There’s no denying that water plays a huge part in the overall quality of coffee, which is why most respectable coffee shops use filters to get rid of excess minerals or chemicals that might negatively impact the taste of their brews. But now there’s an even better way to ensure that your morning cup of coffee tastes just right – introducing Aquiem designer coffee water.
The brainchild of a group of entrepreneurs in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Aquiem is “enhanced water” that has first been purified to zero mineral content and then enhanced with all-natural essential minerals to enrich the flavor, consistency and even the aroma of coffee. “What you definitely do not want is to have things like zinc and lead, fluoride, chlorine and large amounts of calcium in the water. All of that effects the taste of the coffee,” Aquiem co-founder Rob Vidacovich told Daily Coffee News. “What does have a favorable effect on coffee are things like magnesium, potassium, and a certain right blend of calcium.”
The idea behind Aquiem designer coffee water can be attributed to groundwater engineer Frank Manale, the COO of a consulting firm specializing in risk-based soil and groundwater remediation systems, who spent six years working on a formula for perfect coffee water. “He kept reading all these articles about how coffee is made up of 98-percent water, and how important of a role the correct chemistry of the water played,” Vidacovich says. After years or research and countless formulas, he finally came up with Aquiem, which hit the market earlier this year.
“This is the optimal recipe for water used to brew coffee,” co-founder Mitzi Barber says. “It’s basic chemistry that when you mix these minerals it brings out the taste and aroma. It’s not going to have toxins or lead in it.” Vidacovich adds that their formula also accounts for the acidity and total dissolved solids (TDS) of the water. “Experts will tell you that probably the best point for total dissolved solids in the water would be right around 150, and pH would be somewhere very, very close to a neutral 7,” he said.
Aquiem designer coffee water has so far landed on shelves in about 18 grocery stores in Louisiana, but the company is also in talks with regional chains like Rouse’s and Whole Foods. For online retail distribution, the owners are approaching Amazon. The enhanced water currently comes in one-liter cartons, but the company is also working on a single-serve package as well as a larger volume packaging for potential wholesale for use in commercial coffee environments.
Vidacovich, Barber and Frank Manale’s daughter Jerri are currently promoting Aquiem by organizing demos all around Baton Rouge. They brew coffee with and without Aquiem and claim consumers can always tell the difference. “We do a side by side demo, and there is a huge difference,” Manale says. “I would say 100 percent of people who come through our demos can taste it.”
“Higher-end coffee drinkers are spending more and more money on high-end coffee beans. They’re spending an enormous amount of money on the equipment to grind it and to brew it, and yet it’s 98 percent water and they don’t have the appropriate chemistry of water to get the value that they’re trying to get,” Vidacovich says. “They’re definitely not getting the best cup of coffee that they can possibly get.”
If you’re one of these people investing serious amounts of money into quality coffee and want to give Aquiem a try, you can currently buy a case of 12 one-liter cartons for $25.68, from the company’s official website.
Photos: Aquiem/Facebook
Sources: Daily Coffee News, 225 Baton Rouge
