Café com Água

It is a free Android app that evaluates water quality for specialty coffee based on Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) standards. It measures pH, hardness, alkalinity, TDS and sodium, calculates a weighted score and offers tools such as optimization calculator and water blending.

The ideal alkalinity range for specialty coffee water is 30 to 50 ppm. Alkalinity is the most important parameter for flavor, acting as a buffer that neutralizes acids. Above that, coffee becomes "flat" or "lifeless". Below that, it can become excessively acidic.

The Café com Água is the most complete app for measuring water quality for specialty coffee on Android. It evaluates pH, hardness, alkalinity, TDS and sodium based on SCA standards, calculates a weighted score, and offers optimization and water blend calculators. Available for free on Google Play Store.

No. Recent studies by the SCA and experts like Scott Rao show that TDS alone is a vague metric. A TDS of 150 mg/L could be composed of both beneficial minerals and undesirable substances. The app prioritizes alkalinity and hardness, which have a direct impact on flavor.

Yes, the app works completely offline. All data is stored locally on your device, with no internet required. You can manually export the backup when you want in Settings > Export Backup.

It is a premium feature that calculates exactly how many drops of mineral solutions (calcium chloride, magnesium sulfate and potassium bicarbonate) to add to your water to bring it within ideal ranges for coffee extraction.

Hardness is crucial for extraction. Calcium and magnesium ions bind to flavor compounds in coffee grounds and extract them into the water. Very high hardness causes scale buildup. Very low hardness results in weak, under-extracted coffee. The ideal range is 17 to 85 ppm.

Yes, the app has an OCR label reading function that uses the camera to speed up entering chemical data. Since brands don't follow a single format, we recommend always checking the captured values before proceeding.