The era of mass coffee consumption, against all taste buds, to wake up or stay awake, is a thing of the past. For more and more people, coffee means one thing above all: enjoyment. Lifestyle. Personality. Therefore, it's no surprise that in recent years, more and more coffee shops and roasters have been founded to bring precisely this closer to people. This movement, which combines quality, sustainability, a slower pace of life, and the pleasure of coffee, is known as Third Wave Coffee. But how did this coffee movement actually come about?
What is Third Wave Coffee? - The origin of the term Third Wave Coffee
Trish Rothgeb first used and coined the term "Third Wave Coffee" in 2002. She wrote an article for the Roasters Guild of the American Specialty Coffee Association, defining three successive waves of coffee enjoyment: First Wave, Second Wave, and Third Wave Coffee.
Today, Trish is one of the most experienced women in the coffee business. For over 30 years, she has traveled the world as a coffee roaster, green coffee trader, and teacher of all things coffee. She is also a trained and certified Q-Grader and has evaluated green coffee for the Specialty Coffee Association of America.
First Wave Coffee: Coffee becomes a commodity
At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, coffee became a mass-market commodity. Initially, the Hills brothers developed the vacuum can in the early 1900s, which still made coffee a luxury item for households. However, with the invention of instant coffee shortly thereafter, at the beginning of the 20th century, this changed, and coffee became an everyday product.
The main focus was on coffee's function as a wake-up call – no one cared about quality, let alone taste and sustainability. Nestlé and Nescafé, in particular, marketed cheap vacuum-packed filter coffee in the 1930s and 40s, thus securing their market power for inexpensive mass-produced coffee, a power that persists in some cases to this day.
This only changed in the 1970s, when cafes became popular meeting places and awareness of the quality of the products consumed increased among the population.
Second Wave Coffee: The Coffee Revolution
The second wave of coffee was shaped by the Dutchman Alfred Peet (1920-2007). Following World War II, he emigrated to Berkeley, California, where he eventually founded Peet's Coffee & Tea, an import business, in 1966. Peet later trained Starbucks founders Jerry Baldwin, Zen Siegl, and Gordon Bowker in the art of coffee roasting and also supplied the first Starbucks stores with green coffee beans in the 1970s.
Starbucks ultimately defined Second Wave Coffee. It was no longer about bitter coffee meant to wake you up at any cost. Instead, terms like espresso, latte, caramel, white chocolate, hazelnut, whipped cream, and a wild mix of these shaped customer orders. Coffee was to be freshly prepared and served as a lifestyle product in a "coffee to-go" cup. The true taste of coffee increasingly faded into the background.
However, as the movement progressed, awareness of quality grew. For example, Erna Knutsen used the term "specialty coffee" in a 1974 article for Peet's Coffee & Tea Newsletter to describe the distinctive flavor characteristics of coffee. This received little attention, however, as single-origin coffees were hardly widespread or known to the general public.
Third Wave Coffee
The Third Wave Coffee movement emerged in the 1990s through companies like Intelligensta Coffee from Chicago, Counter Culture from Durham, and Stumpton Coffee from Portland. At the heart of this movement is transparency throughout the entire supply chain: careful cultivation by known coffee farmers whose growing region is consistently communicated; the creation of a unique roasting profile to bring out the 800 aromas of the coffee wheel; and meticulous preparation to transform coffee into a multi-sensory experience. Particular emphasis is placed on quality and sustainability.
The 3 secrets to success of Third Wave Coffee
Cultivation and trade - a matter of personal relationships:
For followers of the Third Wave Coffee movement, it's essential to know exactly where the green coffee comes from, what variety it is, and what processing method the bean has undergone. Ideally, the coffee is traded directly, the roaster is on familiar terms with the coffee farmer, and there are even photos taken by the roaster himself from the coffee farm.
Roasting process - attention to detail:
In elaborate cupping sessions, it is determined how the coffee should be roasted and whether it will be a single-origin coffee or a blend. The gentle drum roasting process allows the 800 aromas of the green coffee beans to fully develop and reveal their diverse flavor profile.
Preparation - The sensory overload:
The Third Wave Coffee movement concludes its ritual of good coffee with the preparation. The coffee is freshly ground, weighed, and brewed using different methods depending on the desired flavor. And before drinking, it is smelled and visually assessed. A sensory experience that has transformed coffee into a true indulgence.
How to recognize Third Wave Coffee roasters and cafes
Third Wave Coffee Roasteries and Cafes…
… communicate the origin, growing region and variety of the raw coffee consistently and transparently
… know the coffee farmers and prefer to trade directly with them or coffee initiatives that support small farms and their microlots
… increase quality through continuous quality controls and high quality standards throughout the entire value chain
… view coffee as a luxury item, similar to wine and chocolate
… sensitize their customers to the diverse and nuanced taste of the different coffee growing regions
… roast their coffees lighter than the industry, thus creating an incredible variety of aromas.
