In the Spotlight: Peace from Coffee Project NY on Brewing Precision with APAX LAB
Meet Peace — coffee competitor, seasoned barista, and passionate advocate for coffee brewing. After an impressive performance at the last U.S. Brewers Cup semi-finals, Peace shares her decade-long journey into specialty coffee, from brewing her first pour over to mastering competition-level brews. Now at Coffee Project NY, an esteemed APAX LAB partner in the United States, Peace highlights how using APAX LAB’s mineral concentrates transformed her competition experience. Dive in as Peace reveals her personal insights, memorable coffee breakthroughs, and expert tips on harnessing the power of water to elevate your coffee experience.
Can you share your personal journey into the world of coffee? What sparked your passion?
This year marks 10 years of working in the coffee industry, a journey that began with a spark of curiosity and passion for coffee. It all started at my first specialty coffee job, where I brewed my very first pour over and discovered Ethiopia as my favourite coffee origin. The flavours I experienced from different coffee regions left me in awe, and I became captivated by how a pour over could unlock so many nuances and complexities. I was fascinated by the way variables like dripper choice, grind size, agitation, water temperature, and water quality all played a role in creating a unique coffee experience.
From that moment, I knew I wanted to become a better brewer—not just to craft the perfect cup, but also to share the story behind every cup I brew. My passion and dedication have driven me over the years to continuously explore, learn, and grow, always seeking to deepen my connection with coffee and the people with whom I share it.
How did you first discover APAX LAB, and what motivated you to incorporate our products into your coffee routine?
As a brewer competitor, I understand the crucial role that water quality plays in the final cup, so I’m always seeking ways to enhance the water to elevate my competition coffee. While working at Coffee Project NY, one of the retailers for APAX LAB, I decided to try it out with my competition coffee, and the results were outstanding. APAX LAB water not only improved the overall taste of my coffee, but it also significantly enhanced the clarity of flavours, intensifying the aroma, highlighting vibrant acidity, and contributing to a sweet, juicy mouthfeel—all essential attributes for achieving high scores in competitions.
In what ways have APAX LAB's mineral concentrates influenced your brewing process and the flavours you achieve?
APAX LAB’s mineral concentrates have had a significant impact on my brewing process by providing a consistent and customisable water profile. By adjusting the mineral balance to match the specific needs of each coffee, I’ve been able to achieve more accurate extractions and a more refined cup. The minerals enhance the clarity of the coffee’s flavours, allowing the subtle notes of fruit and floral undertones to shine through. The improved balance between sweetness and acidity has elevated the overall cup quality, particularly in competition settings, where flavor clarity is crucial.
Do you have a preferred APAX LAB profile? What makes it stand out for you?
I really enjoy JAMM for my competition blend because it provides the sweetness and good viscosity in the mouthfeel, which helps to highlight and harmonise the vibrant acidity and fruity flavours in the cup.
Could you describe a memorable coffee experience where APAX LAB products played a pivotal role?
It was from the first time I finalised the ratio for my competition blend and brewed it with our customised APAX LAB water profile, the moment I took that first sip, I was absolutely blown away. The flavours came alive in the most incredible way—floral, vibrant, and incredibly sweet, with each note shining through perfectly. The mouthfeel was smooth and juicy, and the cup was so harmonious that I could feel it lingering in my memory. It was one of those moments where everything just clicked. I turned to my coach and said, “This is it! We’ve brewed the perfect cup!” It was a breakthrough moment that gave me the confidence to know we were ready for the competition.
How do you approach experimenting with different water compositions to enhance your coffee's flavour?
We started with the basic recipes provided on the APAX Lab website. While tasting the coffee with my team, we analysed each coffee attribute and how we wanted them to shine in a harmonious way.
For my competition blend, which is a blend of three coffees—Panama Geisha Altieri Satori DFC, Thailand Geisha Honey, and Indonesia Anaerobic Natural—each coffee brings out a distinct characteristic: complex fruity flavours, floral and sweet aroma, and a juicy mouthfeel, respectively. Our goal was to enhance the clarity of flavours, intensify the floral aroma, and create a sweet mouthfeel with a lingering aftertaste. We experimented a lot with Jamm and Lylac adding Tonik to balance everything out, until we finalised our competition recipe:
1g TONIK | 1.5g JAMM | 1.5g LYLAC with 80ppm for 1 litre of water.
What advice would you offer to fellow coffee enthusiasts interested in using APAX LAB products to elevate their brewing?
I would recommend starting with a coffee that they enjoy brewing and are familiar with the flavour profiles, as this will help establish a benchmark. From there, they can experiment by adding each mineral concentrate after brewing to observe how the flavor changes. Once they have a basic understanding of how the mineral concentrates affect the brewed cup, they can begin incorporating the same approach to create their own custom APAX LAB water recipe. After brewing again, they can taste it and adjust the amounts of Tonik, Jamm, and Lylac until they achieve the flavor profile they’re aiming for.
How do you personally like using APAX LAB? Do you use it in a work environment as well?
I enjoy using APAX LAB because of its ease of use and the consistency of its ppm. Even with slight changes in ppm, most of the coffees I brew turn out perfectly to my liking. As part of the quality control team at Coffee Project NY, we recently incorporated APAX LAB water into our pour over program. Seven of our locations now use APAX LAB water to brew pour overs for our customers, ensuring consistency in quality and elevating the experience to a level close to that of competition-quality coffee.
How has your perspective on water quality in coffee brewing evolved since you started using APAX LAB products?
Since I started using APAX LAB products, my perspective on water quality has reached a whole new level. I’ve always known that water is essential to the brewing process, but APAX LAB has shown me just how much of a difference the right mineral balance can make. The precision and consistency of APAX LAB’s mineral concentrates have allowed me to unlock a level of flavor clarity and complexity in my brews that I hadn’t experienced with any other water products before.
What future developments or innovations would you like to see from APAX LAB to further support coffee enthusiasts?
As a coffee brewer, I’d love to see APAX LAB expand its educational resources, offering in-depth guides or workshops to help people better understand how water impacts flavour. A tool that matches the best water profile with specific coffee beans would be an excellent addition, allowing both beginners and experts to experiment with different combinations and gain deeper insight into the relationship between water, coffee, and extraction. Additionally, I’d love to see a more comprehensive range of mineral concentrates designed for various regional coffee profiles, optimized to highlight the best characteristics of specific origins, like Asian, African, and Latin American coffees.