BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

Images by Tanya Nanetti

For years I used to be content material to make use of store-bought filtered water once I needed to brew a scrumptious cup at residence. That each one modified a couple of months in the past once I stumbled upon Martin Wölfl’s web page by likelihood. Just lately topped World Brewers Cup Champion, Martin listed as a part of his successful routine a particular water he created by mixing the three completely different mineral concentrates produced by the Australian model Apax Lab.

About Apax Lab

A fast take a look at Apax Lab’s web site piqued my curiosity, for a number of causes.

First, the concentrates have been introduced as akin to a meals seasoning, developed to simply “season” a selected espresso in accordance with private desire, in the identical means one would add a spice to a dish to realize the specified traits. Not like different water kits, Apax Lab’s concentrates have been designed with a twin goal: to create a selected water for brewing, and to be added to already brewed espresso, both black or with milk. As well as, the package was meant for residence customers, espresso retailers, espresso competitions, and high quality management.

The extra I learn concerning the mineral concentrates, the extra I needed to attempt them.

The Thoughts Behind the Water

Whereas ready for his or her supply, I acquired in contact with Simon Gautherin, the thoughts behind Apax Lab, to be taught extra concerning the mineral focus package.

“Consider them because the spice rack a chef makes use of to season meals,” Simon started by introducing his creation. “Every focus provides distinct results and can be utilized straight in espresso to reinforce it. As a substitute of ’flavoring’ the espresso, they spotlight its constructive attributes corresponding to sweetness, physique, and acidity, whereas lowering much less fascinating ones corresponding to bitterness and sharpness.”

Subsequent, Simon advised me the place the thought for the package got here from: “I’ve been making competitors water for seven years and many individuals have gained their nationwide championships with the profiles I designed. I acquired to a degree the place many individuals have been asking me to assist them remotely, however that may be difficult, so I began placing these successful recipes for championships in smaller bottles that folks can simply use.”

I used to be curious to be taught extra concerning the different use of concentrates, to be added after brewing.

“Throughout our analysis we shortly realized that including minerals earlier than or after brewing modified little or nothing,” Simon defined. “So we began exploring the chances of post-brewing remineralization, successfully giving baristas and brewers the chance to style their espresso, and enhance it, after brewing. It is a first, as a result of there was no different method to not considerably remodel the profile of the cup after brewing, however to do it with unbelievable precision and get precisely what you need within the ultimate cup.”

Selecting Your Water

I used to be simply ending my chat with Simon once I lastly acquired my Apax Lab package delivered. Excited, I needed to begin getting ready my water instantly, however I nonetheless had a few issues to determine earlier than I began.

First, discovering the fitting water to begin with.

After studying all about what water was finest to make use of (distilled, demineralized, purified), I spotted that I had no thought the place to search out any of the instructed sorts of water. Fortuitously, an area espresso pal steered me towards bottled water that was comfortable sufficient for use as a base for my mineral concentrates.

It was not the perfect resolution (an excessive amount of waste produced), however for the second it was the simplest.

Three Options

Then, I simply wanted to determine which recipe to make use of to make my water. I had diligently studied the three completely different concentrates and thought I knew sufficient.

The primary focus, Tonik, is formulated to reinforce the colourful acidity of a espresso, imparting a crisp, intense, and juicy observe to the brew. It’s appropriate for infusing washed coffees on the whole—Ethiopian and Kenyan coffees, together with Gesha, Sidra, and different varieties characterised by floral traits.

The second focus, Jamm, is designed to assist amplify the position of calcium and bicarbonate. It’s formulated to reinforce the richness and depth of the espresso, accentuating the lingering sweetness and creaminess within the mouth of the brew. Excellent as an addition to any espresso that has undergone some kind of fermentation and may take its sweetness to new ranges, it has been instructed for brewing naturally processed coffees, with a concentrate on South American and Southeast Asian beans.

The third and ultimate focus, Lylac, is made to harness the qualities of sulfate and potassium, emphasizing the fragile and floral traits of espresso. This ensures a chic, refined, and swish addition to the brew, with a silky mouthfeel. It was instructed as an ideal match for any espresso with distinct floral traits (Gesha, Sidra, Chiroso, Pink Bourbon), and for brewing honey-processed beans and coffees from Central America.

Mixing and Matching

The issue was selecting the way to combine them to finest match Diego Bermudez, the super-fruited, light-roasted, and thermal-shock fermented Colombian espresso (roasted by Manhattan Espresso Roasters) I needed to brew.

Scanning by the recipes included within the bundle, I made a decision to begin by evaluating two recipes that appeared to swimsuit my espresso: the one for closely fermented beans and the one for mild roasts.

Brewing With Apax

As soon as I selected the recipe, the remainder was a snap. After a easy calculation (to recalibrate the 1 liter recipe to my 1.5 liter bottles), I put the primary bottle on a scale (to be extra exact). I began including the concentrates drop by drop, following the drop rely included in Apax Lab’s dilution chart (15 drops = 1 gram) till I reached the required weight of every particular focus.

After doing the identical for the second recipe, it was time to begin brewing the espresso. I used the very same brewing recipe for every of the 2 ready waters.

As I imagined, the 2 coffees tasted very completely different. The primary (mild roast recipe) was milder and sweeter. The second was extra vibrant, balanced and stylish—extra full. It was wonderful how completely different a espresso tasted simply due to the completely different quantity of added minerals!

The following morning, I made a decision to attempt utilizing the concentrates for post-mineralization by including a couple of drops to my morning flat white. Following Simon’s recommendation, I opted for a couple of drops of Jamm and Lylac within the espresso, made with a medium-roast arabica mix that was not too particular. I used to be as soon as once more amazed at how the style of the flat white modified from the earlier morning: sweeter, smoother, extremely wealthy.

I spend the remainder of the week altering recipes and experimenting, following Apax Lab’s instructed recipes for brewing new coffees, creating fascinating new recipes (with blended outcomes), and appreciating the total potential of Apax Lab’s focus package.

All in all it was an illuminating expertise. And for me, it’s straightforward to know why Apax Lab has been chosen by so many espresso champions to prep their brewing water.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the espresso machine (or visiting some hidden nook of the world), she’s busy writing for Espresso Revolt, an internet site about specialty espresso that she’s creating alongside together with her boyfriend.

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