There is an important shift that has been happening; coffee culture is exploding. I’m not talking about another Starbucks opening in the new strip mall down the street; it’s more subtle than that. It’s bigger than renting a seat for a few hours to get free wifi or another way to caffeinate our exhausted and overcommitted culture.
Many are calling this shift “Third Wave” coffee culture. Think about it like this. First wave coffee was Folgers and other simple forms of drip coffee. Picture a group of old men at McDonald’s sitting around drinking their coffee black. Starbucks pioneered second wave coffee. Flavored lattes were suddenly everywhere, and Starbucks and others began to cater to everyone, middle school girls included. Picture a mom with three kids walking the aisles of the grocery store with her latte. Third wave coffee went back to the basics. While there is still steamed milk there is a focus on good, fairly sourced coffee that needs no sweeteners. Baristas talk about hints of apricot, citrus or chocolate in your black coffee after pouring a single serving for you. If you’re new to third wave coffee you probably just think they’re lying to you, because it just tastes like black coffee to you. It’s a craft culture that favors local roasters who are ethically conscious.
The power of coffee is much deeper than a drink, a mug and office-ing out of a third place. Not only does coffee point us to shifts in our culture, but it can inform followers of Jesus how we can more effectively engage a shifting culture and engage conversation in our places and spaces.
I will be exploring coffee culture in several posts here on my site. I asked three friends who are deeply entrenched in coffee culture about this shift.
Why is coffee culture exploding?
TYLER: Cafe manager, coffee educator, competitive barista
There have been a group of coffee pioneers in this country who have taken risks to be the first ones to elevate the coffee culture from where it was. When someone raises a standard, it forces those around them to do the same. Because of the risk takers, the coffee community has been given inspiration and examples of how to do things well, thus sparking growth. Great cafes are fueling other great cafes.
SEAN: Author, urban expert and coffee bon vivant
Simply put we’re on the front end of the Third Wave of coffee. The focus is on small-batch, high-quality, globally (and ethically) curated and locally roasted coffee. It is not simply about making coffee, but it truly is an artistic experience whether in the hands of the roaster or the barista. Coffee has never been better and coffee shops themselves have never been more inviting and well-designed.
VINNIE: Coffee shop manager
The reason behind much of the explosion in coffee culture is twofold.
Quality. The amount of quality that can be consistently be achieved at a shop and how difficult it is to translate into your home kitchen. Simply buying nice beans and running them through the coffee maker doesn’t achieve the amount of precision people can find at their local shop. The amount of accuracy and skill that you experience at the hands of your local barista creates a very different experience.
Community. Coffee appeals to every person’s need for community. The drive-thru coffee experience can still deliver a nice cup, but it can’t deliver the connection to friendly and engaging people. Whether it is a chance to ask some technical questions about why their drink is so special or just some eye contact and a smile, those things are deeply built into the way we serve coffee that it creates a very strong draw.
So, how does this quiet explosion a reflection of our culture as a whole?
What implications does this have for how we interact and connect with others?