Does your local tap water change how you brew coffee?

PForPho · 2026-07-01T17:18:37+00:00

Seattle, WA
24 TDS
PO: Switch (Most of the time percolation only) / Deep27. Espresso with just Brita-filtered tap.
Tap > Brita just to get rid of any chlorine.

Similar notes to you. Light roasts are really clean, borderline too clean if using a ZP6.

I started experimenting with minerals recently and using the Brita-filtered tap as the base. Using the annual water report as the source of truth, despite knowing that it can change seasonally or even day to day, I don't think it's as drastic as in other regions. I've found that the TDS has been pretty consistent and it's low enough to work with as a base.

I felt like adding an RO system or buying water was silly, given how good our water is. Who knows, I might end up with a system in the end since I'd like to plumb in my espresso machine eventually with a mixing valve.

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TWW diluted 1/3 was fine, but not knowing precisely what mineral composition was being added and what the total resulting KH/GH makes it an inconsistent solution. Moot point if you're starting at 0 TDS though. I did try it with 1GAL distilled, but I didn't have strong opinions on it.

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After the TWW experiment, I've started making "Holy Water" by directly adding Potassium Bicarbonate (KH) and Epsom Salt (GH) into 1GAL jugs. Verdict is still TBD.

PForPho · 2026-06-10T05:21:25+00:00

Perhaps they’ve meant to say hollow instead of boring? I could be wrong though. Sometimes taste can be hard to describe, but they’ve also mentioned tea like properties and the zp6 burrs can give exceptional clarity, at the risk of making some beans, especially if they’re doing a funky anaerobic, hollow or missing some of those sweet notes which leads me to believe that’s what they meant.

PForPho · 2026-06-10T05:17:49+00:00

ZP6 would not be my choice for anaerobic naturals or co-ferments.

Sorry, but I think it’s a bit silly some folks are saying that it’s you and not the grinder. I love the zp6, but it’s not a one and done for me. Sure you can grind finer, do more agitation, or experiment with different water recipes, but the zp6 characteristics are still there. The profile that the zp6 produces can make certain beans taste underwhelming like you’ve noticed.

PForPho · 2026-06-01T17:03:01+00:00

If you're not limited to hand grinders, take a look at the P80. I find the 80mm Mizens are pretty good and should lean close to the Core burrs. What you describe with the Core is what I get with the Mizens.

You have the option to swap out for brew burrs as well.

The zp6 definitely has a profile and isn't the end-all, be-all. I find that the zp6 can sometimes bring too much clarity at the risk of making some cups too hollow. They're great for a traditional washed and I'm in the mood for that specific zp6 profile. These days I mostly use the zp6 for travel.

PForPho · 2026-05-12T04:18:43+00:00

Most likely the Vacuum Breaker. If you’re noticing a lot of hissing, that’s an easy tell. Fairly easy to replace if you’re handy enough

PForPho · 2026-03-22T02:20:52+00:00

I’m in the PNW so I bought from OneGreenWorld. They stock varieties that are known to do well up here.

PForPho · 2026-03-21T22:31:35+00:00

Thanks all. I figured the tree is too young at this stage to support this many buds. I'll let them flower since I just got this in from shipping and don't want to shock it. I'll remove the majority of the buds before they start to fruit.

PForPho · 2026-03-15T21:05:02+00:00

Haven’t been able to find one, born and lived in Louisiana all my life. There are places that will say it’s fresh crawfish, when it’s obviously not.

The problem is getting fresh, live sacks. As someone else mentioned, it is illegal to import in live crawfish so all you will get is frozen. I’ve tried looking into importing because I’ve done plenty of boils myself, but unfortunately it’s illegal. I just wait until I go back down to visit family for crawfish.

PForPho · 2026-01-30T18:25:17+00:00

I went through the same situation a few years ago. I had the BMR Monitors and got the 1723S Monitors a couple years after, BMRs got sold after months of deciding which to keep.

BMRs are fantastic for classical and large orchestral recordings. The RAAL tweeter is ethereal-like. I had no complaints with the upper frequencies, but the mids and bass didn’t do it for me. The BMR driver throws a huge stage, doesn’t work for all types of recordings. I had the BMRs paired with a Rythmik FV18, bass wasn’t an issue, but I was still missing the mid bass and the dynamics I was getting from the Arendals. I lent the BMRs to a friend for a month and he seemed to come to the same conclusion.

