My name is Arby Avanesian, and I'm no scientist. In fact, I have no formal qualifications of any kind. But I am the developer of empirical water. So, why me?

Like so many others, I am deeply in love with the craft of specialty coffee and fine tea. But on one topic, I go firmly against the grain — I believe that most coffees & teas out there have the potential to taste downright incredible — And it is our responsibility as the brewer to realize that potential.
Being a min-maxer at my core, it didn't take long for me to recognize water as the most impactful variable towards that outcome. So, I set out to optimize my brew water to its logical limit — In search of pure flavor, explosive aromatics, silky smooth mouthfeel, and a big sweet spot to dial into.

Unfortunately, that's where I stumbled. I was failed first by awful tap water, and failed again by bland reverse osmosis water. Upon trying the existing brew water products, sensory issues plagued me. Seeking full control over water as a variable, I soon turned to DIY mineral water. And yet, no matter how finely I tuned the recipes, I just couldn't get my coffee & tea to "sing". That's when I abandoned the usual sources of brew water and tried an unorthodox approach, which in retrospect, was not so strange at all.

All it took was a single brew made with naturally occurring mineral water, and I tasted the purity of flavor I'd been looking for. I realized that natural mineral waters are at a huge advantage, and so I bottled some and sent it to a lab for analysis.

Sure enough, the lab analysis told the whole story. The principal advantage of natural mineral water turned out to be dissolved limestone, AKA calcium carbonate — an insoluble mineral which requires a special process to dissolve.

To dissolve calcium carbonate, we painstakingly emulate the natural limestone dissolution process — typically carried out by rainwater rich in carbonic acid. This process involves carbonation, dissolution, and decarbonation, yielding delicious, brew-worthy flat mineral water. This makes empirical water the most labor-intensive brew water on the market to produce. empirical water is actively developed on a daily basis, perpetually bringing the water closer to ideal brewing characteristics (see Release Notes).

This iterative approach, combined with the advantages of dissolved calcium carbonate, allows empirical water to isolate desirable attributes like sweetness, clarity, aromatics, and aftertaste like no other water on the planet.

I produce empirical water for my own daily use. It’s an honor to make it available to the public as well, both as a product and as a collection of open source formulations. Enjoy!