Exceptional coffee begins with decisions.
Where it is grown. How it is processed. Which lots are selected. How they are roasted. And, eventually, how they are brewed.
DIFFERENTE is a collaborative mineral profile created by APAX LAB with Carlos Escobar and the team at Differente Coffee in Colombia. Developed primarily around natural and fermented Colombian coffees, it is designed to support the qualities they value most: natural sweetness, intense aromatics, vibrancy, richness,and expressive character.
The profile began with the coffee rather than the minerals, and to understand why, it helps to start with Differente Coffee itself.
Meet Differente Coffee: A Different Approach to Colombian Coffee
Differente Coffee was built around a simple but meaningful idea.
Some of Colombia’s most exciting coffees have historically been easier to find and experience outside the country than within it. Carlos and his team wanted to help shift that dynamic.
Their approach centres on sourcing exceptional Colombian coffees, roasting them at origin and making those coffees available both to Colombian drinkers and to coffee communities internationally. It is an approach grounded not only in quality, but in how Colombian coffee is represented and experienced.
That philosophy became the starting point for DIFFERENTE.
Rather than creating a mineral profile first and deciding what to use it with later, the collaboration began with the coffees themselves: their intensity, aromatics, sweetness and expressive processing styles.
What is DIFFERENTE Designed to Do?
When APAX LAB and Differente began developing the profile, the objective was not to give every coffee one particular flavour. It was to create a water profile around the characteristics Carlos and his team most wanted to celebrate in the coffees they work with.
The development centred on:
- natural sweetness
- intense aromatics
- vibrancy
- richness
- expressive character
Together, these qualities led to a profile we describe as expressive, vibrant, aromatic, sweet, rich, fun, and playful.
Coffee, roast development, processing, brewing method, starting water and personal preference all remain part of the final cup. DIFFERENTE simply gives brewers another variable to explore around coffees where those qualities are already part of the conversation.
What Coffees are DIFFERENTE Designed For?
DIFFERENTE was developed particularly around natural and fermented Colombian coffees.
These coffees can offer highly expressive aromatic profiles, substantial sweetness and plenty of personality, all characteristics that closely reflect the coffees Differente Coffee enjoys sourcing and sharing.
That does not mean the profile is restricted to one processing method or one origin. Instead, we see this as its natural starting point.
If you regularly brew expressive naturals or fermented coffees and want to explore a water profile designed with that style in mind, DIFFERENTE gives you a clear place to begin.
From there, taste. The coffee should always lead the decision.
How to Use DIFFERENTE: Post-Brew or in Brewing Water
There are two simple ways to begin experimenting with the profile.
Post-brew
Add approximately 4–6 drops to a brewed cup.
This approach makes it easy to taste the coffee first, make a small adjustment and evaluate the difference directly.
In your brewing water
Add approximately 3 g of DIFFERENTE per litre of demineralised water.
This creates a starting profile that can then be adjusted according to the coffee, brewing method and sensory direction you are looking for.
As with every APAX profile, these recommendations are intended as a starting point rather than a rigid prescription. Begin with the suggested starting dosage, taste carefully, then adjust from there.
The Collaboration Behind DIFFERENTE
What makes DIFFERENTE particularly meaningful to us is that the collaboration did not begin with a mineral formula. It began with a shared point of view about coffee.
Differente’s work centres on finding exceptional Colombian coffees, roasting them where they were produced and sharing them in a way that celebrates their character both at home and internationally.
APAX LAB’s role was to translate part of that vision into water: a profile developed around sweetness, aromatic intensity, vibrancy and richness, without imposing a new identity on the coffee.
In that sense, DIFFERENTE continues a conversation that began much earlier: at origin, with the coffees Carlos and his team chose to believe in.
Giving Back to Colombia
This launch is also a way to support the country that inspired DIFFERENTE.
10% of sales from DIFFERENTE × APAX LAB will be donated to support local communities in Colombia affected by the recent earthquake.
Where to Buy DIFFERENTE
In Colombia, DIFFERENTE is available through Differente Coffee.
For the rest of the world, the profile is available through the APAX LAB website.
Wherever you begin, our recommendation is the same: Start with a coffee you are curious about, use the suggested recipe as your reference point, and let tasting guide what happens next.
