4th Wave of Coffee - Project by Robert Paulig Roastery and Artisan Cafe

BLOG // JORI KORHONEN // HELSINKI // 29.4.2020

4th wave of coffee - what is it? In 3rd wave it was all about micro-roasterys, handcraft and sourcing transparency. What can be expected of the 4th wave of coffee and what is the project that Robert Paulig Roastery and Artisan Café did together to show us all an example what the 4th wave of coffee is all about.

What is the 4th wave of coffee? The coffee market develops in waves and the development is best described as five waves of development. Each wave has their defining characteristics and factors that make them unique and special. In a nutshell, the waves can be described as following;

• 1st wave - traditional coffee culture - commodity driven, mass consumption and dominance of bulk brew filter coffee

• 2nd wave - branded chains - coffee shop culture, customised espresso-based beverages and globalisation

• 3rd wave - artisan coffee - focus on quality, micro-roasting, handcrafting and sourcing transparency

If you want to know more about the coffee waves, check out Karkki's blog. In the recent years we have started to see the 4th wave in different places and it is starting to be an every day thing in the big cities like London, Berlin, New York and Tokyo. The 4th wave celebrates the science of coffee and the obsession to detail and perfect taste experience. The defining characteristics of 4th wave of coffee are;

• science of coffee

• accurate measurement in brewing

• deep understanding of properties of coffee

• water chemistry 

• development of brewing equipment

• quality: Jani won Finnish Brewers Cup 2020 with this coffee

• coffee production: the coffee is anaerobicly fermented which is one of the new ways to process coffee

• sustainability: the package has seeds of Douglas fir and the outside of the package is fully degradable = by planting the outside of package to the nature the emissions from the coffee can be compensated. Also the coffee package is recyclable and its emissions have been compensated.

• comprehensive taste experience: Jani has develop the perfect coffee cup to enhance the taste experience

The Coffee - Tea Rose

• Origin: Colombia

• Region; Piendamo, Cauca

• Farm: El Paraiso

• Farmer: Diego Bermudez

• Elevation: 1930 masl

• Variety: Castillo & Colombia

• Processing: Anaerobic fermentation - 24 hours in cherry, 36h together with mucilage and micro-organisms

• Drying: with ECO-Enigma technology

The Perfect Recipe:

• Brewing method: Origami Dripper

• Dose: 15 grams

• Water: 250 grams

• Grind: coarse - the coffee is easily extractable so using coarse grind will bring out the clean flavors

• Water : 94°C at the start of brew and 88°C in the end

I had a pleasure of tasting the coffee already in October 2019 as it was one of the coffees we were considering for Finnish Brewers Cup 2020. I decided to go with different coffee (same farm though) but the decision was close one. Already back then on that cupping table both coffees were tasting absolute awesome and Jani & Jarkko has been doing excellent job with the roasting. This type of coffees are the ones I would be more than happy to drink every morning; clean, bright and complex as hell. 

Jani's and Jarkko's taste notes for the coffee: hibiscus, strawberry, red cherry, blueberry jam, rose tea, cranberry juice. Very sweet & beautifully balanced . The cup The concept of a perfect cup is interesting and  we have also been playing around with the idea. Jani originally developed the cup barista competitions in mind and when developing he studied for example different wine glasses. Original prototype of the cup was produced by a Japanese ceramics guru Mr. Matsui and the final cup is now produced by Iisalmi based company JP Studiokeramiikka. Jani wanted the cup to be balanced, fitting well to one's hand and big enough mouth so that nose is able to fit into the cup when drinking. Smelling the coffee at the same time as tasting is really important in terms of flavor as sense of smell has a big role in tasting flavor. I have been now drinking my coffee at home from the cup and it's really pleasing to use it. Especially the weight of the cup is really nice (it's surprisingly heavy) and it brings kind of feel a quality to the drinking experience. I'm not sure whether if it's going to the place of my favourite cup but it sure is close. A not to forget to mention that it does look super cool and the looks are everything I'm looking for in a coffee cup.