What is Third Wave Coffee?
Third wave coffee is a movement that treats coffee as a craft food, like wine or chocolate, instead of a commodity. It means knowing where your coffee was grown, roasting it to bring out its natural flavor rather than covering it up, and brewing it with care. The term was coined in 2002 by coffee roaster Trish Rothgeb to describe the shift that followed the first wave (cheap, mass-market coffee) and the second wave (the rise of espresso chains).
We're a third wave coffee roaster and café: we roast in small batches in St. Paul and serve that coffee at our two cafés in Lakeville, Minnesota. Here's what the term means, where it came from, and how to spot a third wave coffee shop.
The Three Waves of Coffee at a Glance
| Wave | When | What it focused on | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| First wave | 1800s to mid-1900s | Making coffee cheap, convenient and everywhere | Canned grocery brands, instant coffee |
| Second wave | 1960s to 1990s | Espresso drinks and the coffee shop as a place to hang out | Peet's, Starbucks, flavored lattes |
| Third wave | 2000s to today | Origin, freshness, lighter roasting and brewing skill | Independent roasters and specialty cafés |
The First Wave: Coffee for Everyone
The first wave made coffee an everyday drink in American homes. Vacuum-sealed cans of pre-ground coffee and, later, instant coffee meant anyone could make a cup quickly and cheaply. Convenience and price came first. Most people had no idea where their coffee was grown, and the beans were often roasted dark and sold already ground.
The Second Wave: The Rise of the Coffee Shop
Starting in the 1960s and growing through the 1990s, the second wave brought espresso drinks to the U.S. and turned the coffee shop into a place to meet, work and linger. Chains like Peet's and Starbucks introduced words like latte and cappuccino to American customers and began naming the countries their coffee came from. The focus was on the experience and the drink, often with dark roasts, milk and flavored syrups.
The Third Wave: Coffee as a Craft
The third wave took the next step and made the coffee itself the star. Instead of a dark, uniform flavor, third wave roasters want you to taste where a coffee came from: the fruity notes of an Ethiopian coffee, or the chocolate and nuts of a Colombian. That means:
- Traceable coffee. Beans are bought by country, region and often a specific farm or co-op, and that information is printed on the bag.
- Specialty grade. Most third wave roasters buy specialty coffee, which scores 80 points or higher out of 100 when it's professionally tasted, or cupped.
- Lighter, more careful roasting. Roasts are tuned to each coffee to bring out sweetness and flavor, not to make every bag taste the same. More on that in What Does Roast Level Really Mean?
- Freshness. Coffee is roasted in small batches and sold with a roast date, not a far-off "best by" date.
- Skilled brewing. Baristas weigh doses, dial in espresso every day, and offer methods like pour over that show off a coffee's flavor.
What Makes a Third Wave Coffee Shop?
You can usually tell a third wave coffee shop within a minute of walking in. Look for:
- Coffee roasted by the shop itself or by a named local roaster
- A menu or bags that list the coffee's origin and tasting notes
- Roast dates on the bags for sale
- Single origin coffees and pour over, not just one house blend
- Baristas who can tell you about the coffee and help you pick one
- Milk drinks that let the espresso come through, not just syrup and sugar
A third wave shop doesn't have to be fussy. The best ones make great coffee approachable, whether you order a pour over of a single origin or a vanilla latte.
What Is a Third Wave Coffee Roaster?
A third wave roaster buys high-quality green coffee, roasts it in small batches, and shares the details: where it was grown, how it was processed, and what it tastes like. You can learn to read all of that in our guide on how to read a coffee bag label. Many third wave roasters also offer seasonal single origins that change through the year, because coffee is a crop with harvest seasons. See coffee seasonality.
Is There a Fourth Wave?
Some people use "fourth wave" to describe newer trends: even more focus on farmers and pricing transparency, coffee science, and high-tech home brewing. There's no agreed definition yet. For most coffee drinkers, "third wave" and "specialty coffee" still describe the same thing: carefully sourced, freshly roasted, well-brewed coffee.
Third Wave Coffee in Lakeville, MN
Tapestry Coffee is a third wave café and roaster. We roast in small batches in St. Paul, print the roast date on the bottom of every bag, and serve our coffee at two cafés in Lakeville: Downtown Lakeville on Holyoke Ave and Lakeville Crossings at 160th St and Cedar Ave. Both are open daily 7 am to 3 pm. USA TODAY 10BEST readers voted Tapestry the #1 independent coffee shop in the U.S. in 2026.
At home, start with Abstract Blend (honey, berry, cacao), the espresso we pull in our cafés, or try Roaster's Choice for a different coffee picked by our roasters every two weeks. Not sure what you like? Take our 60-second coffee quiz.
Quick Answers
What does third wave coffee mean?
It means treating coffee as a craft: traceable, specialty-grade beans, roasted carefully to bring out their own flavor, and brewed with skill.
Who coined the term third wave coffee?
Coffee roaster Trish Rothgeb, in a 2002 article for the Roasters Guild, to describe the new focus on quality that followed the first and second waves.
Is Starbucks third wave coffee?
No. Starbucks is the classic example of second wave coffee. Third wave shops focus more on the origin and flavor of the coffee itself than on a consistent house style.
Is third wave coffee the same as specialty coffee?
Mostly. Specialty coffee is a quality grade (80+ points out of 100). Third wave describes the movement and the shops and roasters built around that coffee.
Is third wave coffee always light roast?
No. Third wave roasters often roast lighter to show off origin flavors, but many offer medium and dark roasts too. The point is roasting each coffee carefully, not one roast level.
Is there a third wave coffee shop near Lakeville, MN?
Yes. Tapestry Coffee has two cafés in Lakeville, Downtown on Holyoke Ave and at Lakeville Crossings on Cedar Ave, both open daily 7 am to 3 pm.
