Traditional American Coffee-Culture, pre 1st-Wave? - Barista Exchange2024-03-29T11:39:46Zhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/traditional-american-coffee-culture-pre-1st-wave?commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A1596704&x=1&feed=yes&xn_auth=noThis is a great research piec…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2016-08-09:1688216:Comment:15967042016-08-09T15:47:37.518ZJen Hurdhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JenHurd765
<p>This is a great research piece (focused on Portland, but includes the time you're interested in): <a href="http://www.roastmagazine.com/resources/Articles/Roast_NovDec14_RoastCity.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.roastmagazine.com/resources/Articles/Roast_NovDec14_RoastCity.pdf</a>. They include Boyd's Coffee, who did home delivery and are still present in the industry today. My guess on the evaporation of home delivery direct from a company (across the board, not limited to coffee) is simply…</p>
<p>This is a great research piece (focused on Portland, but includes the time you're interested in): <a href="http://www.roastmagazine.com/resources/Articles/Roast_NovDec14_RoastCity.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.roastmagazine.com/resources/Articles/Roast_NovDec14_RoastCity.pdf</a>. They include Boyd's Coffee, who did home delivery and are still present in the industry today. My guess on the evaporation of home delivery direct from a company (across the board, not limited to coffee) is simply the overhead costs. When you can get almost anything from Amazon Prime with free two day shipping, it's hard for an independent business to compete.</p>
<p>I would debate that pre-WW coffee was not better quality. Due to shipping and logistics issues, green coffee could sit on ships or in storage for months, and was not well protected from the elements. It was also common to use cheaper coffee when possible and source coffee based on where labor costs were lower. This still happens with coffee roasters today, but we are smarter consumers and many businesses are more transparent about the coffee they procure.</p>
<p>Here's a few other pieces that are worth checking out:</p>
<p><a href="http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2009/11/coffee-chronicles-coffee-in-america-new-amsterdam-market-starbucks.html" target="_blank">http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2009/11/coffee-chronicles-coffee-in-america-new-amsterdam-market-starbucks.html</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/books/99/09/05/reviews/990905.05fusselt.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/books/99/09/05/reviews/990905.05fusselt.html</a> (and the book mentioned, Uncommon Grounds, is worth a read and may be right up your alley).</p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/03/wwii-food-america_n_1398132.html" target="_blank">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/03/wwii-food-america_n_1398132.html</a></p>
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<p>Enjoy, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!</p> The time before the WWs, befo…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2016-08-09:1688216:Comment:15968502016-08-09T01:02:23.271ZBrett Paviahttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/BrettPavia
The time before the WWs, before the mass marketing of coffee, when the roast level was lighter, beans a better quality, and coffee was roasted by neighborhood roasters and delivered fresh to your door like milk.
The time before the WWs, before the mass marketing of coffee, when the roast level was lighter, beans a better quality, and coffee was roasted by neighborhood roasters and delivered fresh to your door like milk. I agree--the lighter roasts a…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2016-08-08:1688216:Comment:15967622016-08-08T21:25:59.378ZJen Hurdhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JenHurd765
<p>I agree--the lighter roasts and manual brew methods were not original to the third wave, but they did help bring the craft back into specialty coffee. Third wave practices also helped bring more attention to the specialty coffee industry from coffee consumers, which has allowed us to educate our customers.</p>
<p>I would say that source and product are a part of the third wave movement, which does make it more unique. There was not as much interest in the farm, growing conditions, elevation,…</p>
<p>I agree--the lighter roasts and manual brew methods were not original to the third wave, but they did help bring the craft back into specialty coffee. Third wave practices also helped bring more attention to the specialty coffee industry from coffee consumers, which has allowed us to educate our customers.</p>
<p>I would say that source and product are a part of the third wave movement, which does make it more unique. There was not as much interest in the farm, growing conditions, elevation, species, etc. prior to the third wave. With the focus of some now-large roasting companies (Stumptown and Intelligentsia, for example) on sustainability, transparency, and direct trade, more was brought to the table than simply lighter roasts.</p>
<p>With regard to older coffee culture in America, what time are you interested in? We had a time when instant coffee was the trend, and it started out as higher quality, but decreased in quality over time. This was followed up by the beginnings of the specialty coffee movement (Starbucks, Peets, and so on), and our continual desire to evolve has brought us to the third and now "New Wave" of coffee (this is a term coined by some coffee professionals, and I take no credit for it).</p>
<p>I'd love to hear more about the timeframe you're interested in, as I may be able to direct you to some reference materials. Thanks for the thoughtful post!</p>