Enter chatty barista, drifting over to her podium that is the modern pearl white point-of-sale machine. Her eyes seem to acknowledge my presence only incidentally, as her feigned "customer-service-smile" never quite arrives... She takes her time tamping that espresso, then pauses to chat to colleagues and giggle about the latest gossip. Frump game strong, coffee times long. Gone are the days of overly caffeinated baristas, pumping out the finest frothy cappuccinos in under a minute. I fear we have departed the once mutually appreciated, artisanal obsessed third-wave of coffee and entered a new, blasé approach to the service aspect of curated coffee experiences. I fear we have all but surfed the final waves of the glorious third-wave.
But first, let's start with a light lesson on the history of coffee, understood by many to have evolved in a series of waves 🌊🌊🌊🌊
First-Wave (19th–mid-20th century):
Coffee becomes widely available as a commodity, with mass production and convenience prioritised. Enter behemoth brands like Folgers and Maxwell House.
Second-Wave (1970s–1990s):
Coffee culture evolves, with a focus towards quality and experience. The rise of espresso-based drinks, flavoured syrups and café culture are defined by mainstays like Starbucks and Costa.
Third-Wave (2000s–present)*:
Coffee is elevated to an artisanal product, rather than a commodity, with a focus on meticulously curated selection of beans and preparation instruments as well as ambiance and aesthetic of the coffee house itself. Blue Bottle is arguably the most recognisable, with other notable chains such as Counter Culture, Equator and Intelligentsia along with thousands of independent enterprises across the globe, mostly concentrated in major metropolitan cities.
*The Fourth-Wave
It's 2025. Coffee culture has reached a boiling point and the baristas are bored. The espresso pull is lackluster and the drink costs $10 and takes 15 minutes to make. And tips are expected, before the service is delivered.
*Upon penning this piece, I did a wee bit of research and found out that the corporate cofffee people tout the Fourth Wave as the "at-home specialty" manual brewing methods (aeropress, pourover), pods and espresso machines. According to the Allegra World Coffee Portal execs, we're actually in the fifth wave, with a focus on "excellence".
I digress, this piece is purely opinion, and I call bullshit. Neigh, excellence is nonexistent. In fact, the sub par service these days is saving me money, why bother going out to get a soso espresso when I can just make it home, my way. Perhaps what I'm identifying are the death throes of the once unrecoginsable third wave, as it brashly hangs up its smock in unrighteous indignation. In any case, a nostalgia for an era that is no more reigns supreme. And this dreamer will never give up the pursuit of good coffee, wherever I go. For now, I'll stick to my Black & White beans.
Lowdown on Best of Brew At Home:
Opmerkingen