Not hip enough for 3rd wave


too old for this hipster stuffHey cats and kittens, it’s your old guitar pickin’ pal Django. What in the heck is 3rd wave coffee? After visiting several spots off the highway and lots of shakes later I’ve realized it’s a lightly roasted coffee to ultra lightly roasted coffee that risks the sugars not fully developing, leaving you holding a mug of astringent, sometimes grassy, even grapefruit tasting coffee.  Mmm!? Pete says fruity notes are more common as are the levels of caffeine (darker roast cooks off more caffeine).


What are you bananas?

When banana shopping most folks would agree the yellow ones taste the best (I do), the green bananas aren’t ripe or developed yet and the black squishy ones are overdone. What’s the happy medium? The medium, a perfectly ripe yellow bananas, er’ kind of like coffee. Coffee roasted to right before the 2nd crack (the moisture being cooked or roasted from the coffee bean) up to and into the 2nd crack seems to appeal to most folks.

3rd wave coffee is more than a hipster trend, it’s here, but it’s not for everyone. My cousin, Stringbean Pete, king of cool is way under tattoo’d and too old to be a hippity hipster, but hey he’s still got that tattoo’d vested shirt. Last week he conjured up a bourbon cold brew that was barrel aged. It was beyond delightful. It left my toes tappin’.

While there’s been crazy stories of proclaiming no cream at the paying customers request (the first thought that comes to mind is that of the Seinfeld’s soup nazi … no soup for you!) to crazy brewing techniques. It’s bizarre to imagine a chemistry set being used to brew coffee. Perhaps a mug of freshly roasted French press coffee suits your style or the very popular pour over. Personally, I dig the thick European stovetop espressos that’s rich and bold and very smooth (Bialetti Moka pot). Yea, Django done got me some culture though still way too old to be hip.
If we had to label Stringbean’s roasting level to that of a wave (though waves are typically done at baseball games around the 7th inning usually just before last call) then it’s safe to say we (by we I mean Pete) focus on 4th wave … coffee that well tastes like, well, um, coffee! For me I’m diggin’ Petes Malawi Peaberry, my cuz done nailed it, a slow, dark roast with tastes of raisin and figs.

However, you like your coffee roasted (light, medium or dark) and however you enjoy your cuppa’ joe prepared (French press, espresso, drip, pour over, stove top) enjoy your coffee. Man, life is short, I mean enjoy your coffee! Coffee isn’t only about that wonderful life blood of a black elixir and the added benefits of electric jolts caused by my drug of choice, caffeine. Oh contrar. It’s also a culture, a community and should help those along the way, like choosing Fair Trade Certified like the kings of groovy, godfathers of socially minded cool, Ben & Jerry did. It should taste good and make you feel good.  Though just holding the mug and feeling the warmth in your hands and smelling freshly ground then brewed coffee is reason enough to get out of bed.

So drink up anyway you’d like.