Hello espressoheads
One-time-poster, long-time-lurker and now returned (a little older, no wiser, even more confused) with a renewed lust for decent coffee.
Five years ago I was chasing the espresso dream (with hopes shaped like a La Spaziale S1) but couldn't afford to do it justice. Now, within reason, I can, but I've picked up a few questions along the way. Time has been kind to my bank balance if not my waistband, so my S1 ambitions are finally feasible; I've already got a Vario grinder next to the kettle (where it currently demeans itself churning through beans for a Clever Coffee dripper).
Here's my big question, and it's about water - you know, the boring stuff that eventually becomes something interesting by virtue of whizzing through your machine. Am currently living in London where "hard" doesn't do the stuff justice: 276 ppm is the order of the day, tap-wise. I'm renting, and so drilling holes for under-sink softening/filtering systems isn't really do-able. Hence I'm looking at the S1 Mini, with its handy tank.
Thing is, what are UK people with hard water putting into their tanked machines? Buying bottles of softer water from the supermarket would get expensive, fast, and unlike what some North American coffee addicts have suggested, there's no bulk R/O water option in the supermarkets. Do people have 19l water bottles a-la office coolers delivered, and if so from whom? I've googled around and it seems there's plenty of variation as to the hardness of the water each company supplies, depending on where it comes from.
Any suggestions?
Chris
P.S. Oh, and I'm GUTTED to have missed EricC's GS/3 sale, I would've been all over that like, um, something sticky. Why oh why must new GS/3's be so expensive and second-hand ones so rare?!