Nick Vernon talks about third-wave coffee.
Nick Vernon, Campus Carrier online and graphics editor.
In 2015, labeling yourself a wine connoisseur or craft beer snob is commonplace. A little less common, however, is considering yourself to be a third wave coffee drinker.
The third wave of coffee is a rather recent trend towards high-quality coffee, whereby the consumer considers the coffee as an art, similar to wine, rather than simply a caffeinated drink to start your day. The first wave of coffee consisted of coffee that was affordable and easy to make. Brands like Maxwell House and Folgers became household names during this wave of instant coffee. The second wave was a reaction to coffee that was often poor in quality and taste. During this second wave, terms such as espresso, latte and French press came into existence. Starbucks opened in 1971, serving “fresh roasted coffee beans.” Starbucks made the social experience of drinking coffee more important than the process of producing coffee or even the taste itself. This trend that Starbucks created characterized the second wave of coffee.
Contrary to the first and second waves, coffee is a complex, unique drink, but it is rarely regarded as such. In 1974, specialty coffee became an official term, but it was not until the “third wave” of coffee appeared that coffee began to turn from a bitter, morning necessity into a luxury good that was worthy of connoisseurship.
Coffee has become like wine with an increasing focus on where it comes from and the environment in which it is grown. Third wave coffee shops are more ethically aware and passionate about where their coffee comes from. The care and attention to detail from these coffee shops dramatically changes what you taste in your cup. The coffee brewed in these shops is often created via three different types of methods: pour over, immersion and vacuum.
A pour over is a way to describe a variety of brew methods that can be characterized by the fact that the water is poured onto a layer of coffee grounds, and the liquid goes through the bottom of the filter—more commonly known as percolation.
An immersion-brewed coffee is like the pour over in that the water and the coffee are infused together. However, with an immersion brewed coffee, the water and coffee steep together. Consequently, the resulting brew is evenly extracted. The immersion method includes the French press, which is the most widely known form of “by the cup” coffee brewing. This method also includes the Aeropress, which is somewhat of a hybrid between an infusion brewed coffee and a pour over.
A vacuum-brewed coffee is much like the infusion brewers in that the coffee and water are infused together to steep, but the vacuum is specifically characterized by its steam-powered vacuum that filters the water through the coffee.
No matter how you do it, the third wave coffee movement simply inspires passion in the craft of brewing coffee. Coffee is reminiscent of both wine and beer, except we are only a couple of decades into seeking its limits. So rather than drinking coffee as a tool to stay awake, try thinking of it is an artisanal drink to be enjoyed and analyzed.