Tokyo

Tokyo's water sits in a comfortable middle ground. Slightly soft, low in sulphate and chloride, with enough calcium and bicarbonate to provide structure without interfering. It's quiet water, and for coffee, that's a useful quality.

Japan's pour-over culture demands precision, and Tokyo's water is well suited to it. The balanced mineral content means extractions are predictable and repeatable. You're not fighting the water or compensating for it; you're working with a clean, neutral base that lets the coffee do the talking. This is part of why Japanese brewing methods tend to produce such clear, defined cups.

For light to medium roasts brewed by hand, Tokyo's profile is an excellent starting point. It doesn't push brightness the way very soft water does, and it doesn't flatten acidity the way hard water does. It sits in the middle, which in this case is exactly where you want it.