines would suffer far more breakdowns and higher operating costs. CMT’s Viper Steamer and TechBar are fine examples of the high-end technology now available in the coffee
