This article is prepared to present some basic information about coffee and give some clue about the intention of the blog considering future posts. It is hard to write every detail in a single post as it is so in many subjects which are seen easy by less interested ones but complicated by enthusiasts. I will try to explain the historical background when needed in future posts; but what I will do at first is to draw the current picture.
Coffee is one of the most consumed drinks all over the world now. It is exactly the consuming styles what differentiate different waves and generations. Taking the time when coffee reaches at the western world as reference -actually these definitons are mainly made by USA considering their own consumptions- the first type of coffee drinkers are defined in the 1st wave coffee. People accept coffee as one of their essential needs and it can be defined as the main drink after water in this wave. It is made at houses, does not need any special occasion or event and it is drunk by everyone on the table. The companies on the supply chain are huge and few in numbers. The consumers are not actually aware of what is going on behind the scene. The technological developments about the storage and transportation of the beans pushed the consumption more. Invention of instant coffee (can be summarized as the dehydration and drying process of brewed coffee, the iconic coffee brand Nescafe for instance) in the beginning of 1900's triggered this trend much more. We can accept coffee in 1st wave as Coca Cola lately in industrial world. The definiton of the 1st wave goes back to 19th centuries. Let me also remind you that Italians invented the espresso machine at the end of 1800's and beginning of 1900's. (The filtered coffee is produced simply by pouring some water over coffee or with a similar method, whereas espresso is made by helping very hot water meet coffee with a very high pressure inside a small chamber.)
On the 2nd wave, we see that socialization and conceptual following is a little bit more dominant than consumption. Actually coffee is used as an instrument for these and there is a superficial reaction in 2nd wave to the poor quality of the coffee in 1st wave. Although the wave definitions are independent of the brewing methods, it can easily be said that the dominant brewing method is espresso in 2nd wave (and espresso based other drinks: caffe latte, americano, mocha, frappe...). It is not hard to define the coffee served nowadays in hot or cold (in huge sizes sometimes) in coffee shop chains such as Starbucks as the 2nd wave coffee. Even it was misguided, 2nd wave had a structure caring more about coffee in its initial form. 2nd wave is said to have started in 60's.
3rd wave coffee is basically the enlightment of producers as well as consumers and coffee followers. 3rd wave followers care a lot about what is produced and drunk. In this wave many predefined borders are removed and small size producers, roasters (simply roasting the green beans into the brown ones) and distributors deliver the coffee to consumers via small shops and coffee houses. More than that, consumers make and taste their own coffee like a gourmet or even try to roast the beans themselves at home. We may easily say that coffee is treated like wine in this wave. 3rd wave has been seen in an article from 2002 for the first time, even though its roots go back to 90's. It is not easy to say that there is a dominant brewing style for coffee in 3rd wave but to tell the truth, many previously designed pour over methods became so popular with it. I need to remind you that 3rd wave brought a new perspective also into espresso making methods. The discussions on pre-infusion and the usage of single origin beans instead of blends in the espresso, triggered the change in perspective. Considering characteristics of the coffee, the most important changes have come for the type of beans and the level of roasting. In other words, on discussing more and more about the subject, it is understood that a good type of coffee beans can carry many different properties than what is believed in 2nd and 1st waves. Defined as the basic drawings done on caffe latte (an espresso based coffee drink with milk) with the help of the milk foam and coffee crema, Latte Art seems to be a 3rd wave act too. There is an interesting fact to be reminded here: The tendency of consumers are still directed by big companies in 3rd wave with many marketing tactics. However, 3rd wave -by its own definiton- created a generation who is hard to be directed globally.
All these waves mentioned above currently exist together all around the world. For instance, the consumers who need caffeine essentially and drink mostly instant coffee for this can easily be defined as 1st wave followers. Since they do not really care about what's going on behind the scene, Italians can be considered in 1st wave for the consumption style especially considering also the moka pot usage but socially they are certainly in 2nd wave. The nespresso -the new generation espresso devices for capsule coffee- users are almost in 1st wave considering the consumption style but the quality demand they have, makes it a pseudo-2nd wave. On the other hand, they always complain about the 2nd wave symbols like Starbucks. One thing is for sure: considering limited choice in coffee types, unawareness of the things going on in production and the difference between the nespresso machines and real espresso machines, it is almost impossible to count nespresso users as 3rd wave followers. A coffee consumer who buys a ground, dark roasted, espresso optimized coffee package from Starbucks, storing it carelessly and brewing it with a French Press without knowing the technique, seems to be in 2nd wave; but the quality problem makes it a 1st wave act. I haven't mentioned yet much about Turkish coffee or its traditional consumption but I can say that the style is between 1st and 2nd wave. However, as a part of 3rd wave act, I saw in Europe that people try to find special beans and make a fresh coffee in traditional Turkish pot, cezve. Besides all, in my opinion, with its historical value as an ancestor and stable existence on the consuming line for years, Turkish coffee is an individual subject that should be investigated independent of the waves discussed above.
This blog is a 3rd wave follower by its own definition. In other words, writing a blog about coffee types and brewing techniques as an amateur is a stand alone 3rd wave act. My main purpose will be to give detailed information about the subjects I briefly mentioned above. There will be explanations for different brewing techniques as well as my reviews about the coffee beans I tasted and coffee places I visited. I am not planning to explain anything about Turkish coffee in the beginning. As I gain experience on the subject, I may write about it. Since my main interest and experiences are on filter coffee rather than espresso, most of my first posts will be about filter coffee. Espresso fans and filter coffee fans do not usually like each others' taste and style but I do not feel this way because I am passionate about anything related to coffee. I think presenting my experience on espresso just as a taster will be better for now.
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