The Reason Starbucks Water Tastes So Crystal Clear And Clean

The Starbucks menu is notoriously expansive and almost endlessly hackable. You can order a drink skinny, with extra syrups, oat milk, extra whip, and even flavored cold foam. Sometimes, however, it's the simplest pleasures that are the best. Take, for example, Starbucks' water. Water isn't often a notable menu item, but at Starbucks, it really shines through. For years, customers have loved the crisp, clean taste of Starbucks water. Its merits go far beyond the usual, refreshing qualities provided by cold glass of water from the tap. And as it turns out, these differences really do come down to what's in, or rather, what's not in the water.

Unlike many other coffee shops and restaurants, which use unfiltered tap water, Starbucks triple filters its water supply through reverse osmosis in order to remove chemicals and pollutants. Not only does this result in a perfectly refreshing glass of water (a menu item that is, unfortunately, no longer gratis), it also makes for an exemplary cup of coffee. After all, coffee is mostly water, so it stands to reason that good water makes for a great brew. 

Now you may be wondering, what is reverse osmosis, and how does it filter water? Essentially, reverse osmosis is the process in which water is passed through a filter in order to remove bacteria, salt, certain chemicals, and molecules. Since Starbucks water is triple filtered using in-house water filters, the resulting water is super fresh and clean tasting. You may think that all water is pretty much the same. However, water, especially tap water, can vary in taste based on where you are. Often, this is due to how the water is processed and filtered by your local municipality. 

Depending on where you are, your water may have a higher chlorine content that can give your water a distinct taste. Other factors, such as bacteria and mineral content. Hard water, or water that has a higher level of minerals such as magnesium and calcium, is common in the United States, and often has a distinctly mineral taste. States such as Florida are known for their, let's say, uniquely flavored water, which is high in both sulphur and chlorine. Meanwhile, New York's "soft water" is often noted as the secret to their bagels and crispy pizza crust. Though as far as New York pizza goes, this theory has been debunked. Starbucks triple filtering system essentially evens out these variations by removing any potential chemical and mineral variations, leading to a crisp, pure, Starbucks-worthy sip.