The Waves of Coffee
Surely you have heard of the waves of coffee that have rushed over the world in the past few centuries. Well…coffee truly has an interesting history, from the first discovery, cultivation, spread to Europe and then to the New World. Yet, this was only the beginning, and coffee production, trade and consumption are constantly changing as cultures change, climate changes, and the coffee shop culture sprouted to bring a new experience to the coffee drinker. Yet, the Waves of coffee reveal how the tide of coffee consumption has changed, and includes three main waves with a fourth looming in the ocean of time.
As coffee became more of a commodity, and available to more people in the 1800s, this initiated the First Wave as demand for coffee grew and coffee production spread throughout Central and South America. Over the next couple of centuries, coffee became more commercial as companies such as Folgers, Maxwell House and Nescafé began to roast and sell coffee in stores. This allowed more people to have regular access to coffee and introduced the beverage to more people. Additionally, this is when instant coffee became popular, as an easier way to brew coffee, especially during the World Wars when soldiers needed an easier way to brew coffee, and lack of goods promoted the ease and simplicity of the soluble method.
As the first, gentle wave of coffee settled, the tide pulled back and built the Second Wave of Coffee, around the 1970s - spearheaded by the powerhouse Starbucks. Prior to this, consumers of coffee rarely understood exactly where their coffee originated, but as more people grew interested in coffee and its birthplace, this led to the creation of companies like Starbucks. Coffee today has to thank Starbucks for opening the eyes of consumers to the hard work that goes into growing coffee. This also led to the increase in the popularity of the coffee shop and the social atmosphere around sitting in a cafe with a cup of coffee rather than taking it away. Here, the emergence of coffee vocabulary, geography, maps and tasting notes emerge to entice people to try new coffees, and buy higher quality, more expensive coffee. Arabica became a well-known term as the Pike Place start up spread throughout Seattle, the Pacific Northwest, the US, and then the world. The Second Wave provided the infrastructure for the Third Wave and really helped bring recognition to coffee producers and quality.
As people grew more concerned about the origins of their coffee, the quality, and brewing at home - this led to the creation of specialty coffee and the Specialty Coffee Association in the United States. This then created the Third Wave of Coffee, generated in the US and led by Intelligentsia, Stumptown and a few other specialty coffee roasters, seeking to work directly with producers to bring high quality coffee to the consumer. This exploded not only in the US but in the Western World and Japan as specialty shops opened, quality became a matter of scoring coffees and understanding tasting notes, roast levels, brewing methods and new espresso machines. Coffee became not just a commodity, but a special and unique beverage, cherished for the uniqueness that comes from different origins and processing methods.
I would say the Third Wave is still spreading as small towns in the middle of Midwestern US or small villages in the UK begin roasting specialty coffee and serving it to locals. People every day are becoming more educated about coffee, becoming more attuned to how it tastes and what origins they prefer. What is your favorite shop? How could you learn more? Do you brew at home?
This Wave, however, was significantly impacted by the earthquake known as COVID-19 that closed shops all over the world - putting some out of business, and others struggling to stay afloat in the madness of economic turmoil. But coffee has remained strong! People have turned to brewing at home, learning how to make high quality brews in their kitchens, and continuing to support coffee producers and local roasters with subscription services to roasters.
I must lastly address the Fourth Wave, my favorite, and some may not agree with its existence. The Fourth Wave of Coffee is the spread of specialty shops in the countries of origin. This means that rather than exporting the highest quality of coffee, countries keep coffee and open specialty shops to brew and serve coffee to local communities. I love this. Specialty coffee should not be exclusive to developed nations, but should also be avaialbel to the countries working hard to grow and produce the coffee we all love. I have witnessed this Wave and hope to see it spread. How great would it be to employ local people in Ethiopian villages at locally-owned coffee shops to brew pour overs for locals? I cannot wait to see this and see what producing countries can do with the amazing coffee they grow.
