Third Wave Coffee
If you don’t understand what Third Wave Coffee is, don’t worry! You aren’t alone.
Third Wave Coffee is the most recent movement wherein coffee has been turned into a highly specialized beverage. Instead of a plain cup of coffee to wake you up in the morning, Third Wave Coffee is much more of an art, focused on careful coffee preparation, high grade beans, detailed attention to sourcing, and an almost-scientific deliverance in drink presentation.
However, as many well know, coffee didn’t start in the Third Wave. The First and Second Wave Movements also deserve attention.
First Wave Coffee refers to the first initial push to increase coffee consumption back in the 1800s. Folders and Maxwell House are great examples of this kind of coffee, coffee that has a focus on mass distribution and sales.
Second Wave Coffee refers to an increased specialization in the coffee shop experience and coffee beverage variety. Grown out of frustration for low-quality coffee, consumers began to value specialty expresso drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos, and the like. Peet’s and Starbucks are good representations of Second Wave Coffee and the Second Wave Coffee Experience.
All that is to say, the concepts aren’t too difficult to grasp. In connecting with one of our earlier posts, Third Wave Coffee and specialty roasting really relate to our discussion on the Coffee Color Wheel. Go back and check it out if you haven’t had the chance!