FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Water Quality Association?

The Water Quality Association (WQA) is committed to the highest standards in the water treatment industry. Honesty, integrity, fair trade, and professionalism in the water treatment industry are WQA's guiding principles. Rigorous product testing for drinking water products is also part of its mission. The WQA represents more than 2,400 member companies in more than 70 countries.

What does NSF certified mean?

NSF stands for National Sanitation Foundation . It is a nonprofit, independent organization that has been certifying products, developing rigorous standards, and conducting testing to protect food, water, and consumer products since 1944.

What does FDA approved mean?

FDA stands for Food and Drug Administration . This division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services monitors the safety and effectiveness of medical devices and food products. Only after the FDA has deemed a product safe is it approved for sale.

What is the best filtering method?

What's the best car, house, or vacation spot? You have to decide for yourself what you want to filter. Most substances are removed from the water through steam distillation and the reverse osmosis process. If you want to retain the dissolved minerals in the water, a Carbonit filter is the right choice. Taste varies greatly. Visit us at our specialty store in Berlin. Find your favorite water with a free water tasting!

Are minerals in water important or harmful to our body?

There are two opinions on this point. One side believes that minerals in water are good and important for our bodies. The other side argues that minerals in water are inorganic and cannot be utilized anyway, or are even harmful and deposit in the body. To be clear: minerals are always inorganic, even if they are of plant origin. What this probably means is that minerals in organic foods are bound to chelates. These chelates enable a three to ten times higher absorption of minerals into the body, since amino acids serve as a transport medium, making the trace elements immediately available for absorption in the small intestine. The ("inorganic") minerals that are not bound to chelates are largely "dissolved" in the stomach and therefore have poorer bioavailability. However, our body obtains its mineral needs from food; one would have to drink vast quantities of water to meet the daily mineral requirement from water. Therefore, the function of water is not to supply minerals; water primarily serves as a transport medium and solvent. To fulfill this task effectively, water should be as free from contaminants and residues as possible. This is most effectively achieved through reverse osmosis or steam distillation. However, since certain minerals are necessary to impart flavor to coffee or tea, you can safely use a mineral cartridge to slightly remineralize your previously demineralized and pure water. If you like it without minerals, enjoy it. The old myth that constantly drinking demineralized (distilled) water leads to death has long been disproven. The idea that ("inorganic") minerals build up throughout your body (like in your washing machine) probably belongs in the realm of fables (at least we are not aware of any relevant study that would prove this). In conclusion: Your water should be pure and vital; whether you want to slightly remineralize it afterwards is literally a matter of taste.

Why are there such big price differences between reverse osmosis systems?

Very inexpensive reverse osmosis systems (around €100) often use the cheapest components, made from highly questionable materials. These components are usually manufactured in Asia and sometimes do not meet the strict European or American standards for substances that come into contact with drinking water. On the other hand, most reputable reverse osmosis system manufacturers often have their components manufactured in Asia or Eastern Europe. The difference here, however, is that they are manufactured under license or on a contract basis, in strict compliance with quality standards applicable in the USA or Europe. Such quality standards cost money and are not available "super cheap." On the other end of the price scale, you often find network marketing companies that offer their (sometimes very high-quality) systems at very high prices. Just ask the supplier how much you would earn as a partner selling these systems. When he then explains the sales system to you and how many people earn money from the sale of a system, you'll quickly understand why these systems are so expensive. The golden path, as is so often the case, lies in the middle.

How can I recognize high-quality reverse osmosis systems?

• You can recognize high-quality systems, for example, by the fact that they feature quick-connectors like John Guest or other quick-connectors, rather than simple so-called Jaco screw connections. These are inexpensive but also cumbersome screw connections that, depending on the material, are prone to breakage and could potentially injure your fingers.
• High-quality systems often feature a faucet with a ceramic valve (a secure seal that makes it harder for bacteria to enter the system from the faucet side). Many systems usually only have a simple tilt-and-turn faucet without a secure ceramic valve.
• The hose material should indicate the manufacturer, the maximum load capacity and the approval for drinking water; in inexpensive systems, the hose material is often only suitable for pressures up to 7 bar.
• Make sure to use high-quality membranes (Made in the USA), e.g. Filmtec membranes from DOW, Applied or GE. Sometimes cheap membranes of dubious origin are used.
• With high-quality systems, you often get far more than just the statutory two-year warranty.

