Remember that drink I invented yesterday? (oc)

[u/DaveKellett]

COME for the acrid taste, but STAY for the lack of caffeine!

[u/Puzzled_Suspect460]

As a journalism student I once wrote a report on third wave coffee. As someone who hates the taste of coffee and comes from a generation where it had been considered the most uncool drink this new trend was bizarre to me. I visited a bunch of coffee shops to interview baristas. Of course they wanted me to try their product and for the sake of the report I couldn't keep refusing. So they'd serve me some light brew that was 'not bitter at all' and I'd go 'ah yes this is indeed much better'. Nah, all of it tasted disgusting to me.

[u/Nike-6 → u/Puzzled_Suspect460]

What is third wave coffee?

[u/Puzzled_Suspect460 → u/Nike-6]

It's a sorta gentrification of coffee, first wave was just the functional drink, second was when starbucks-style coffee shops started popping up with lattes, frappes, syrups. Third wave is supposed to be a focus on craftmanship, single origin coffee beans, taste without add-ons.

[u/Nike-6 → u/Puzzled_Suspect460]

Fascinating. So first wave was just meant to keep people awake?

[u/Puzzled_Suspect460 → u/Nike-6]

Yes, and to keep warm. Also partly for social status back when it was still exotic. Taste wasn't really the most important factor as I understand it, they didn't have the more sophisticated brewing methods available today. Though I think most people 'learned to like it' because it is addictive and they'll associate the taste with the alleviation of withdrawal symptoms.

[u/Nike-6 → u/Puzzled_Suspect460]

Like a hand warmer?

[u/Puzzled_Suspect460 → u/Nike-6]

More like, when you'd be working outside in the field or in a factory, or living in a home without central heating, drinking a hot cup of something can warm you up. Fun fact though: my grandpa's dad used to bring two freshly boiled eggs to work, one in each pocket of his jacket. They'd keep his hands warm on the walk there and once he arrived he'd peel and eat them for breakfast.

[u/blarghgh_lkwd → u/Puzzled_Suspect460]

People have been drinking coffee for hundreds of years it's not like no one ever thought it should taste good until Gregory's or whatever opened up

Like honestly coffeehouse culture goes back to the 1600s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_culture

It's had a major impact on society and politics. Frappe and cappucino and all that shit has been around since the 1700s

[u/Puzzled_Suspect460 → u/blarghgh_lkwd]

This is all from research I did years ago so not sure of all the details. But those specific drinks are later inventions (even though there were precursors earlier on). And in any case the waves are more about wide adoption, some recipes did start early but took decades to be popularised trhoughout Europe. You're right that coffee houses were a thing for centuries but they were more of an intellectual alternative to pubs, men went there for reasons other than the drink itself, mainly to read newspapers and to socialize. There wasn't a wide variety of flavours, you'd have your coffee or cocoa plain, or later on, with some cream. And these places were for specific social classes only and usually didn't admit women.