… love their coffee fruity and with pleasant acidity
… prefer their coffee in its purest form, without milk and sugar
… increase their customers' appreciation for filter coffee
… show their customers how coffee is consciously celebrated in its preparation.
… love traditional and alternative brewing methods such as Chemex and Pour Over Coffee
… prepare coffee according to a recipe: They use a scale to calculate the perfect coffee-to-water ratio.
Coffee is a sensory experience. The aroma gives you a first impression of the taste, and with skillful latte art, it's also a feast for the eyes.
Specialty Coffee vs. Third Wave Coffee
Specialty coffee was coined by Erna Knutsen in the 1970s. She simply used the term to describe the fact that in certain regions of coffee-growing countries, coffee plants produced beans with distinctive flavors. These beans varied depending on the country, growing region, altitude, temperature, sunlight, drying process, and many other factors. It became clear that cultivation, processing, roasting, and preparation have a tremendous impact on the taste, and the Specialty Coffee Association of America was founded. This association establishes strict guidelines for what can be labeled as specialty coffee. The coffees are evaluated during cuppings, also known as gradings. Rated on a scale of 1 to 100. Parameters such as sweetness, balance, acidity, and body are factored into the rating. Incidentally, specialty coffee needs at least 80 points to qualify for this designation.
The specialty coffee movement continues to significantly influence and underlie the third wave coffee movement. However, the third wave of coffee encompasses more than just cultivation, trade, and roasting methods; many other factors, such as enjoyment and lifestyle, are also integral to this movement.
6 steps to a Third Wave Coffee experience at home:
- Find out which brewing method you like best. Ideally, choose between pour-over, Chemex, and Aeropress.
- Grind your own coffee beans. Ground coffee loses its flavor too quickly. To counteract this, you should buy freshly roasted coffee and grind it either by machine or by hand.
- Know the grind size you need. Espresso, for example, requires a finer grind than filter coffee. Your brewing method also affects the grind size. To find the right grind, simply ask your trusted barista.
- Know the correct amount of ground coffee. This is significantly influenced by your brewing method, specifically whether you're making filter coffee or espresso. As always, your coffee retailer can help you.
- Moisten your paper filters. You do this to remove microparticles and to prevent the filter's own taste from getting into your coffee.
- Use the correct water temperature. Don't just pour boiling water over the coffee and wait to see what happens. No! The water needs to be hot but not boiling, between 90°C and 95°C. Also, don't just pour the water over the coffee; pour it in stages with pauses between each pour. This gives the coffee enough time to develop its optimal flavor.
With these tips, nothing stands in the way of consciously enjoying coffee at home. If you have any further questions, please get in touch and we'll be happy to advise you.
PS: You can find the perfect coffee in our online shop.
Third Wave Coffee - The Art of Coffee!
The era of mass coffee consumption, against all taste buds, to wake up or stay awake, is a thing of the past. For more and more people, coffee means one thing above all: enjoyment. Lifestyle. Personality. Therefore, it's no surprise that in recent years, more and more coffee shops and roasters have been founded to bring precisely this closer to people. This movement, which combines quality, sustainability, a slower pace of life, and the pleasure of coffee, is known as Third Wave Coffee. But how did this coffee movement actually come about?
What is Third Wave Coffee? - The origin of the term Third Wave Coffee
Trish Rothgeb first used and coined the term "Third Wave Coffee" in 2002. She wrote an article for the Roasters Guild of the American Specialty Coffee Association, defining three successive waves of coffee enjoyment: First Wave, Second Wave, and Third Wave Coffee.
Today, Trish is one of the most experienced women in the coffee business. For over 30 years, she has traveled the world as a coffee roaster, green coffee trader, and teacher of all things coffee. She is also a trained and certified Q-Grader and has evaluated green coffee for the Specialty Coffee Association of America.
First Wave Coffee: Coffee becomes a commodity
At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, coffee became a mass-market commodity. Initially, the Hills brothers developed the vacuum can in the early 1900s, which still made coffee a luxury item for households. However, with the invention of instant coffee shortly thereafter, at the beginning of the 20th century, this changed, and coffee became an everyday product.
The main focus was on coffee's function as a wake-up call – no one cared about quality, let alone taste and sustainability. Nestlé and Nescafé, in particular, marketed cheap vacuum-packed filter coffee in the 1930s and 40s, thus securing their market power for inexpensive mass-produced coffee, a power that persists in some cases to this day.
This only changed in the 1970s, when cafes became popular meeting places and awareness of the quality of the products consumed increased among the population.
