Coffee culture has transformed dramatically over the past century and a half, evolving through three distinct periods that industry professionals call “waves.” Each wave represents a fundamental shift in how coffee is produced, consumed, and understood. The term “third-wave coffee” was coined by coffee professional Trish Rothgeb in a 2003 article, though Timothy J. Castle had used the term in 1999. These waves don’t simply replace each other—they coexist and overlap, creating the diverse coffee landscape we see today.
First Wave: Coffee as Commodity (1850s-1960s)
The first wave began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the rise of mass production, distribution, and consumption of coffee. This era was marked by the introduction of pre-ground coffee in vacuum-sealed cans, instant coffee, and the widespread availability of coffee in supermarkets.
During this time, the focus was on making coffee a household staple, with an emphasis on convenience and accessibility rather than quality or flavor. Brands like Folgers, Maxwell House, and Nescafé dominated the market, and coffee was largely viewed as a commodity.
The first time instant coffee powder was mass-produced was in America around 1910 by George Constant Louis Washington, though most perceived it as a novelty with disagreeable taste. However, instant coffee found its market during wartime. During World War II instant coffee was very popular with soldiers. Nescafe and other brands supplied large quantities to a growing market. During one year of the war the U.S. military bought more than one million cases of Nescafe—their entire annual output of Nestle’s U.S. plant.
In the first wave of coffee, coffee consumers generally did not differentiate by origin or beverage type. Instant coffee, grocery store canned coffee, and diner coffee were all hallmarks of first wave coffee. First wave coffee focuses on low price and consistent taste. The era prioritized mass production and widespread distribution, making coffee accessible to the American middle class while sacrificing the nuanced flavors that would later define specialty coffee.
Second Wave: Coffee as Experience (1960s-1990s)
2nd Wave coffee began in 1966 with the formation of Peet’s Coffee in Berkeley, CA. Peet’s was America’s first major roaster and coffeeshop chain. Starbucks, founded in 1971, was modeled after Peet’s with all 3 Starbucks’ founders having been trained to roast by Alfred Peet.
The second wave emerged in the 1970s and consolidated in the 1990s, mainly thanks to large coffee-shop chains (the most famous being Starbucks).
The second wave fundamentally changed coffee culture by introducing the coffeehouse as a social space. Though there were other brands, such as Peets or Caribou, Starbucks is what catapulted the coffee shop in America. Better known as “the third place”, Starbucks and their like developed a place that wasn’t home, nor work, but a third place where patrons could find and engage with their community.
The second wave introduced the concept of different origin countries to coffee consumption, beyond a generic cup of coffee. Fueled in large part by market competition between Colombian coffee producers and coffee producers from Brazil through the 1960s, coffee roasters highlighted flavor characteristics that varied depending on what countries coffees came from. While certain origin countries grew to be prized among coffee enthusiasts and professionals, the world’s production of high-altitude grown arabica coffee became sought after as each country had particular flavor profiles that were considered interesting and desirable.
The beverages offered at second wave shops were inspired by Italian shops serving cappuccinos and lattes but with a twist of syrups, drizzles, and flavorings like caramel and chocolate. Second wave shops helped bring Arabica into the mainstream’s lexicon, but these beans were typically roasted very dark, diminishing any nuance the beans may have had in order to better pair the coffee with milk or flavorings.
Third Wave: Coffee as Craft (Late 1990s-Present)
The third wave of coffee, which started in the early 21st century and continues to the present day, takes the appreciation for specialty coffee to new heights. This movement is driven by a passion for artisanal coffee, a focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing, and an emphasis on the entire coffee supply chain, from farming to roasting to brewing.
Food critic Jonathan Gold of LA Weekly defined the third wave: “The first wave of American coffee culture was probably the 19th-century surge that put Folgers on every table, and the second was the proliferation, starting in the 1960s at Peet’s and moving smartly through the Starbucks grande decaf latte, of espresso drinks and regionally labeled coffee. We are now in the third wave of coffee connoisseurship, where beans are sourced from farms instead of countries, roasting is about bringing out rather than incinerating the unique characteristics of each bean, and the flavor is clean and hard and pure.”
In the third wave, coffee is treated as a craft, with baristas honing their skills and knowledge to extract the best flavors from each bean. Techniques such as pour-over, AeroPress, and siphon brewing become popular, as do single-origin beans and lighter roasts that showcase the beans’ inherent characteristics.
Single origin coffees are coffees from a single place on a farm, often from a single varietal of coffee plant, and from a single harvest. This specificity highlights the impact soil, elevation, rain, and temperatures have on the flavor of a coffee bean.
The movement’s leaders have become industry icons. The “Big Three of Third Wave Coffee” in the US are Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea of Chicago; Stumptown Coffee Roasters of Portland, Oregon; and Counter Culture Coffee of Durham, North Carolina, all of which engage in direct trade sourcing.
Coffee shops in the third wave often forge direct relationships with coffee farmers, promoting transparency and sustainability. Roasters experiment with different roast profiles, and baristas meticulously fine-tune their brewing techniques to achieve the perfect cup of coffee.
The Emerging Fourth Wave: Science and Accessibility
While there is industry-wide consensus about the first, second, and third waves of coffee, alongside a focus on science and sophistication, specialty coffee has strived for accessibility and inclusivity: two opposing concepts that can create confusion.
Science serves as the foundation of the fourth wave of coffee; technology is used to take coffee experiences to the next level. People want better coffee at a price they can afford. Fourth-wave coffee shops show the potential of science, scalability, and sustainability in a market that was once dominated by major distributors.
The first, second and third waves of coffee took place in coffee shops and roasteries, but the fourth one is happening inside homes. More people own their coffee brewing equipment and commute less due to remote work, so they now have the power to make their favourite drinks at home.
The fourth wave builds on the third by integrating advanced science, ethical practices, and inclusivity. Unlike previous waves, it aims to make high-quality coffee accessible to everyone, especially at home. Experts describe it as a blend of innovation and social consciousness, driven by Gen Z’s preferences for sustainability and personalization.
The distinction between third and fourth waves remains contentious. “Science and business have always been a part of coffee,” says Jenna Gotthelf, the National Education Manager at pioneering roaster Counter Culture Coffee. “There are no concrete definitions for the fourth or fifth waves of coffee, but they are great conversation feeders.” Whether we’ve truly entered a fourth wave or are witnessing the continued evolution of the third remains an open question—but what’s certain is that coffee culture continues to evolve, driven by technology, sustainability concerns, and an ever-deeper appreciation for the complexity of the coffee bean.