Why you should drink water with your coffee

You’ve probably had a coffee and thought, “that didn’t taste as good as I expected.”
Same beans, same setup, but something just feels off. 
A lot of the time, it’s not the coffee, It’s your palate.

Or maybe you're sitting at a cafe and noticed espresso's served with sparkling water.

Water Is a Palate Cleanser

Coffee is intense, even a well-balanced cup has layers of acidity, bitterness, sweetness and texture all hitting your palate at once. And once those flavours sit on your tongue, they linger. That’s where water comes in.

Drinking water before your taste your coffee resets your palate. It clears away any residual flavours, food, toothpaste, whatever, so you’re tasting the coffee as it actually is, not through a layer of something else.

Drinking water after your coffee does something slightly different. It washes away lingering bitterness and acidity, leaving your mouth feeling clean rather than coated.

If you’ve ever had multiple coffees back-to-back and noticed they all start tasting the same… that’s palate fatigue and taking sips of water inbetween fixes that. It’s not about being fancy, it’s about being able to actually taste what you paid for.

Hydration Matters More Than You Think

Coffee has a mild diuretic effect. It’s not as dramatic as people make it out to be, but it does still contribute to dehydration over time, especially if you’re having multiple cups a day or cupping a huge range of samples.

Pairing coffee with water is just a simple way to balance that out as well as help you taste coffee better.

Understanding Different Types of Water

You’ve probably seen a lot of different labels on water bottles and never really thought twice about them. But they’re not all the same and some waters are better suited to drinking with coffee than others. Here's a brief breakdown for each: 

Still Water

Your standard go-to. Clean, simple, no distractions. This is usually just Tap water and often the most inconsistent when travelling to different areas but for an inexpensive and consistent water in the same area it will be the best option for you.

Sparkling Water

This one’s interesting. The carbonation can act as a more aggressive palate cleanser, cutting through heavier coffees or milk drinks really well. It’s not traditional, but it works. Some people swear by it and you'll often see espresso's in particular served with sparkling water.

Filtered Water

This is what a lot of people are drinking at home. Filtering removes impurities like chlorine, which can affect taste. It’s generally a solid middle ground and works well both for brewing coffee and to drink it with.

Distilled Water

This is water stripped of almost everything including minerals. On its own, it tastes flat and lifeless. Not ideal for drinking and definitely not ideal for coffee.

Mineral Water

Naturally contains minerals like calcium and magnesium. Depending on the brand, this can actually complement coffee quite nicely, especially if the mineral balance is moderate. I'd avoid going for a super heavy mineral water as this could leave more of an impression on your coffee. But if you're actually wanting to experiment, it could be a fun test to play around with!

Natural Spring Water

Often a good balance of minerals and taste. This can be one of the better options if you’re buying bottled water to pair with coffee.

When You Should Drink Water With Coffee

You don’t need to turn this into a strict ritual, but there are a few moments where it makes the biggest difference:

It’s simple, but once you start doing it, it becomes second nature and you can very easily get into a routine!

Drinking water with coffee isn’t about being pretentious or copying what cafes do. It’s about getting more out of something you already enjoy. Better flavour, better clarity, better overall experience, all from something as simple as a glass of water.

And if nothing else… At least your latte art might still look terrible, but it will taste great :)