What is the Third Wave of Coffee? Don't Let Specialty Coffee Become the Beginning of a "Coffee Snobbery Chain"!

The Evolution of Coffee: Understanding the Third Wave and Specialty Coffee

In the past decade, the coffee industry has developed rapidly, with more and more people influenced by the third wave of coffee, gradually paying attention to specialty coffee. This has created a common perception: specialty coffee equals the third wave of coffee.

In reality, the third wave of coffee doesn't just represent a cup of coffee, but encompasses all elements related to coffee, presenting a complete supply chain—it's an experience. Specialty coffee, on the other hand, is what we encounter throughout this experience.

Comparing the Three Waves of Coffee

Compared to the first wave of coffee, which emphasized convenience, and the second wave, which stressed the importance of fresh grinding, the third wave emphasizes the importance of the entire coffee supply chain.

The differences between the three waves lie in: one made people aware of coffee's existence, another helped people recognize that good coffee requires freshly ground beans and professional baristas, while the third wave helped people understand that a good cup of coffee isn't just the barista's achievement—roasters, green bean traders, and growers all play important roles.

Improving coffee quality, direct trade, emphasizing sustainability, using lighter roast levels, various brewing methods—these are all characteristics of the third wave of coffee.

Compared to the first wave's focus on convenience and the second wave's emphasis on fresh grinding, the third wave has helped people appreciate that coffee itself can express unique flavors. Consequently, more consumers have begun pursuing the sweet and sour notes in coffee, as well as its flavor complexity and uniqueness.

Understanding Specialty Coffee

However, this only represents improved coffee flavors and quality, which is the foundation of specialty coffee but not its entirety. When discussing specialty coffee, many people talk about professional knowledge regarding coffee bean varieties, cultivation, processing, roasting, and brewing, but few mention the customer service aspect.

The "specialty" in specialty coffee encompasses a series of important elements of quality service, as it ensures that drinkers will experience coffee quality that is systematically evaluated. Whether coffee tastes good, achieves high scores, or attracts consumer attention—all require professional interpretation and service.

The reason the third wave of coffee gained widespread recognition is that it created experiences that make consumers feel special. Customer service is one part of this, while the stories behind the coffee are another.

People's attention to specialty coffee, driven by the third wave, stems not only from improved coffee quality but also from roasters and baristas showcasing the unique charm of coffee beans, combined with stories woven together by producers, importers, roasters, and baristas, plus the barista's communication of these stories, adding value to a cup of coffee.

The True Essence of Specialty Coffee

Therefore, what's important in specialty coffee isn't just the cupping scores or the richness of flavors, but rather demonstrating the inherent advantages of the coffee itself from a professional perspective—whether by growers, traders, roasters, or coffee extractors.

Did specialty coffee only emerge after the third wave? Of course not. The concept of specialty coffee was introduced in 1978, referring to coffee beans cultivated under specific climate and geographical conditions that possess unique flavors—meaning coffee beans that express distinct regional (origin) flavors can be called specialty coffee. The third wave was born after the millennium, while consumer attention to specialty coffee truly began around 2009.

After the concept of specialty coffee was introduced, coffee growers in various regions began focusing on the flavor expression of their beans, continuously seeking and cultivating coffee varieties that could express better flavors while ensuring yield. They also began to understand how the environment of coffee bean processing affects flavor expression.

Due to inconsistent quality and the influence of the espresso (second wave) trend, most coffee beans were deeply roasted, causing coffee flavors to gradually "homogenize" under the effects of excessive caramelization, ultimately only expressing bitterness and rich, mellow flavors.

After more than a decade of continuous research into cultivation varieties, the inherent quality of coffee beans has greatly improved and become more stable. This allowed roasters to begin experimenting with light roasts, preserving the sweet and sour notes in coffee while further distinguishing the defective flavors of the beans themselves.

At the same time, more coffee competitions emerged, helping more growers understand that only clear flavors would bring honor and higher purchase prices for their coffee, thereby encouraging everyone to further focus on cultivation and growing.

Consumer Recognition and Market Development

Why did specialty coffee suddenly gain consumer attention after 2009? Because the Specialty Coffee Association of America redefined the term "specialty coffee," indicating that coffee beans scoring 80 points or above according to SCA cupping standards are considered specialty coffee. As this definition was easier to understand, many coffee shops began promoting specialty coffee using this approach.

Of course, at that time, there weren't many coffee beans scoring above 80 points, and the prices were relatively high. However, every coffee interpreter cherished each opportunity to showcase, allowing consumers to experience the unique quality of this cup of coffee and its differences from ordinary coffee, helping more consumers appreciate the charm of specialty coffee.

The Importance of Service and Sustainability

But today, more and more interpreters focus only on the unique qualities of coffee and showcasing their professionalism, gradually weakening customer service, making many newcomers to coffee feel the "condescension" from specialty coffee. Obviously, these are not actions that can promote the healthy development of the coffee industry, nor are they the messages that a cup of specialty coffee should convey.

Wanting coffee quality to continuously improve and wanting more people to appreciate specialty coffee depends on more people pursuing excellence in coffee. Consumers and the supply chain form a cycle.

The emergence of specialty coffee离不开 more consumers pursuing excellence in coffee—encouraging growers to cultivate and process more carefully—prompting green bean traders to seek higher quality beans more diligently—inspiring roasters to research roasting methods that allow coffee beans to express better flavors—motivating baristas to study extraction methods that reveal flavor layers and transmit more professional knowledge—creating a cycle where consumers develop greater pursuit of coffee quality.

Coffee has great inclusivity, and so do coffee professionals. Everything can continuously improve because more people have higher aspirations. Mispositioning specialty coffee benefits no one.

Image source: Internet

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