The secret to great coffee? Pure water.

It’s hard to imagine today, but twenty years ago, it wasn’t easy to find a great cup of coffee. In 1999, only nine percent of adults in the United States drank specialty coffee on a daily basis. But take a caffeinated leap to 2017, and the number of specialty coffee drinkers more than quadrupled to 41 percent daily. Americans have become high-quality coffee connoisseurs.

During this coffee craze, a lot of attention has been given to the quality of coffee beans. But to focus on the beans neglects an important fact: over 98 percent of coffee is water.

Poor water creates poor coffee

The leading newspaper for the coffee industry, Perfect Daily Grind, states that “poor-quality water can turn your beverage into a flat, bitter or vinegary experience.” No one wants this—especially when consumers are willing to pay up to $25 per pound for coffee beans. Thus, to pour a delicious cup of coffee every morning, it’s essential to ensure the purity of the water, too.

Activated carbon filtration is key

The experts at the Paulig Barista Institute highlight activated carbon filtration, as used in the Coway Aquamega 100, to achieve excellent water quality. They note that brewers want to reduce contaminants from every step of the water supply process, including potential substances in the water’s source, treatment process and transportation infrastructure. The Coway Aquamega filters water as it leaves the tap, so it reduces contaminants by up to 99.9 percent, as certified by the WQA, at the last possible point before consumption.

Not all water created equal

Another group, the Specialty Coffee Association, has issued a long list of standards for every aspect of coffee, including water quality. They emphasize to coffee lovers that “not all water is created equal.” For starters, brewers want to use water that is free of odors, cloudiness and chlorine. Indeed, contaminants in the water can “easily influence the taste of the coffee in the cup and have characteristic off-flavors and aromas.”

In the words of the Paulig Barista Institute, “It is good to remember that fresh, cold water is always the best starting point for brewing coffee.” For coffee lovers everywhere, triple-filtered water from the Coway Aquamega 100 is the perfect way to begin every cup.