Ham ordered? Tick. Presents bought. Tick? Christmas tree and decorations out of the garage? Tick. Christmas drinks ideas for the massive amount of entertaining ahead? Help!

The festive season will soon be upon us…

It’s a busy time of year and often it’s when we entertain the most. Whether you’ve extended family coming to stay or entertaining the neighbours, we’ve some some tips and drink ideas that will help save you time and money!

Of course the key to successful entertaining is preparation… so start early!

1. Fizzy Filtered Water

If you haven’t one already, invest in a Sodastream. It’s worth it for the endless supply of fizzy water. Of course your sparkling water will taste better if you use filtered water!

If you are entertaining the next day then a tip here is to fill your Sodastream bottles with filtered water straight from your inline water filter and put them in the fridge to chill overnight.

Just before your guests arrive, pop them in the Sodastream to add a bit of fizz. Then place the bottle on the dinner table for guests.

It’ll save you heaps of money on bottled water.

2. Plenty of Ice

Another essential preparation is to have enough ice!

On Christmas Eve fill your ice trays with filtered water so you have plenty of ice ready for Christmas drinks. Again, it will taste better if it’s made from filtered water but also if you use a covered ice tray. This is because the ice will be protected from the smells in the freezer which are often absorbed by the water which in turn affects the taste.

3. Jazz up Your Ice with Frozen Festive Ice Cubes

Forget the berry wreath pavlova this Christmas and go for a frozen berry ice option…

Festive ice cubes are another great idea if you’re entertaining. These are super easy to make and will be sure to impress your guests.

Just fill your ice trays with filtered water then add blueberries,  raspberries or sprigs of rosemary. Feel free to get creative here! Then put them in the freezer overnight. They’ll be ready to add to your guests drinks the next day. Prepare for plenty of compliments!

4. A Refreshing Non-alcoholic Drink before Dinner

We couldn’t mention a Christmas recipe without one from the master himself, Jamie Oliver .

Jamie’s pomegranate, ginger and lime flavoured water is a refreshing non-alcoholic Christmas drink, perfect for festive entertaining and tastes great with filtered water.

You’ll need half a pomegranate, 2cm of ginger and a lime.You’ll also need to have lots of ice ready…good job you were prepared earlier!

Check out the full recipe

5. An Endless Supply of Hot Drinks

Extended family coming to stay? Have you thought about the endless cups of tea and long overdue chats with the relatives? Making those hot drinks is super fast and easy with a Hot/Cold Ambient instant water filter system. It’s quicker and cheaper than boiling a kettle.. And a great alternative to the inline water filter if you entertain a lot.

6. The Perfect After Dinner Christmas Drink

Endless after dinner hot drinks are all well and good but it is Christmas after all. So how about a recipe for a hot drink with a festive twist?

Check out this nutmeg and orange coffee recipe from BBC Good Food.

Tips for the Big Day

Finally make sure you drink a glass of water with every alcoholic drink you consume and have an extra glass of water when you go to bed…you’ll thank us for saving you a Boxing Day hangover!

And if you want to really mix it up this year why not skip the cookies and milk and leave Santa a glass of refreshing filtered water on Christmas Eve… delivering all those presents is thirsty work!

For Sydney mum, Amanda Caunt a water filter had been on her ‘wishlist’ for years. As a new mum she was cooking organic healthy meals for her young family but had began to question the quality of tap water she was using.

“One of the biggest triggers for me was that I was putting so much effort into feeding the family healthy food that was organic. So it seemed crazy to me to be then drinking water that had potential nasties in it,” says Amanda

Despite wanting a water filter for a long time she had held back due to a common misconception.

“I didn’t realize that you could have the inline one. I thought it had to be drilled into the sink.”

A Kitchen Renovation

It was buying a new house and a kitchen renovation that finally inspired Amanda to research the best water filter system.

Her dream kitchen was designed with granite bench tops and she didn’t want to drill into those … she also wanted a particular tap design. In her quest for the perfect water filter she discovered the WFA inline water filter.

“As soon as I saw it I knew it was the answer. We really poured our heart and soul into the kitchen renovation so we wanted to make sure that it looked the way we wanted it to look. It was a big bonus that we could choose our tap.”

Installing the inline water filter is a simple DIY job but Amanda chose to have it installed by the plumber who was also putting in her new sink. She was very happy with the result but was cautious to use the water at first.

“The only thing we were unsure about was the amount of water we could use. As in the instructions it said it would last 12 months or however many litres. I didn’t know how much water we would use and I was worried that there was a possibility that we would use that really quickly. Of course we didn’t use more and it lasted the year, which I was thrilled with. So I was really happy about that.”

The only other thing Amanda was worried about was how would she know when the filtered water had run out and when to change the filter cartridge…

“I didn’t need to worry because the alarm beeped. Ordering and changing the inline cartridge was also simple and we replaced the cartridge ourselves and it was super easy.”

So Many Uses for Filtered Water

Since getting her new water filter Amanda hasn’t looked back.

She uses it for everything from her morning cuppa, lunchtime salad dressing; cooking healthy organic meals…

…even the family puppy loves his bowl of fresh filtered water.

“I use it for shakes and smoothies where I use water rather than milk. So once it is in the blender with the fruit you can’t even tell that it water and not milk.

I’ve also made almond milk with filtered water and I make my own bone broth. If I don’t want to use filtered water then I turn the tap to warm for washing up and stuff.”