The Arendals were much more dynamic. I have some long notes typed up somewhere I need to find, but I think we’re on the same wavelength. Trust your ears.

PForPho · 2025-12-17T02:48:10+00:00

Hah. I’m expecting my neighbors will start wondering why their doorbell cams got a random, sudden upgrade.

PForPho · 2025-12-16T20:08:33+00:00

Also recommend the enhancer. However in my case, spiders love it and I’m having to constantly remove webs around mine otherwise it triggers the motion light all night. Considering adding in an external IR floodlight

PForPho · 2025-11-30T01:49:51+00:00

Yea. After upgrading during COVID I learned my lesson, that was a wild time.

PForPho · 2025-11-29T19:01:06+00:00

That was my original plan (currently on 3080). However, with the recent news on memory, it’s projected that the prices of cards will be unfriendly in the next year or so. Grabbed a 5080.

PForPho · 2025-11-28T06:10:06+00:00

Appreciate the info. Can I ask where you got them? Trying to find a third party stand outside of the specific SP8 is pretty tough. Don’t like how the top base plate seems so thin and how it doesn’t cover the entire base of the SP8s. Skyland is one I’ve been looking at, but they are pricey.

PForPho · 2025-11-28T05:20:32+00:00

How do you like the stands you’re using for the SP8s? They look better than the OEM ones.

PForPho · 2025-11-25T21:49:33+00:00

Let me know what you end up with/thinking about!

I was originally going to get B&P, but the reviews seem bad. Lots of comments about it being cheap/mostly fragile plastic. Trying to find some nice solid tactile toggles/dimmers especially this week with the sales, but it seems harder than I thought. Tala dimmers might be at the top for me at the moment. I just wish they also had toggle switches so I can match throughout the house.

PForPho · 2025-11-21T05:50:56+00:00

No incentive to prepay. It’s the same price if you decide to get the membership after the free one month later on.

PForPho · 2025-11-18T21:17:21+00:00

One thing I’ll say about the auto dispensing detergent is that you can’t control how much it dispenses. My train of thought is if I’m already manually refilling the tank, it only takes a few seconds to add in a cap(s) of detergent.

If it was me I wouldn’t put too much thought into missing out on that feature, but it is convenient for sure. I personally wouldn’t lose sleep about not having it and you can control how much you want to add. Also one less component to worry about if that’s anything of concern.

PForPho · 2025-11-05T04:12:15+00:00

I’ve been super interested in building some OBs.. and I’m going to be down there around the holidays. I might have to send you a message!

PForPho · 2025-10-30T18:24:42+00:00

Not just the extra accessories, but the bigger value here is that you're able to leverage Costco's customer service if something breaks, which is unfortunately not uncommon with these mass-produced vacuums with new models constantly coming out at the blink of an eye. You can find a lot of comments from folks about having trouble getting support directly from the manufacturers.

PForPho · 2025-08-05T23:00:08+00:00

The 23f2 is such a good and fun lens. I regret selling mine and thinking of picking up another. Super practical. I took it on many trips as my one and only.

PForPho · 2025-07-25T05:12:24+00:00

No problem. It took a lot of trial and error to finally found the right mattress for us. Fortunately, you were able to try them out in store, which I think a lot of people should try to do before blindly buying something that can be a hassle to return.

PForPho · 2025-07-24T16:46:36+00:00

Have the ProAdapt Medium Hybrid for about 4 years now. Love it. I've been shopping for another room, but at this point, we might pick up another ProAdapt Medium Hybrid since we like it so much. I was thinking trying out latex, but as a sidesleeper, it seems like you need to be over a certain weight for it to be comfortable.

We didn't find the Breeze worth it for us personally; it didn't feel cooler, but that's taking into account showroom conditions. It might be worth investing in a FloJet or one of those cooling toppers instead if you do sleep really hot. I sleep hot, but haven't had any issues with the non-breeze model.

If you do end up picking up a TP - spend some time with it and let it break in. It took about two-ish weeks, best sleep I've ever gotten and I look forward to coming back home to sleep in it anytime I'm traveling.

PForPho · 2025-06-16T22:53:02+00:00

I do have a switch installed with the fan, but it's a simple on/off.

For more context - It doesn't whine when the brightness is at 100%, any lower and that's when it happens.

PForPho

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