Vicky Kuharski, Staff Writer~
Third Wave Coffee will be hosting Lynchburg’s very first latte art competition on Saturday, December 2, from 8 to 10 p.m.
The coffee shop is located in Forest and area baristas will compete to create the best latte art. The baristas are coming from area favorites such as White Hart and Blackwater Coffee Company.
Any barista is welcome to attend and compete. Sign-ups for the event will be available the night of the event with the inclusion of a $5 fee to cover the costs of prizes, milk and coffee.
The first-place winner will win a Stagg pour-over Kettle from Fellow, a Revolution Seattle Tamper from Visions Espresso and an Acaia Lunar Scale in Gold. The second-place winner will win three Revolution steam pitchers and three milk thermometers from Visions Espresso, a bag of coffee and a $25 gift card, and the third-place winner will receive a bag of coffee and a $20 gift card.
If you are a patron of the events but still have a competitive spirit, Third Wave Coffee will also be hosting an Ugly Sweater Contest during the event, as well. The winner will receive a $35 gift card to the shop.
Third Wave Coffee opened on Forest Road in August of 2016. They are committed to a serious focus of coffee in their shop, and nod to that commitment even in their name.
The shop’s blog offers insight to their name, detailing what they consider to be the three waves of coffee.
The first wave is defined as “getting coffee to the customers.” The sale of coffee increased over three times the production rate in the early 1800s, and coffee was turned out to consumers at a quick rate. Consumers were not concerned with the quality or details of the coffee because it had formerly been a luxury expense enjoyed by only a moderate percentage of the population. Any coffee was considered a treat at the time.
As with most products, a need for better quality began to develop, which leads to the second wave: “the first demand for higher quality coffee.” The request for different and better coffee quality led to a variety of options. This wave is what Starbucks and other coffee companies are born out of. Coffee started being labelled, and people began to have higher standards for what they were drinking. Simple, roasted coffee was, and is, no longer acceptable as the lone option.
Third Wave Coffee considers itself to be a part of the third wave, which is “a demand for coffee to be held to a higher standard.” In this wave, every step of the coffee-making process is considered carefully, even down to the roots: the farming. The shop accepts that coffee cherry farmers must be paid fairly, and from that will come a better focus on quality from the very beginning.
Patrons and competitors are welcome to come experience this focus on quality for themselves at the Holiday Throwdown. The event is free to attend, and music will be provided by Speakertree Records.
More information on this event can be found on Third Wave Coffee’s Facebook page and website.