Second Wave Coffee: The Coffee Revolution
The second wave of coffee was shaped by the Dutchman Alfred Peet (1920-2007). Following World War II, he emigrated to Berkeley, California, where he eventually founded Peet's Coffee & Tea, an import business, in 1966. Peet later trained Starbucks founders Jerry Baldwin, Zen Siegl, and Gordon Bowker in the art of coffee roasting and also supplied the first Starbucks stores with green coffee beans in the 1970s.
Starbucks ultimately defined Second Wave Coffee. It was no longer about bitter coffee meant to wake you up at any cost. Instead, terms like espresso, latte, caramel, white chocolate, hazelnut, whipped cream, and a wild mix of these shaped customer orders. Coffee was to be freshly prepared and served as a lifestyle product in a "coffee to-go" cup. The true taste of coffee increasingly faded into the background.
However, as the movement progressed, awareness of quality grew. For example, Erna Knutsen used the term "specialty coffee" in a 1974 article for Peet's Coffee & Tea Newsletter to describe the distinctive flavor characteristics of coffee. This received little attention, however, as single-origin coffees were hardly widespread or known to the general public.
Third Wave Coffee
The Third Wave Coffee movement emerged in the 1990s through companies like Intelligensta Coffee from Chicago, Counter Culture from Durham, and Stumpton Coffee from Portland. At the heart of this movement is transparency throughout the entire supply chain: careful cultivation by known coffee farmers whose growing region is consistently communicated; the creation of a unique roasting profile to bring out the 800 aromas of the coffee wheel; and meticulous preparation to transform coffee into a multi-sensory experience. Particular emphasis is placed on quality and sustainability.
The 3 secrets to success of Third Wave Coffee
Cultivation and trade - a matter of personal relationships:
For followers of the Third Wave Coffee movement, it's essential to know exactly where the green coffee comes from, what variety it is, and what processing method the bean has undergone. Ideally, the coffee is traded directly, the roaster is on familiar terms with the coffee farmer, and there are even photos taken by the roaster himself from the coffee farm.
Roasting process - attention to detail:
In elaborate cupping sessions, it is determined how the coffee should be roasted and whether it will be a single-origin coffee or a blend. The gentle drum roasting process allows the 800 aromas of the green coffee beans to fully develop and reveal their diverse flavor profile.
Preparation - The sensory overload:
The Third Wave Coffee movement concludes its ritual of good coffee with the preparation. The coffee is freshly ground, weighed, and brewed using different methods depending on the desired flavor. And before drinking, it is smelled and visually assessed. A sensory experience that has transformed coffee into a true indulgence.
How to recognize Third Wave Coffee roasters and cafes
Third Wave Coffee Roasteries and Cafes…
… communicate the origin, growing region and variety of the raw coffee consistently and transparently
… know the coffee farmers and prefer to trade directly with them or coffee initiatives that support small farms and their microlots
… increase quality through continuous quality controls and high quality standards throughout the entire value chain
… view coffee as a luxury item, similar to wine and chocolate
… sensitize their customers to the diverse and nuanced taste of the different coffee growing regions
… roast their coffees lighter than the industry, thus creating an incredible variety of aromas.
… love their coffee fruity and with pleasant acidity
… prefer their coffee in its purest form, without milk and sugar
… increase their customers' appreciation for filter coffee
… show their customers how coffee is consciously celebrated in its preparation.
… love traditional and alternative brewing methods such as Chemex and Pour Over Coffee
… prepare coffee according to a recipe: They use a scale to calculate the perfect coffee-to-water ratio.
Coffee is a sensory experience. The aroma gives you a first impression of the taste, and with skillful latte art, it's also a feast for the eyes.
Specialty Coffee vs. Third Wave Coffee
Specialty coffee was coined by Erna Knutsen in the 1970s. She simply used the term to describe the fact that in certain regions of coffee-growing countries, coffee plants produced beans with distinctive flavors. These beans varied depending on the country, growing region, altitude, temperature, sunlight, drying process, and many other factors. It became clear that cultivation, processing, roasting, and preparation have a tremendous impact on the taste, and the Specialty Coffee Association of America was founded. This association establishes strict guidelines for what can be labeled as specialty coffee. The coffees are evaluated during cuppings, also known as gradings. Rated on a scale of 1 to 100. Parameters such as sweetness, balance, acidity, and body are factored into the rating. Incidentally, specialty coffee needs at least 80 points to qualify for this designation.
The specialty coffee movement continues to significantly influence and underlie the third wave coffee movement. However, the third wave of coffee encompasses more than just cultivation, trade, and roasting methods; many other factors, such as enjoyment and lifestyle, are also integral to this movement.
6 steps to a Third Wave Coffee experience at home:
With these tips, nothing stands in the way of consciously enjoying coffee at home. If you have any further questions, please get in touch and we'll be happy to advise you.
PS: You can find the perfect coffee in our online shop.