Where did New-Generation Coffee come from?

If we think about coffee in America, I used to imagine it was weak,

 filled to the brim and taken many times a day.

But its image changed in an instant since I’ve started to live in Manhattan.

In the movie “ The Devil Wears Prada” there’s a scene, in which Anne Hathaway 

rushes to the office holding a cell phone in one hand and a shaky tray with 

four Starbucks Grandes in the other.

When the film was released in 2006, the coffee situation in New York seems to 

have been very different.

Now, for people engaged in the fashion or the publishing world, their favorite 

coffee might be different.   

In the city, I see a young guy who looks like a vegan, wearing colored-rimmed 
glasses, a checked shirt holding a small cup of coffee and a slender, 
beautiful blonde also has a little one, which is nearly half the sized of 
Anne Hathaway’s Grande.

It seems likely an influence of the “ 3^rd wave coffee” from West Coast cities such 
as San Francisco or Portland.

In New York, the new type of coffee called “ Gourmet Coffee” or “ Specialty Coffee”
 is really popular here and there. It’s not only specifically for coffee lovers, 
but ordinary people also accept it.

It’s not just fashionable. The shop select the beans are strictly and it very particular
 about its procedure. Among those people who enjoy the very special coffee, 
I feel as if I heard someone’s voice say, “Isn’t it so cool?”

I don’t know how to express it, but am I the only person to feel this coffee culture
has become a status symbol?

Away from tourist spots, at the coffee shop in a place like a Brooklyn, seats are
occupied with neighbors on Saturday afternoon.

They’re all Mac users and most of them are good-looking and fashionable.

But it’s not a fashion.

The coffee tastes actually GOOD!

My husband is big fan of one of the shops named “ Blue Bottle Coffee” 
and he handedtheir Iced coffee to me one day.

I’m not very particular about coffee, but I could say it’s different.

I’m impressed.

It’s a bit tart, but very unique.

I like the rich taste, the aroma and the total balance of the coffee.

When I stopped by the shop in the Rockefeller center at lunchtime, 
it was packed with business people and tourists.

Even though the barista was calm, but not tense, and I had a good impression of
the shop.

But more than that, people go to the shop frequently because the coffee is good 
and it’s brewed under thorough control.

Where the beans were grown, their freshness, and the roasting method are 
all strictly controlled. A cup of coffee is made by the drip method.

There’s a reason it’s good.

Wait. I think I know this.

It reminds me of “Kanda Coffee”, where I used to often visit in Tokyo.

There’s a sound of cozy jazz and an aroma of grinding beans spreads
from the roaster. 
Over the wooden counter, a gentle, young barista calmly makes a cup of coffee 
with very deep, nice flavor.

Back in Tokyo, I had only a ten-minutes break before rushing to the office, 
after dropping off my daughter at the nursery. I could relax from the bottom of my heart.

Somehow I ended up going there to have a coffee and a small chat with the barista.

Now I understand why many Japanese businessmen stop by a tavern 
after work without really intending to.

Kanda Coffee is such a cozy place for me….

Kanda Coffee ( Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)

In some articles the founder, W. James Freeman, of the Blue Bottle Coffee said
that he got a lot of inspiration from Japanese coffee shops.

No wonder!

It is said that he started to make his own coffee in his garage in San Francisco, 
and to me he seems to be a craftsman rather than a businessman. 
He also says he aims to make something like a private shop, not like
a big chain store.

Good old Japanese coffee shop culture is accepted in America.

I don’t know why, but I’m really happy…!

Blue Bottle, the “Apple of coffee”, is making news it will open a shop
in Tokyo this year. 
It’s an interesting phenomenon like a re-import.

Searching Google further, I learned the 2^nd Wave of Coffee is influenced 
by Italy and developed into something like Starbucks or Peet’s coffee chain.

On the other hand, this 3^rd Wave Coffee seems to be influenced by Japanese 
coffee shop culture to find relevant articles.

In fact, to see a counter at Blue Bottle or other shops in Midtown, I can find some 
equipment or accessories, such as a MELITA paper filter and a HARIO dripper, 
which are made in Japan. And it makes me feel so excited!

Each part is very small and discreet, but it is doing really good job. 
I’m very proud of them and their maker.

Japanese tend to think smaller is better, quality is more important and 
very particular about the details.

However, I may be caught up in a stereotype that Americans think bigger is better,
quantity is more important than quality, they like things not to be too complicated.

What is happening here?

There remains a question, but I’m feeling something is actually changing.

I’m very interested in this situation and keep watching this trend.