You might have heard of someone describing your local espresso coffee place as "Third wave" coffee or have heard to term used before when reading about different brands of coffee roasters, but what does this term mean and where does it come from?

Similar to the concept of industrial revolutions, the coffee "waves" are when a new era of coffee in the minds of the consumer begins. These were the moment when how accessible or appreciated coffee was for the average consumer changed.

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The waves of coffee

Wave number	Starting Time	Definition
Pre-Wave	15th century	Coffee has been a drink popluarized for centuries, but usually as a niche or novelty for clergy to Middle Eastern merchants. It took a while for the beverage to move from the Middle East to Europe, and estabish a firm foothold in the heart of the city in the forms of early coffee shops.
1st Wave	1920s-1950s	The first wave was when the idea of consuming coffee went from "novelty to commodity", coffee was being produced at mass produced industrial levels by major distributors such as Folgers and Maxwell House. Popularizing low cost black coffee with cream and sugar and profiting from the producers.
2nd Wave	1990s	The second wave of coffe went from "commodity to culture" coffee became more than just a beverage to the average consumer, they began to become ingrained as a cultural phenonemom. Consumers were wanting of more choice and quality, espresso drinks with foamy milk became more popular.
3rd Wave	2010s	The 3rd wave of coffee was from "culture to consumer awareness". People started to care about and want to know more about where their coffeee was from, who roasted it, and who grew it. The consumers began to learn about coffee origins, different roast profiles, and even dabble in home coffee setups. The boom of the "specialty" coffee; single origin with experimental wash methodologies.
Future Wave	????	Who knows when the next wave of coffee is happening? The time between waves are shorter each cycle, where does this all lead to? Who knows! Some say that we're in it already. A movement from "consumer awareness to connection through coffee". Coffee will become more personalized and less about brands and standardized flavor?

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References

From the article written at Alma Coffee: What are coffee waves?

Also used for reference Fouth wave coffe is here and it's rivaling coffee shop culture says mintel

Basic reading to help with pre wave history of Coffee culture History of Coffee