Comparable labor costs are much lower in the USA than in Germany. Can systems built in Germany still be cheaper without cutting costs elsewhere?

Can I be sure that I'm buying a really good system from you?

Yes, it's not for nothing that we offer a 5-year warranty on all our reverse osmosis systems. We buy directly from the manufacturer or wholesale importer, without expensive middlemen. Let us know if you find an equivalent system for less.

Which filters are best suited for crisis or emergency situations?

In an emergency, you should use a small, handy filter that works without electricity or tap water pressure. Water filters from the Swiss company Katadyn are ideal for this. We recommend the Katadyn Pocket Filter (20-year warranty, very robust, protects against bacteria) or the Katadyn Combi Filter. The Combi Filter not only protects against bacteria but also reduces chemicals thanks to its upstream activated carbon filter. For extremely contaminated water, we recommend the Katadyn Survivos 06. This is the only manual reverse osmosis filter known to us that works without tap water pressure. New to the range is the "Water Miracle," which allows you to purify your water of bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides, and pharmaceutical residues without tap pressure or electricity.

What should you consider when choosing water filters for espresso machines and coffee machines?

Some people are looking for a water filter for their portafilter or fully automatic coffee machine to protect their expensive machine from limescale deposits or at least delay the maintenance interval. Others want to use a water filter to improve the quality of their espresso or coffee. Which filtration methods/water filters are suitable for this? Here, we explain the various options for filtering water optimally for coffee or espresso in a generally understandable way, without delving too deeply into the technical details and chemical/physical relationships.

Ion exchangers: In ion exchangers, limescale-forming substances such as magnesium and calcium are replaced with sodium, soda, or hydrogen. Sodium-based ion exchangers can be regenerated with saline solution. The pH value is not affected. The hardness is significantly reduced.
Pro: Good limescale protection. Cons: Negatively affects the taste.

Water filters with polyphosphates. These water filters release small amounts of polyphosphates into the water. These prevent limescale precipitation, significantly reducing limescale deposits. The pH value and hardness remain unchanged. Polyphosphates are tasteless and occur naturally in many foods or as additives (some E numbers). There are limits for drinking water, so polyphosphates should only be used in dosing systems that prevent uncontrolled release into the water.
Pro: Good limescale protection, tasteless, cost-effective Contra: Environmentally harmful, controversial health risks

Physical water treatment Physical treatment with so-called seed crystals does not change the water hardness, as the limescale is completely preserved. The limescale is simply altered in its structure so that it no longer clings stubbornly to surfaces and forms limestone, but instead remains in the water. It is strongly discouraged for use in fully automatic machines, as the process causes the limescale crystals to become significantly larger and can clog the fine valves. The filter process can be used with portafilters. The process is maintenance-free, and the seed crystals do not wear out. There is a risk of contamination, but since the water is heated to 90°C, this should not be a problem. The granules with the seed crystals are used in water filter cartridges and are also sold in small bags that are placed in the water tank. The pH value and hardness are not changed.
Pro: Good limescale protection, tasteless, maintenance-free Cons: Relatively high purchase costs, risk of contamination of the granules

