Today, thanks to advertising, marketing and competition we have all heard of, or read about the term “the 3rd wave of coffee”.
But let us analyse exactly what the term means.
The course of coffee throughout the years has been long and always altering.
It began in the 16th century with the first wave
The first wave’s aim was to increase sales and consumption rates. At this stage coffee is consumed purely for the psychostimulant properties of caffeine. Instant coffee also bloomed.
Then between 1980 and 1990 the second wave
foreshadowed the rise and expansion of franchise-style coffee chains. Coffee at this stage was in its most commercial and profitable form, leading to a consequent increase in Robusta. Robusta is a type of coffee tree which produces coffee that has a strong and bitter taste as its main taste characteristic. Therefore, due to the decline in quality and the bitter taste, there was an increase in beverages with added sugar, syrups and various sweeteners.
The third wave of coffee
refers to the total expression of flavour and the development of coffee that we enjoy drinking. This means high quality raw material, clear taste characteristics, perfectly controlled roasting methods and groups of people whose aim is the continuous development of coffee.
In the third wave we will hear the terms “Speciality Coffee”, “Micro Lot”, “Single Origin” and “Single Estate”.
We will use coffee making appliances such as Chemex, V60, Syphon.
We will roast using state-of-the-art machinery and with our extended knowledge succeed in achieving greater flavour growth and caramelisation depending on the varieties of coffee we are handling.
We hope to be able to take coffee to the next level. A level where no one will need to add sugar to it.
Here at CoffeeLab we are a team of expressionists! 3rd wave coffee expressionists.
We apply full sustainability and traceability which means we are in full control of the coffee production process starting from the farm and making its way all the way to the consumer, with respect to each stage.
We ourselves pick the high-quality raw material, participate in the processing method and control its storage and transportation to our modern facilities. It is there that each coffee bean will be roasted to reach its maximum flavour potential and will then be shipped to our stores where the highly trained baristi will handle it with care and knowledge.
We choose to respect the farmers and their prosperity by achieving higher market prices for green coffee. We believe in a future filled with quality and fairness for all.
We train the barista in our stores with attention to detail for the highest quality product and unprecedented competitive customer service.
Evolution, innovation and a good mood. Key words for our everyday life.
