after thinking for a long time what i wanted to say here, lemme finally say it.

the crucial point is tonx’s statement “radical de-commodification of coffee,” imvho. doesn’t the idea of “waves” implicitly assume that american coffee history starts at 1882? not to criticize trish in any way.

but before that! shouldn’t we be asking ourselves about the period before the establishment of the coffee exchange? how was coffee sold and viewed then? there didn’t used to be these poor quality, national brands, you know.

i think some study of pre-commodity coffee in the u.s.a. might show that the 3rd wave and the specialty coffee movement is in some ways a sort of cycle of return to the earlier history of coffee in north america. not all of that is salvageable, nor should it be.

while other parts, other parts might be more interesting. . .this is exactly the kind of thing to talk to don schoenholt about. (hint)

happy coffee,
f

There is another method of “pull” being implemented here: those of us who have been in the business for more than one “wave” waking up to the harsh reality of our mediocre efforts, complacency, burnout, whatever. The first time I heard the term used publicly (in the NPR story) I did not say, “Damn, I gotta be a part of that.” But it caught my attention and I found myself wanting to know more. As a result I got pulled into a current that has me wanting to get better at every single aspect of what we do with coffee or find something else to do.

“As a bystander it just seems like most meaningful discussions in coffee that have dissenting opinions are filled with personal jabs and quips or just plain blatant disrespect. Its unfortunate.” (EspressoDOM)

It is regrettable when those kinds of attacks happen in any field. But our industry demands strong, informed opinions and the opportunity to express them. Nick, Jay, Trish and others are the most visible participants in the Third Wave discussion and that might make them an easy target. But more and more people are joining the debate as a result of their omnipresence. To say that the concept is fueled by vanity or mere snobbery is to ignore the number of new people who have come to the table. Including those of us, as Rich Westerfield pointed out, who are geographically isolated.

Russell Chisholm
The Easy Chair Coffee Shop
Blacksburg, Virginia

As I see it, the term third wave is a generalization, a construct, a way of trying to describe a new =energy that has infected the coffee scene of late. Of course people produced good coffee before the so-called third wave came along, and of course there are people who take the whole third wave idea way too far.

But as somebody who’s been obsessing over espresso in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 25 years, I’ve got to say that–with a few exceptions, which I’ll get to–until James opened Blue Bottle there was not a single venue in the immediate Bay Area that I felt comfortable recommending to friends who asked me where they could get a real espresso. Ritual, which I feature in the article, was another milestone–a full-service cafe serving up espresso drinks made to the standards that have been set in the Pacific Northwest over the past ten or fifteen years, a place where the baristas take obsessive care with every shot. And, of course, there’s Andrew Barnett up in Santa Rosa, who also deserves mention for the fine coffees he roasts.

The Bay Area may have been first, but IMHO the Bay Area institutions got lazy and sloppy, and didn’t pay any attention to what was happening to the north. Fifteen or 20 years ago, Mr. Espresso was roasting some dynamite espresso, but I haven’t been able to drink it for years. When Iolanda was still at the Trieste in the seventies and eighties, she knew how to pull a shot. Ever since then the Trieste’s baristas have been pretty clueless. They just don’t care.

Call it what you will, there’s a new energy in the coffee world, and it’s spreading around the country. There’s a commitment to work with farmers at origin and to spotlight the best coffees they can produce instead of dumping the good and the bad into the same pot and calling it Colombian or Guatemalan. Maybe, just maybe, in about twenty years coffee will be treated with the respect it deserves. And if that happens it will be the result of the passion and caring of a lot of people, including those who have embraced the term third wave.

–Richard

I think in any industry this big and with this much inertia you’ll see people trying to draw lines and define their own philosophical trajectories. The internet is just speeding that up and adding new layers of dialog to the process. I think its all quite reasonable and healthy and very far from exclusionary. I think anyone who is actually offended by any of it is probably overreacting or extrapolating one persons poor diplomacy onto a whole group of us.

As it is, its probably just as well that the term “third wave” is a point of contention as that makes it less likely people will throw it around haphazardly or glue themselves to it casually. The nuts and bolts of the ever changing landscape of the coffee industry are still being screwed and unscrewed.

thankee

Certainly, the Third Wave can be divisive and I think that’s a natural course of progression in our Western World. Just like the Pre-Teen, Tween and Teen child feels the need to push themselves and separate themselves from their parents, the Third Wave is doing the same. How many of you hung out with your parents when you were sixteen? It’s the same here.

The Third Wave is a new generation of coffee professionals looking to expand on what already exists. And while many see this new generation as very Oi and Punk Rock, it’s still rooted in the traditions of the previous generations - just like the petulant child who will never escape from the basics of his/her family.

I enjoyed a discussion with some friends in Charlotte and the topic was: “Is David Scholmer Third Wave?” In many ways, he’s not part of the Third Wave. Schomer is still in his own little world, doing his own thing. But could the Third Wave have evolved to where it is today without Schomer’s work and passion? I doubt it. His work and legacy are central to the Third Wave, but he’s not part of the Wave.

As in music, one builds upon the other, when I find friends who are fans of Duran Duran, I always let them listen to some late Japan or David Sylvian, without telling them who they are listening. Invariably, they think it’s some obscure Duran Duran track, but it’s not. It’s the influences that Duran Duran built their sound upon. It’s not Duran Duran, but it is integral to the development of the Fab Five.

I personally don’t know what or who this original “nucleus” is/was. All I do know is that the term was coined by Trish to describe the new movement in the industry. A different focus for a new generation. It is what it is. And it is what you make of it. You can choose to face this “Third Wave” as though it were some divisive tour de force, or you can embrace it and take it for a ride.