Champion's Choice: Teodora Pitis, Romanian Brewers Cup Champion in 2024

Congratulations to Teodora Pitis, who recently won the Romanian Brewers Cup championship showcasing a Java Natural from Las Flores, and using a mix of the 3 APAX LAB mineral concentrates to come up with a winning recipe! 

How did you first hear about us and why did you decide to use APAX LAB to make your water for the competition?

I’ve heard about it from other competitors and content creators. I have used before distilled water with added minerals and knew how much it helps with cup clarity. I decided to use APAX LAB because I thought it had a good mineral complexity while still giving me control of what aspects I extract.

In what ways did the mineral concentrates help you win the competition?

The coffee I selected this year for my presentation was excitingly complex but very complicated to balance and I knew my only shot at an expressive, clean and balanced cup was to be in control of the mineral content.

What is your favourite APAX LAB profile and why? (Tonik, Jamm, or Lylac?)

All of them. From all the tests I did with different coffees the best results I got when I was using all 3 profiles in various ratios. I couldn’t give up any of them and it’s fascinating how they interact with each other!

What was your winning water recipe with APAX LAB? And what coffee did you use it with?

I worked with 1g / 1.5g / 2g for 1L of water to bring out all the complexity and sweetness of the Java natural from Las Flores and balance the sharp acidity.

Finally, what piece of advice would you give to someone who is just getting started with making their own water?

Experiment as much as you can, start simple, try different types of demineralised water as a base, add little by little and keep notes of everything. There is no universal recipe, don’t be afraid to be curious and try until you find what works for your coffee, roast, recipe and extraction.