KONFLUX didn’t start as a product idea. It started as a controlled experiment.
In the lead-up to the 2025 World Brewers Cup Championship, we were chasing something that didn’t quite exist in our range yet. Not more acidity. Not more intensity. But more harmony. A cup that felt complete, structured, smooth, and resolved from the first sip to the last.
That search led to the very first iteration of what would later become KONFLUX.
A deliberate test, not a launch
When we first released KONFLUX, it wasn’t intended for the public. We produced 100 bottles as a very limited edition release.
This was a real-world stress test, designed specifically for competitors and trusted partners.
- 50 bottles went to the 50 competitors at the World Brewers’ Cup
- 50 bottles were shared with APAX partners, distributors and resellers around the world
The brief was simple: use it if it helps, ignore it if it doesn’t!
Validation on the world stage
What followed gave KONFLUX its direction.
At Worlds, Carlos Escobar, who went on to place 3rd overall, used KONFLUX in his routine, alongside three other finalists in the competition.
Shortly after, Nemo Pop used KONFLUX to win both the 2025 Australian Aeropress Championship and the 2025 World Aeropress Championship, earning his place on the world stage using the same formulation.
I (Simon) then used KONFLUX myself to win the 2026 Australian Brewers Cup.
Before KONFLUX was ever officially released, more than 10 competitors worldwide had already chosen to use it in competition.
That was the moment we knew this wasn’t just working, but it was doing exactly what we intended it to do.
A new series of profiles
KONFLUX is the first release in a new series of three profiles we decided to develop.
Within this new trio:
- One profile will be designed to highlight acidity — in the spirit of TONIK
- One will focus on florals and aromatic expression — like LYLAC
- KONFLUX sits in the middle - similar to JAMM, but with a sharper focus on mouthfeel, structure and tactile experience
Rather than chasing extremes, KONFLUX was designed to bring cohesion.
Why there’s no magnesium
One of the most defining decisions behind KONFLUX was the complete removal of magnesium.
Magnesium is widely used in coffee water because it enhances perceived acidity and brightness. It’s effective — but for this profile, it worked against what we were trying to achieve.
We weren’t chasing vibrancy. We were chasing harmony.
So we made the deliberate, and very uncommon, decision to formulate KONFLUX without any magnesium at all. For high-quality water designed for coffee, this is extremely rare, and entirely intentional.
Fine-ground quartz: texture without charge
The second defining element of KONFLUX is fine-ground quartz.
Quartz (silicon dioxide) isn’t an ion. It carries no electrical charge — positive or negative. It doesn’t extract flavour the way calcium or magnesium do. Instead, it changes how liquid behaves.
The quartz we use is derived from ultra-high-purity silica, sourced from rare natural deposits such as quartzite formations, hydrothermal veins and pegmatites. These materials are mined using open-pit or underground methods, then subjected to extensive processing — washing, screening, drying and magnetic separation — to remove impurities like iron.
This level of purity is the same standard required for electronics and solar applications, and sourcing it consistently, in large quantities, is notoriously difficult.
In coffee, this fine-ground quartz increases perceived viscosity and mouthfeel, creating a more luscious, almost oily texture, without adding heaviness or dulling flavour. It adds presence without density.
That quality became central to KONFLUX.
The result
By removing magnesium and introducing fine-ground quartz, KONFLUX became something unexpected: our most balanced profile.
It doesn’t push coffees in one direction. It doesn’t chase intensity.
It creates flow, structure and cohesion.
In practice, it works across almost every coffee style — washed, natural, light, and intense.
