Champion's Choice: Eline Ferket, 2026 Austrian Brewers Cup Winner

1. Tell us more about the Brewers Cup. What makes this competition special to you and why did you decide to compete this year?

Brewers Cup is a special competition to me because it can be as life changing as you make it, as the person competing.

Through Brewers Cup I have made some of my best friends, gotten to travel around the world, experienced some extreme highs and lows that push me to do things I didn’t think I could do, and of course it teaches me so much about all aspects of coffee and allows me to explore my passion in different ways.

Every day I learn new exciting things.

I wanted to compete again this year because I had a lot of learnings from World Brewers Cup in Jakarta that I wanted to apply. I came so close to achieving my goal last year, so I wanted to give it another go.

Also, it’s just so much fun!

2. Water quality is crucial in brewing. How did it impact your approach to the competition?

Water plays a huge role in three aspects to me: consistency, repeatability, and the quality of the flavour experience in the cup.

Coffee is a dynamic natural product that changes over time and even a little bit bean to bean, and having water be a consistent variable is very important to developing my brew approach and achieving repeatable results in training and on stage.

On top of that, I find that the right water profile will highlight the quality of the characteristics that already exist within the coffee. It can make the perception of mouthfeel silkier, sweetness richer, acidity more structured and bright — just some things that would be harder to perfect with just your brew recipe alone.

3. How did you first hear about APAX LAB, and what made you choose our products to craft your competition water?

I found out about APAX through a friend two years ago, a little bit before it was launched, received some samples to try out for competition, and honestly never looked back.

Working with APAX for the past two years for competition, I have developed an almost intuitive understanding of what a certain coffee may need.

Usually the results match my expectations, which makes the water profile development easy and quick, without going through too much coffee.

It’s quite diverse, flexible, and there are basically unlimited options and combinations, which is perfect to easily adapt the water to the coffee.

4. In what ways did the mineral concentrates help you achieve the best expression of your coffee and contribute to your win?

I enjoyed how the coffee I brewed worked well with JAMM, as when I added this to the profile the sweetness lifted as it cooled and had a really lovely wildflower honey quality.

Further, the coffee had some florals, and LYLAC highlighted those throughout all temperature stages.

Understanding these patterns in flavour and being able to use water to highlight them consistently helped a lot with getting accuracy points.

5. Which APAX LAB profile is your favourite, and why?

Whichever profile works best with the coffee :)

6. What coffee did you choose for your competition routine, and why was it the perfect fit for your approach?

I used a Natural Geisha from Finca Lérida’s Esplendoroso Estate, in Boquete, Panama.

I visited the farm in February, and it stood out a lot on the cupping table. It was one of the best coffees I tasted this year so I decided to go for it.

I also loved being able to learn about the farm, meet the team there, and form a connection that I learned a lot from.

Competition coffee to me of course has to meet the scoresheet, but there is a whole lot to be said for developing a genuine connection and relationship with the producers, the environment, and going beyond just the competition requirements.

7. What was your winning water recipe with APAX LAB, and how did it influence the final cup?

I used 30 ppm of JAMM and 25 ppm of LYLAC in Zero Water.

JAMM livened up the ripe red berry sweetness in the coffee that transitioned into more of a honey sweetness as it cooled.

With LYLAC, I loved being able to amplify the florals like peach blossom and jasmine.

Both of these mineral concentrates together also impacted the mouthfeel, making it very silky throughout all temperature stages.

8. What is your motto or favourite quote when it comes to coffee competitions?

My mantra for this year was to stay true to myself and who I am, and surround myself with people that add more than just coffee and competition knowledge, but also life, energy, and chemistry.

I love feeling sparks, and there were many moments that made me feel like the entire room was lit up because of who was in it and what we were doing.

I just try to chase that feeling to know we’re doing something right.

9. For those new to crafting their own water for filter coffee, what advice would you give them?

I think a nice and easy way to start is to taste the coffee with Zero Water and write down what’s there in terms of basic tastes, then try to match which mineral concentrate would highlight that aspect of the coffee.

Then it’s just about a bit of trial and error, back-to-back blind tasting, to see roughly where you’re hitting a sweet spot.

And: taste the brewing water itself.

My team and I do some water cuppings just to get a sense of how different waters taste and how they behave in coffee.

Final Thoughts

Winning once is difficult. Winning twice means evolution.

Eline’s second Austrian Brewers Cup title is a testament to consistency, curiosity, and the ability to keep refining every detail, from coffee selection to water design.

We’re proud to see her once again represent Austria on the world stage, and honoured that APAX LAB continues to be part of that journey.

Congratulations, Eline! And all the best for the Worlds!