Helping the Environment

As a keen environmentalist Amanda is also very happy with the added bonus of owning a water filter… the fact that she is avoiding plastic bottles. In her words,

“It was definitely a big factor in choosing a water filter. We purposely do our shopping with the environment in mind, like shopping at naked food stores and all that. Unless we are out and there is nowhere for us to fill up our bottles then I will buy a plastic bottle. But I hate doing it with a passion. I might only do it a couple of times a year. It’s a very big factor to me to not have to do that.”

On the odd occasion that Amanda is forced to fill her bottle with regular tap water, she now really notices a difference.

“I can really taste that nasty chlorine taste. When I first got it I couldn’t but now that I’ve been drinking it for a year and a half now, I can really taste the difference.”

If you would like to make the switch to filtered water for your family, take a look around our online store or call our friendly customer service team.

In recent years many of us have developed a bit of an addiction to a small bean and the many variations it takes to create the perfect tasting cup of coffee. Given that there are now world barista championships, it proves that making a good cup of coffee is now both a science and an art!

Long Black, Short Black, Double Espresso? From your favourite coffee shop or home Nespresso machine? Whatever way you get your morning caffeine hit, one thing that’s often overlooked is the water quality used to make it…and of course your coffee will taste better with filtered water!

If you are an Espresso kind of person… that’s 98% water and the coffee is only a small percentage of your drink. So, it doesn’t matter if you are using the finest Arabica beans (the more expensive coffee bean) and using a world champion barista the taste will always be affected by the water used.

Why?

Well, water is the main carrier of the coffee favours. The coffee bean is the seed of the coffee plant and if you start to look at making a cup of coffee as a chemistry experiment like Five Senses Coffee, they say,

“Water isn’t just an ‘ingredient’ that you add to roasted coffee seeds — water is the solvent which extracts the flavour compounds from the seed. It has a very active role. To dissolve flavour compounds in water, the water has to form chemical bonds with solids in the seed and carry them away.”

Tap Water vs Filtered Water

So what’s wrong with filling your coffee machine with tap water?

Firstly, regular tap water has been treated with chlorine so it usually tastes of chlorine and can smell a bit like a swimming pool change room….this in turn affects the taste of the coffee.

Then, there is the fact that tap water also can contain small particles of dust, rust and sediment. This not only affects the taste of the coffee but can clog up your coffee machine.

Also, tap water will include an amount of dissolved minerals and salts. Of course, the levels will depend on where you live. These minerals and salts are important for health and wellbeing and coffee needs a certain amount of minerals to maintain the flavour. But if too much calcium is in your tap water you could be faced with limescale buildup in your coffee machine which in turn could cause it to malfunction or break.

Choose Filtered Water

So the best solution is to use filtered water. And an easy and affordable way to filter tap water is to install a WFA Platinum inline water filter under your kitchen bench which attaches to your existing kitchen tap. Installation is a simple DIY job, no need for a plumber.

The other great thing about the WFA Platinum water filter is that it is fast flowing. So it’s easy to fill up your coffee machine.

The WFA inline water filter will remove chlorine, small particles and it will help prevent limescale build up.  This in turn helps to protect your coffee machine. However,  the water filter does leave enough minerals in the water for flavour enhancement – an important part of the coffee making process.

Different Ways to Brew Coffee

Just like making the perfect cup of tea, there are a few steps to making a great tasting cup of coffee. We’ve put together the main steps according to the National Association of Coffee USA and it comes down to 5 things…

The Equipment – This includes the quality of the grinders, coffee makers and filters.

The Coffee Beans – This includes the origin of the beans (the country and region). The variety of the bean (Arabica, Robusta or a blend) And the roast type and blend.

The Grind – Some of these methods include: Filter, French Press, Ultimately the size of the grind affects the taste of the coffee. More here

The Freshness of the Grind – It’s very important to grind the coffee beans as close to the brewing time as possible.

The Water – This is the bit that we are particularly interested in…the US National Coffee Association advises to use filtered or bottled water. Of course bottled water is expensive and all those empty plastic bottles are bad for the environment. So there’s another reason for choosing a WFA inline water filter!

The Best Water to Coffee Ratio for the Perfect Cup of Coffee

When it comes to the coffee to water ratio, there is a term commonly known as the ‘Golden Ratio’. This is 1-2 tablespoons of ground coffee to 6 ounces (175 ml) of water. Obviously it will depend on personal taste as well.

Water Temperature

Water temperature is important too. Just like tea, don’t over boil the water or it will spoil the taste of your coffee. According to the US National Coffee Association…

“Your brewer should maintain a water temperature between 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal extraction. Colder water will result in flat, under-extracted coffee, while water that is too hot will also cause a loss of quality in the taste of the coffee.

If you are brewing the coffee manually, let the water come to a full boil, but do not over boil. Turn off the heat source and allow the water to rest a minute before pouring it over the grounds.

Always allow your coffee – or any hot beverage – to reach a comfortable temperature before enjoying (specifically below 140 degrees Fahrenheit).”

Brewing Times

The amount of time that the water is in contact with the coffee will depend on the type of brewing chosen. For example, a drip system would be 5 minutes but a French Press would be 2-4 minutes. In contrast to make the perfect Espresso, the coffee bean is only in contact with the water for 10-20 seconds!

If you invest in a quality water filter system you can be assured that you have the right water to start with. This will not only give you great tasting coffee but will help protect the life of your coffee machine as well!