Coffee on the Slow Drip

If you’ve not yet experienced a third wave coffee experience, Josh Dawsey has written up his first encounter with a slow drip preparation that paints a good picture of the culture. While he doesn’t use the expression “third wave”, he visited what sounds like a third wave shop and surprised himself at how easily he could become “disloyal” to his favorite coffee. What is it that so attracted him to this new coffee culture? On entering the shop, Dawsey gave his order and waited. Watching the barista slowly dripping the water over the grounds, the expectation started to grow. But the first cup brewed went to another table so the wait continued, a wait which “harbors expectations, as your coffee is created – drip by slow drip – in front of your eyes. … Coffee becomes personal, almost art; art, in its true form, takes time. It is no longer merely transactional.” Adding to the expectation is the pungent aroma of the brewing coffee, but the final result was well worth the wait Though Dawsey entered this coffee shop for the first time feeling a great loyalty to Starbucks, the next day he finds himself- a little guiltily - driving back to the drip coffee shop. He admits that part of the reason was the drip coffee, but another big draw was the free New York Times. In the end it was the coffee, which he calls possibly the best cup of coffee in his town. Third wave is this experience in which the entire coffee enjoyment becomes personal and intentional, from the preparation to the drinking. The barista works slowly and patiently, while the customer savors the aroma and expectation of great tasting coffee. In his wrestling with his conscience over switching to a new coffee shop, Dawsey concludes that “watching your coffee being created – and then drinking the cup that was made just for you – isn’t a bad way to spend a Saturday morning.” Or any morning… To make your own slow drip, the tools below can help.