Nick founded Lotus Coffee Products and has been on the forefront of coffee water mineralization for years now. Dive inside the mind of an industry leader who really believes that if you're not formulating your own coffee water, you might just be leaving something on the table.
Visit https://lotuscoffeeproducts.com to buy your own minerals and make your coffee taste better
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0:00 Intro!
0:50 Ray and Zack introduce Nick
7:22 How Nick got into coffee and partnered with Lance
7:53 Getting it off our chest: Ray's case for RO water
10:51 Can you dial in great coffee at 5 ppm?
11:18 Nick's hot take
13:15 Green quality vs. roast quality
14:56 Porlex grinders and hammer brewing
17:33 Lotus vs. Apex: why concentrates precipitate
21:23 The bicarbonate chemistry, explained
25:24 Post-brew mineralizing and why water feels intimidating
28:45 Popular water recipes: Light & Bright, Rao/Perger
33:55 Does Nick change his water for every coffee?
36:18 Coarse grind trends and the wood chip brew
38:55 Dialing in funky, light, and dark coffees with minerals
44:22 Water myths: what advice do you disagree with?
47:01 How Lotus ended up with four ingredients
50:27 Silica: "it tastes like sand"
52:00 Science vs. art in brewing
55:51 Are minerals predictable?
1:02:25 Espresso and alkalinity
1:03:35 Do minerals affect extraction? The Hendon paper debate
1:06:21 The "heavier water drains faster" myth
1:09:37 What's the lowest ppm change you can taste?
1:12:17 Why small amounts of minerals matter (thresholds)
1:17:11 Which acids does alkalinity turn off first?
1:19:01 Third Wave Water and the citrate flavor
1:24:31 SCA standards and ideal total ppm
1:27:30 Does a roaster's water explain whack coffees?
1:32:49 Where to ask questions and how to learn minerals by tasting
1:34:00 Why buy Lotus instead of mixing your own?
1:38:22 Rapid fire: "Spit It Out"