Here is a little education to better explain why we are a Third Wave Coffee Roaster.
The Third Wave of Coffee refers to a current movement to produce high-quality coffee, and consider coffee as an artisanal foodstuff, like wine, rather than a commodity. This involves improvements at all stages of production, from improving coffee plant growing, harvesting, and processing, to stronger relationships between coffee growers, traders, and roasters, to higher quality and fresh roasting, at times called “microroasting” (by analogy with microbrew beer), to skilled brewing.
Third Wave Coffee aspires to the highest form of culinary appreciation of coffee, so that one may appreciate subtleties of flavor, varietal, and growing region – similar to other complex culinary products such as wine, tea, and chocolate. Distinctive features of Third Wave Coffee include direct trade coffee, high-quality beans, single origin coffee from small co-ops or farms (as opposed to green bean blends at origin), and lighter roasts. It also includes revivals of alternative methods of coffee preparation, and pour-over brewing devices such as the Chemex.
The term “Third Wave” was coined in 2002, and refers chiefly to the American phenomenon, particularly from the 1990s and continuing today, but with some roots in the 1980s, 1970s, and 1960s. Similar movements exist in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Scandinavia. More broadly, Third Wave Coffee can be seen as part of the specialty coffee movement.
** References: http://www.outofordermag.com/2012/11/third-wave-coffee-culture/ and yes….http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Wave_Coffee (English teachers don’t yell at us…it is a great write-up!)
The big three are Counter Culture, Intelligentsia, and Stumptown but are they still Third Wave with huge 90 kg automatic roasters? If the art is removed with computers…..is it artisan?
At BPR love the challenge of changes in barometric pressure, temperature, and humidity that causes us to use our mind and creativity (and experience) to vary the roast profile ever so slightly. Watching the temperature probes, hearing the crack, using our eyes to really drive the passion of an excellent cup. I wake up everyday pushing myself to enhance the best roast profile and to wow the customer when they take the first sip. Third Wave is alive and well but let’s be careful to keep the craft in craft roasters.