What is 3rd Wave coffee (& does anyone care)?

admin

Hi guys, please post definitions of here

Brett H

on 1393020318:

Hi guys, please post definitions of here

mycuppa

Does anyone care ? IMO, nobody cares, except for the people trying to define the evolution of the coffee lifecycle in Australia (and the broader world market) or the journalists who struggle to understand the inner workings of an industry and just love the opportunity to latch onto catchy phrases. In it's simplest form, it is just a plain label that like so many descriptors across just about any industry, hobby, pastime, activity or interest will at times be inaccurately applied. Coffee in Australia - just like many other countries such as NZ, Scandinavia and pockets of the US - continues to advance at dramatic rates due to a single compelling reason - highly competitive markets. It never stands still, it fails to consolidate or stabilize - at least we cannot see any metrics that can accurately prove this point. When it comes to coffee, I struggle to imagine a set of key defining moments or "tipping points" where things dramatically changed in a short period of time. Many industries have fewer influential suppliers (the "leaders") that shape the operational state and future direction of their markets. With coffee, particularly in Australia at this time, that sort of market control or influence is not possible because of the lack of industry structure, fragmented distribution and the completely ludicrous 900 brands being sold in our domestic market (some of them imported). That number might shock people - but it's a fact - just ask the coffee bag suppliers ! The evolution of coffee has been a gradual and constant journey. The availability of Single Origin coffees, beans from estates or plantations, using profiles when you roast, etc. are all concepts that have been around long before the label of 3rd wave emerged or when 3rd wave moniker was stamped on a few of the Australian brands - for which we have active marketing initiatives to thank. Competitive forces shape our industry and in striving to achieve some level of differentiation or advantage (whether real or perceived), it always pushes us into new domains at every stage of the product lifecycle - sourcing a better raw material, more advanced roasting platforms, more precision when profiling - all these continuous improvements are aimed at converting the numerous variables into some form of constants that define what we know is a spectacularly wide spectrum called "a good coffee". At a macro level, having watched the coffee industry for a long time, it is hard to actually pinpoint when boundaries or "norms" actually shift. If we talk about waves, the more important back story in Australian coffee today is not whether a cafe or roaster is 3rd or even 4th wave, it's a more serious and worrying tale of saturated markets, fickle consumers and unfulfilled expectations at both the supply and demand sides. Not too long ago, it was possible for smart, hard working and disciplined folks to spend a small fortune building a cafe into a successful business. Put in the long, difficult hours to generate OK returns and after a period of time they could sell what they built and toiled for over many years as a going concern with the rewards of some goodwill. This may still apply to a very small number of coffee cafes, but that number is falling dramatically. These days, the uncomfortable trends I see are stressed cafe owners, unable to pay their bills, facing a current or future prospect that deals them a zero goodwill exit. The evolution to a state of zero goodwill businesses is the shocking headline that is not being reported. These people are worn down from the challenges posed by fickle consumer loyalty, constant labour issues and the ongoing barrage of new competition entering their ever decreasing share of the market. The "wave" discussion is simply a marketing and identity conversation - it does not address serious business challenges such margin erosion which is now the new retail battlefield across just about every industry and market.

conikal

I think Wiki sums it up... but , no,...i dont care !

The Third Wave of Coffee refers to a current movement to produce high-quality coffee, and consider coffee as an artisanal foodstuff, like wine, rather than a commodity. This involves improvements at all stages of production, from improving coffee plant growing, harvesting, and processing, to stronger relationships between coffee growers, traders, and roasters, to higher quality and fresh roasting, at times called "microroasting" (by analogy with microbrew beer), to skilled brewing. Third Wave Coffee aspires to the highest form of culinary appreciation of coffee, so that one may appreciate subtleties of flavor, varietal, and growing region

WotB

I was having lunch with my relatives here in Adelaide, taking a break from unpacking boxes and cleaning our new home, when I was asked if I plan on opening a coffee business here.  My simple response, "Australia is a saturated market for coffee."  I said that I would rather save myself the trouble and stress, and simply enjoy coffee that I roast, and maybe sharing with close friends and family. I don't really care what "Wave" we're currently riding.  I love coffee in all its forms.

admin

I googled this - this was the response from a specialty coffee guy in the US called Nick Cho (who's apparently a bit of a 'guru' over there) when asked the question: "It

conikal

.. There are a few prominent shops that went to [the] pourover [process]

mycuppa

I tend to believe that the returns generated by non-espresso brews can be at times rather over-inflated, or perceived to be much higher than it actually is. For us in Melbourne, it is generally affected by the ambient temp - lovely on warm days and of course the demographic of the patrons. Some places offering it do very small volumes - a handful per day. Other places may do the equivalent of a few kilos on a really warm day if they have it prepared beforehand and market the offer correctly. Other countries like Norway, it's a different story altogether.

WotB

What was meant to enlighten the customer, or shift the paradigm about what coffee is, had often come across ass arrogance or patronising. Just like chefs, baristi hold a bit of expertise and also knowledge about provenance.  This information is not to be treated like top secret information.  It should be shared freely, with grace and charity.  Respect in both directions. The paradigm that needs to shift is that of how you interact with customers, not them bending to your will.

mycuppa

Mostly what I see when non-espresso brews are offered is a group of passionate coffee lovers wanting to showcase various elements of coffee and share this passion. For this, I admire them sincerely. They take a lot of time and care with elegant tasting notes, detailed verbal explanations and genuine customer engagement when a client elects to try one of these brews, it's akin to seeing an excited parent watch their kid score a goal in a footy match. The attitude side of things is really sometimes a bit of an exaggeration in many respects and tends to get blown out of proportion. Because it's different it gets that "hipster" treatment from the greater majority. Sure, there are plenty of tossers out there attempting to appear oh-so-clever when it comes to their own coffee knowledge, but I take it as just "part of the show". I am a big supporter (and believer) of alternative brewing and perform a hell of lot of R&D in this specific area. It will be an increasing feature of our future in coffee as people bore easily and espresso reaches a plateau (if it's not already there).

eggbert

I've just come back from a holiday in Taiwan and was very surprised how much they were into their pourovers, cold brew and syphons especially.  A lot of places had an espresso machine but it definitely played second fiddle to the more manual methods.

WotB

Eggbert, I believe Yama glass is based in Taiwan, so it's no surprise syphons, etc. make a good showing there. Jeff, I'm definitely one of those who prefer non-espresso coffee.  Cold brew is my drink of choice, mostly because of its versatility (can be over ice, sparkling, tepid, hot).  My second favourite method is plunger. As you know, I've done a lot of dabbling with aged greens.  If stored properly, they still have a lot to offer, and shouldn't be relegated to simply seasoning grinders or roasters. Speaking of which, do you still happen to have those old beans I asked about a while back?