APAX IN ACTION: Spotlight on Terres de Café
About Terres de Café
Known as one of France’s leading specialty coffee roasters, Terres de Café has built its reputation on uncompromising quality, innovation, and a deep respect for the craft. Beyond their iconic cafés in Paris, Bruxelles and Seoul, the team is also highly active on the international competition stage, where precision and detail make all the difference. To support this pursuit of excellence, Terres de Café has recently integrated APAX LAB mineral concentrates into both their competition preparations and daily café workflow.
How Terres de Café Uses APAX LAB
Terres de Café first adopted APAX LAB for coffee competitions in 2024, and the results quickly established it as a natural addition to their bar setup. Today, the team applies the concentrates in two distinct ways:
Post-extraction mineralisation for filter coffees, allowing them to refine details and highlight specific facets of the brew.
Pre-brewing custom mineralisation for Cezve/Ibrik, crafting dedicated waters tailored to the delicate needs of this traditional method.
This dual approach ensures consistency and control while providing the flexibility to adapt to diverse brewing styles.
Introducing APAX LAB to Customers
For Terres de Café, educating guests is just as important as brewing the perfect cup. Jordan Tachnakian, Head of Training & QC but also 2024 World Ibrik Champion, explains that they present water as a critical ingredient in coffee:
“Apax allows us to highlight and correct aspects of the coffee before or after extraction, making it practical and accessible to everyone.”
This simple, approachable explanation helps customers quickly understand the role of minerals and why they matter.
Customer Reactions
To showcase the impact of APAX LAB in a fun and interactive way, the team often prepares a filter coffee brewed with standard filtered water, then divides it into four cups— each with an additional dose of one mineral concentrate. Customers are invited to taste the differences side by side.
The feedback is consistently enthusiastic: people are often astonished at how dramatically the perception of sweetness, acidity, or body can shift with just a few drops. For Terres de Café, this approach turns education into an engaging sensory experience.
Favourite Profiles & Go-To Recipes
Jordan doesn’t pick favourites when it comes to the three profiles, noting that each has its role depending on roast, origin, and processing. Still, some pairings stand out in their day-to-day café work:
TONIK is ideal for washed Ethiopians, elevating their stone fruit qualities and bright acidity.
JAMM is the go-to for balancing funky, winey coffees, bringing smoothness and body.
LYLAC shines when reducing dryness, helping delicate coffees express elegance and finish.
Conclusion
For Terres de Café, APAX LAB isn’t just about precision—it’s about flexibility, creativity, and education. Whether used on the world competition stage or in their cafés, the concentrates empower their baristas to fine-tune each coffee and share those differences with customers in a tangible, memorable way. We’re proud to spotlight Terres de Café as a partner that truly embodies the spirit of innovation and passion in specialty coffee.