A Different Kind of Bean Town
A look into Boston's evolving coffee scene by Eliza Sullivan photography by Noor Nasser design by Katherine Monroe
62 the buzz
For some people, coffee is a cup of whatever they brewed at home; for others it's their daily iced coffee from Dunkin or a latte from Starbucks. Regardless of what your daily fix is, coffee is one of society's most popular vices. The coffee industry has gone through changing standards the same way restaurants, fashion and art go through trends. These trends become movements, driven by new knowledge, technology or resources, and are often known as waves. Examples include Third Wave Feminism, Third Wave Democracy and yes: Third Wave Coffee. One wave doesn’t eliminate the previous, but builds on it. Boston has had a front row seat for coffee’s third wave, watching coffee shops become more specialized and more unique. Home to over 150,000 college students each year, students seeking study spots flock to coffee shops for the free Wi-Fi and study fuel. The younger audience is also more likely to embrace new options and new trends. Boston has risen as a hub for dramatic changes in business and innovation, and as a home for startup companies. The open-mindedness of Boston in regard to business coupled with a captive audience who is willing to spend on good food and drink has allowed for the success of the third wave in Boston. Massachusetts icon Dunkin’ Donuts is an embodiment of a first wave coffee shop. First wave thrives on efficiency. It resulted in massive containers of ground coffee and bulk brewers for blended origin beans. This wave was about the caffeination; treating coffee in much the same way we treat gasoline.
Coffee shops like Starbucks lead the second major wave of coffee trends, which offered craft beverages that were still part of a mass production, even as their chains expanded. A reaction to the poor quality of second wave coffee, this brought new products and higher standards to the table. The American public became more familiar with espresso based beverages, and suddenly ‘latte’ and ‘frappuccino’ were parts of colloquial speech. The third wave brings something entirely different to the table, which has continuously seemed to gain momentum. These shops focus equally on craft, ingredients and equipment. Third wave coffee is also about experience, making the retailer and location a larger part of the consumer’s day. The movement is artisanal, along the same lines of craft beer. Changing language surrounding coffee means discussing more of the origin areas, roasting techniques and brewing processes. And in the same way there are fine wines and budget wines, there is artisanal coffee and standard coffee. Boston has had a developing coffee scene for decades, with George Howell leading the field over forty years ago. He began producing high quality coffee beverages out of his Cambridge coffee shop “The Coffee Connection” in 1974. As his brand grew, it was eventually purchased by Starbucks as the West Coast chain started making its way east. “As consumers wanted more frappuccinos and lattes, he was becoming more invested in the source for the beans—the coffee itself,” said Rebecca Fitzgerald, the Chief Operating Officer of George Howell Coffee.
