What really is craft coffee?
Welcome to Crafted: A coffee series where we serve as your guide to the beloved every day beverage.
There’s much history, complexity and appreciation to learn and explore throughout the coffee journey. So what do the coffee waves even mean?
First Wave Coffee
First wave coffee was focused on making coffee more accessible at a commercialized level and where the rise of instant coffee grew. It was seen as a generic, mass commodity and quantity was valued over quality. Your every day supermarket carries these coffees often lacking sourcing transparency.
Second Wave Coffee
Second wave coffee is the introduction of espresso based drinks and coffee houses functioning as every-day social spaces. Baristas are often passionate about the cafe, but not the beans themselves. This is where well-known brands created a movement. This wave is characterized by flavored coffees, over-roasting, and providing a darker, bitter taste.
Third Wave Coffee
Third wave coffee or “specialty coffee” began appreciating coffee as a craft with a heavy focus on high quality, sustainability and celebrating the stories behind each cup.
Creating a more engaging coffee experience provides education to the consumer and celebrates attention to detail. There are various brewing methods where baristas focus on the skills required for each step, including latte art.
Roasting coffee is often in smaller batches and lighter roasts to emphasize the natural taste. Ethical sourcing practices connect the consumer more to the origin, giving honor to coffee producers. Sourcing coffee from a single-origin also became prioritized. It’s further characterized often by house-made syrups (or none at all).
We intentionally collaborate with Collaborative Origins Imports to source our coffee relationally, transparently, honorably and at the farm level. Then we partner with friends who toll roast our coffee. We are continuing to explore new coffee producer relationships to expand our coffee-origin offerings with similar values!
We do offer house-made specialty syrups made with organic cane sugar both at the coffee house and with our coffee carts. We utilize high-quality ingredients to pair well with the coffee, enhancing the flavor experience. We offer signature drinks and a rotating seasonal menu!
We take this approach for all of our menu holistically, where we source quality products and brands. A few other examples are offering ceremonial grade matcha, locally sourced chai and a family operated tea company.
Here at Asulon Collective, we are proud to be a part of the third wave movement – where coffee is celebrated as a craft, and every step honors both quality and connection. As the coffee industry continues to evolve, we are committed to continual education and innovation.
We believe education empowers deeper appreciation – and we’re here to guide you through it.
To continue the conversation, what do you want to learn next?
We’d love to serve you craft coffee downtown Clarksville, Tennessee! Located on the corner of Third and Commerce Street, our team at the coffee house is ready to welcome you!
You can also book our coffee carts to provide craft coffee catering throughout Franklin, Nashville, Clarksville and the Middle Tennessee area! We offer espresso bars, drip coffee and cold brew options with a new pastry add-on option. We love helping create memorable, engaging experiences with you for your clients and guests.