Reverse osmosis water filter for espresso When filtering through a reverse osmosis water filter, often simply called an osmosis water filter, almost all substances in the water are reduced by 80-98%. This also applies to the limescale-forming substances magnesium and calcium. The result is ultrapure water with almost no residue. However, since a certain proportion of minerals is necessary for the full aroma development of the espresso, re-mineralization or blending with normal water is necessary. We recommend a TDS value (conductivity) of around 100 ppm (approx. 200 µS) as optimal. With this mineral content, hardly any calcification of the espresso machine occurs and the aroma of the espresso can fully develop. At the same time, the pH value of the reverse osmosis water is stabilized by the added minerals. Since gaseous carbon dioxide can pass through the membrane of the reverse osmosis system, but all alkaline minerals are removed from the water, reverse osmosis water is slightly acidic (pH 6.4-6.8). The added minerals raise the pH value. Blending with normal tap water has the disadvantage that unwanted substances that impair the taste are reintroduced into your water. The best espresso taste experience is achieved with subsequent mineralization. In forums, you can read wildly different opinions about the taste of espresso prepared with pure reverse osmosis water. If you read that the espresso tastes very good, not sour, without re-mineralization or blending, the water must have still contained sufficient flavor-forming minerals (TDS value above 50 ppm). This means that the reverse osmosis system is not working properly, a poor quality membrane was installed, or the membrane has not been replaced for a long time. Even if only a very small amount of water is drawn from a reverse osmosis system, the membrane cannot achieve its full performance. The longer a reverse osmosis membrane operates continuously, the purer the water quality becomes. On the other hand, if only 1 liter is produced per day, the reverse osmosis membrane will fall well short of its potential. But there's another reason why you shouldn't use pure reverse osmosis water for your espresso machine. Demineralized water dissolves more ions from the materials it comes into contact with. In the copper boiler of a portafilter machine, pure reverse osmosis water can absorb large amounts of copper ions. You'll then be consuming copper-contaminated water with your espresso, while simultaneously accelerating corrosion inside the machine. Water filtered with reverse osmosis can also dissolve substances like plasticizers from plastic hoses in fully automatic coffee machines, which you then ingest. This quickly turns supposedly pure filtered water into a "toxic cocktail." Our tip: When using a new portafilter machine, start with normal hard water. After 4-6 weeks, a thin layer of scale will have formed on the surface inside the copper boiler and the copper pipes, acting as a "protective layer" and preventing direct contact between the water and the copper. Only then should you use blended (1:1 ratio) or, better yet, re-mineralized reverse osmosis water for your coffee machine. The hardness is significantly reduced and the pH value lowered, which can be corrected with re-mineralization. Pros: Very good limescale protection, significantly improved espresso/coffee taste. Cons: Higher purchase price, higher maintenance requirements. Distilled water: Regarding the absorption of undesirable substances, the same applies as with reverse osmosis filtered water. Distilled water in a plastic canister from the supermarket (for irons, etc.) has had plenty of time to absorb substances from the plastic and should under no circumstances be used for drinking water or for making espresso. Drinking water distillers are available on the market that you can use to make your own steam-distilled water. In the USA, these distillers have been used for drinking water for over 20 years and have a large following. The idea that distilled water is undrinkable and even risks cell damage is outdated. During a normal diet, distilled water is mixed with other stomach contents and cannot cause osmotic cell damage. It should, of course, not be consumed during fasting. When using espresso machines, distilled water should be blended 1:1 with regular tap water. The reasons mentioned for blending reverse osmosis water apply even more here. Remineralization is technically impossible.

Pro: Very good limescale protection, improved taste of espresso/coffee Cons: High energy consumption, relatively complex process

Conclusion: You'll get the best results for taste and the best protection for your espresso machine with a reverse osmosis system. For private households or small businesses, we recommend a Direct Flow system with a 1:2 pure water/wastewater ratio. Our best-selling Quick Change system, the Direct Flow, even has a ratio of just 1:1. Avoid cheap offers from the Far East for less than €300 per system. These often use critical materials that aren't 100% food-safe. Quality systems come at a price, and you can't buy them for €150.

A final word: The reverse osmosis process is sometimes criticized as being unecological because tank systems generate four times as much wastewater. What's often overlooked, however, is that a deposit bottle in the mineral water industry is rinsed with approximately 20 liters of water before being refilled. This results in a ratio of 1:20. Not to mention the distances traveled by full and empty bottles.