50% of NYC's coffee tastes different: Here's why
New York Coffee, learning how to make clickbait headers.
But first,
Archestratus (Greenpoint) is having a fundraiser for Hurricane Helene (and, I suppose, Milton now too) on Sunday 12–3pm.
Click here to learn more; it looks great, please stop by.
Your coffee [might!] taste different
Almost two weeks ago, NYC changed the source of water for 50% of the city.
In general, your water comes from a mix of three sources: The Croton system, the Catskills system, and the Delaware system.
The latter two are generally mixed together, as you can see on this beautiful map of the Catskills/Delaware watershed.
An aqueduct, the Delaware aqueduct, was leaking some THIRTY-FIVE MILLION GALLONS of our water per day. Almost all in the same area. [You can see the aqueduct on the bottom right of the map above.]
That’s 3.5% of the billion or so gallons needed in NYC each day.
So for the last decade they’ve been building a 2.5mi ‘detour tunnel’ [de-tour-nel] and for the next 8 months, they have disconnected the tunnel to connect the new section in as a permanent fix.
We’re still getting some of that detoured water from the Catskill Aqueduct, but that means that now pretty much all of NYC is getting a similar water mix.
Here’s Croton’s, for your curiosity:
For context, the filtration plant for Croton water system can handle about 290 million gallons of water a day, so the Catskills/Delaware system has to provide the other 710 million gallons.
Here’s the entire map of our resevoir system:
It includes levels of each of the resevoirs here, with release levels here.
Conclusion: Your water, based on neighborhood, might have changed from a softer water (Catskills+Delaware) to a higher mix of the ‘moderately hard’ water (Croton system) and soft water. So it might taste better for specialty drinkers and worse for the everyman, according to the SCA.
Fun fact!
NYC is one of five cities across America that don’t need to filter their water, from the Catskills/Delaware system at least. The Croton system still requires it.
They treat Catskills/Delaware water with chlorine and UV treatment, if you’re feeling worried—and your building might add some contaminants, but the water pressurization keeps contaminants adhered to the pipes and not in the tap.
If you’ve lived here long enough, you might have noticed that some neighborhoods change the source of water in the winter or throughout the year, perhaps through your hair routine working a little better or enjoying the water more. You can see the distribution here, but be warned: right now it’s all one color.
Now you know!
You can buy water adjustment powders or simply rework your recipe, but this is a reason why your coffee’s taste just isn’t the same anymore.
I like reading, and I want to read more
Great, NYC has the data!
A historical analysis of NYC’s water is here, and it’s very cool:
A more in-depth article is available as well from the city government.
Did you know we started with wells?
You can read more about our water system here on the 2023 water report.
If you’re worried about lead in your pipes/water, you can get a free lead testing kit from NYC here. They send two bottles and you send them back, all for free.
The entirety of New York State uses some 2.5 billion gallons for the public water supply [in 2022], with 59% of the total 9 billion being used for thermoelectricity. You can see those graphs here, or here for 2018–2022 data and an overview. Agriculture took ~40 million gallons, whereas recreational snowmaking and golf courses took ~33m and ~20m, respectively.
Curious about how much water each resevoir has?
https://www.nyc.gov/site/dep/water/reservoir-levels.page
Break time!
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And now…
This week’s coffee shop spotlight!
A few weeks ago I did the tip-to-tip manhattan walk (more on that in a future edition) and came across a shop that was clearly and aggressively by and for the community it served. The way to order, rules around sitting/laptops, bathroom etiquette, all unique and custom. We need more places like that.
Monkey Cup is around ten blocks North of Central Park, a place you wouldn’t normally go unless you had a reason to. A fantastic neighborhood, like how East village is completely separated from the rest of Manhattan [but in a better way that doesn’t revolve around being rich]. And it’s stunning.
It’s a mix of thatch, art, and NYC, and they make excellent coffee. A perfect spot to sit and do that crossword you didn’t do this week with some friends.
One more picture for good luck:
Thanks for tuning in!
Enjoy your coffee! And your water!