# 🚰 NOTES - WATER water needs mineral content in order to carry flavors flavor chlorine heavy metals (copper, lead, zinc) dirt, dust scale and water hardness pH, Temperature, Alkalinity, Cyanuric Acid, Calcium Hardness, and Total Dissolved Solids hard water is water that has a high mineral content (in contrast with "soft water") Hard water is formed when water percolates through deposits of limestone, chalk or gypsum, which are largely made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbonates and sulfates The ways to reduce Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in water are reverse osmosis (most common process, 90-99% removal of dissolved solids using a semi-permeable membrane), distillation (older technology, very pure water produced by evaporating and recondensing water), deionization (ion exchange technology, very pure water for specialty applications), ion exchange (removes offending ions and replaces them with more harmless counterparts, commonly used for water softening), and electrodialysis (eliminates ions from water through the use of an electrical current). What Is TDS? Total dissolved solids include minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium, salts, metals like lead, zinc, and copper, dissolved organic matter, and other inorganic substances. Carbon filter = removes organics, aromas, chlorine. (Hydros) Carbon filter + softener = all of the above + reduces calcium and some heavy metals (Brita) Carbon filter + softener + remineralization (technology made specifically for coffee!) (Peak) Waterdrop WD-TSA-10 ion-exchange