Water plays a bigger role in espresso than most people expect. It can affect the taste of your espresso, but more importantly, it has a huge impact on how your machine performs over time. Continue reading to learn about the importance of testing your water and what you can do if your water is on the harder side!

Table of Contents

1. Video Guide
2. The Basics of Water Hardness
3. How to Test Your Water
   1. Step 1: Prepare the Materials
   2. Step 2: Dip and Wait
   3. Step 3: Enter Your Results
4. What to Do if You Have Hard Water
   1. Option 1: Keep Using the Water
   2. Option 2: Reduce Hardness Before Brewing
   3. Option 3: Make Your Own Water
   4. Don't Forget to Re-Test!
   5. Two More Important Notes
5. Descaling

Video Guide

The Basics of Water Hardness

To put things simply, water hardness is the amount of minerals in your water. Hard water has more minerals in it, and soft water has fewer minerals in it.

Some forms of water, such as reverse osmosis and distilled water, may be completely free of minerals, which we don't recommend using with Series 1. If your water doesn’t have enough minerals, it can damage the internal parts of your machine.

Alternatively, harder water can lead to quick scale buildup that can clog your machine and prevent it from working properly. For more detailed information, check out the blue water testing booklet that was included with your Series 1!

All this might sound daunting, but it's normal. Even better, it’s manageable! The first step is testing your water.

How to Test Your Water

Series 1 will ask you to test your water during the initial setup flow. It’s a one-time step to help Series 1 understand your water, and it’s quick and simple. 

Step 1: Prepare the Materials

Begin by removing the water testing strip packet from the front of the booklet and then removing the water testing strip from the packaging. Be very careful to keep it clean and away from liquids until you're ready to use it. 

Then, fill a glass with the water you intend to use with your Series 1.

Step 2: Dip and Wait

Once everything is ready, dip the test strip in the water so that all the blue squares are fully submerged for 1 second. Then, lay it flat for 1 minute. After this time, you should notice the blue boxes on the strip turn pink to varying degrees based on the water's hardness. 

Step 3: Enter Your Results

After a minute, turn your Series 1's dial to match the on-screen squares with what you see on the strip. 

Please make sure what's on your Series 1's screen matches the test strip as closely as possible! This information will be used by your Series 1 to determine how often you need to descale. 

What to Do if You Have Hard Water

If your test strip shows 4 or 5 pink boxes, there are a few things you can do about it.

Option 1: Keep Using the Water

While we don’t necessarily recommend it, the first option is to continue using your water as-is. This just means that you’ll need to descale much more frequently, and Series 1 will let you know when it’s time.

Option 2: Reduce Hardness Before Brewing

The second option is to reduce the water hardness before brewing. The easiest way to do this is with a limescale protection pad placed in the water tank. These typically last 1-2 months and work best when they’re allowed to sit overnightbefore brewing. This will soften the water so you don’t have to descale as often.

You will, however, need to let each new tank of water sit overnight before using it so the pad can properly soften the water.

Option 3: Make Your Own Water

The third option is to make your own water by adding minerals back into reverse osmosis or distilled water. We’d recommend mixing a packet of Third Wave Water’s Espresso Machine powder with a gallon of mineral-free water. It’s the best option for optimizing mineral quality and taste for espresso.

Don't Forget to Re-Test!

If you’ve changed your water, don’t forget to re-test the new water source and update your water settings in the settings menu. You can do this by going to Settings > Maintenance > Descale > Water Hardness. This will make sure your machine doesn’t ask you to descale more frequently with your new water. If you need an extra test strip, feel free to email hello@fellowproducts.com.

Please note: The water hardness menu will show one of two numerical measurements (depending on whether your machine is set in metric or imperial) instead of the pink boxes in the onboarding flow. The chart in the bottom left of the water testing booklet can help you match what you see on your new test with the values you need to select!

Two More Important Notes

Finally, there are two more important things to consider when choosing your water for Series 1:

1. Water filters like the ones you’d find in a fridge or a Brita pitcher don’t affect water hardness. They’ll help your water taste better, but won’t make it softer.
2. Bottled water normally has a higher mineral content, especially mineral spring water. Because of this, we don’t recommend using it with your Series 1.

Descaling

Descaling is a routine cleaning process that removes limescale hard mineral deposits that can build up inside your espresso machine as water is heated. Over time, scale can restrict water flow, reduce heating efficiency, and contribute to inconsistent performance. Descaling dissolves and flushes those deposits out so the machine continues to run smoothly.
Scale buildup is tied directly to water hardness, which is simply the amount of dissolved minerals in your water. Harder water means more minerals, which leads to faster scale buildup. Those same minerals also affect taste: too many can mute flavor clarity, while too few (like reverse osmosis water) can lead to flat-tasting espresso and may contribute to corrosion over time.

To descale, visit the maintenance section in your Series 1's menu and follow the on-screen prompts. 

Click here for descaling supplies.

Have More Questions? 

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