SCA Ideal Coffee
CoffeeSCA Ideal Coffee, XX
Mineral Composition
| mg/L | |
|---|---|
| Calcium | 51 |
| Magnesium | 17 |
| Sodium | 10 |
| Sulfate | 10 |
| Chloride | 10 |
| Bicarbonate | 40 |
Mixing Recipe
This profile requires brewing salts
The mineral levels needed for this profile exceed what’s achievable with bottled water blending alone. We show the closest blend below, but recommend using a salt-based calculator for precision.
Closest blend
Why this water matters
The Specialty Coffee Association publishes a target water specification for cupping and brewing. It's the closest thing the industry has to an official standard, and it's what many competition baristas and quality labs use as their baseline. The numbers are deliberately moderate: enough mineral content for good extraction, not so much that it overwhelms the cup.
The SCA spec calls for a TDS around 150 mg/L, with calcium hardness near 68 mg/L as CaCO₃ and alkalinity around 40 mg/L as CaCO₃. These numbers aren't arbitrary; they're drawn from decades of cupping data and sensory research. The goal is water that extracts evenly and doesn't impose its own character on what you're tasting.
In practice, the SCA target is a reliable starting point for most brewing methods. It won't be perfect for every bean or every roast level, but it's designed to be broadly good rather than narrowly optimal. If you're cupping coffees or trying to establish a consistent baseline for your brewing, this is the standard the industry works from, and for good reason.