The Three Waves of Coffee

First Wave: coffee as a mass-market product

During the first wave, coffee went from being a rare import to becoming a staple in millions of homes. The goal was to make it accessible, setting aside the quality or origin of the bean.

At this stage, supermarket coffee predominated: grown in large monocultures, processed and roasted in an industrial manner, maintaining uniformity to facilitate large-scale production.

Instant coffee and torrefacto coffee dominated consumption in Spain for much of the 20th century. The former for its convenience, the latter because roasting with sugar helped hide the defects of low-quality beans.

Second Wave: coffee as an experience

With the second wave, coffee began to be treated as a product with more value. The concept of enjoying coffee in specialized places, with a greater variety of beverages such as espresso, cappuccino, or latte, emerged.

People began talking about the origin of coffee, and bean quality improved, although dark roasting, which is more bitter, was still used, ideal for sweetened beverages. This stage laid the groundwork for the rise of coffee as a social experience.

Third Wave: the rise of specialty coffee

The third wave marks a turning point: the concept of specialty coffee appears. Here, coffee is considered an artisanal product, with value at every stage of the chain: from the farm to the cup.

Specialty coffee is grown on selected farms, with sustainable practices, manual harvesting, and careful processing. High-quality coffee beans are prioritized, scoring above 80 points according to the SCA scale and evaluated by certified tasters (Q Graders).

Artisanal roasting, lighter and adapted to each batch, allows to highlight the natural notes of coffee: fruits, flowers, spices, acidity, and sweetness. The goal is no longer uniformity, but to emphasize the unique profile of each origin.

This stage also values traceability, transparency in origin, and a direct relationship between producer, roaster, and consumer.

Baristas play a fundamental role as trained professionals in preparing specialty coffee. They not only master extraction techniques (filter, espresso, manual methods) but also understand the origin, sensory profile, and work behind each cup, becoming communicators of the final product's value and elevating the coffee experience to another level.