Specialty Coffee

If you’ve ever paid $6 for a small cup of black coffee at a café where the beans are listed by farm name and elevation, you’ve encountered third wave coffee. The price tag isn’t (only) about the café’s neighborhood. It’s about a movement that has fundamentally reshaped how good coffee is grown, sourced, roasted, and brewed since the early 2000s. This guide explains what third wave coffee actually is, how it differs from the Folgers and Starbucks that came before it, and how to brew it well at home — with or without a $300 grinder. ...

Order a “white espresso” at a specialty café and you’ll get a shot that looks pale golden, smells like almonds, and packs a significantly larger caffeine punch than your usual double espresso. It’s one of the more unusual corners of specialty coffee — and genuinely different from anything most home espresso drinkers have tried. Here’s what white espresso actually is, how it tastes, and how to work with it at home. ...

If you’ve visited a specialty coffee bar in San Francisco, Portland, or New York in the past decade, you’ve likely seen a small glass of strong, layered coffee with a thin cap of steamed milk. That’s a gibraltar — one of the most beloved insider drinks in third-wave coffee culture, and one that’s been quietly spreading from barista culture to café menus worldwide. Here’s everything you need to know about what it is, where it came from, and how to make one at home. ...