Top trends

Third wave: The third wave of coffee is a movement to produce high-quality coffee, and consider coffee as an artisanal foodstuff, like wine, rather than a commodity, and it is becoming more popular, observes Blanka Janska, head of beverage at Dubai restaurant Intersect by Lexus. “People are starting to be more interested in speciality coffee and about third wave. Third wave is very popular in Scandinavia and Europe and gradually spreading all around the world,” reports Janska.

Cold brew: “There have been changes in the way people consume coffee. For example, cold brew has become very popular, especially in this region, as people find it more refreshing than the usual cup of coffee because it is sweeter and less acidic,” says Cleia Junqueira, roast master of Coffee Planet. Different brewing methods are growing more popular and cold brew in particular represents a new and emerging coffee market; in the US alone, the cold-brew market reached US $7.9 million in sales last year, representing an increase of 115% from the previous year.

Wyndham Grand in Doha launched Brew Parlor in January this year, a café concept that offers cold beverages, made exclusively with cold brew coffee. The menu of coffee beverages and ‘coffee cocktails’ was created by chef Stephanie Izard, whom Wyndham has dubbed ‘chef de caffeine’ at Brew Parlor.

Local sourcing: Part of the growing higher regard for coffee as an artisanal foodstuff comes from consumers’ knowledge of coffee continuously improving, asserts Junqueira, who says this development is also “why there is an increased demand for locally roasted coffee”.

Speciality: Armiel Alkuino, professional barista at La Marquise International, notes that speciality coffee has become more popular in the Middle East. “For the past 18 months we have seen a growth of speciality coffees, which is a good indicator of the development and evolution of our coffee culture in the region,” he says. He adds that speciality coffee, as defined by Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), are “the type of coffees that have grown in special geographic microclimates producing beans with unique flavour profiles”.

In addition, Alkuino remarks that speciality coffee beans are always well prepared, freshly roasted and properly brewed. “In speciality coffee shops everybody from the owner, to the service staff would know the full history behind the coffee cup they serve. Baristas apart from brewing a perfect cup of coffee will also concentrate on funky designs and presentation with a personal touch,” he comments.

Filter: “Filter has become the star, more and more knowledge is being shared, and consumers are highly interested in learning about it,” sums up Lina Chiodo, Bunn vice president sales and marketing, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and India, vice president global accounts. She adds: “The knowledge of coffee has grown exponentially over the last few years, especially when it comes to filter coffee and speciality. You now see shops featuring coffee menus and speaking about single origin, this is a new day in the market.”

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