Phil Stender of Vos Roasters is a passionate coffee curator and roaster in Meridian, Idaho. His love for coffee took off when he discovered the Third Wave coffee movement, and culminated in the development of his hand-roasted coffee selection.

You can buy Vos Roasters Third Wave coffee alongside other locally produced foods at the FarmDeliver store.

What is Third Wave Coffee?

Third-wave coffee is a coffee culture movement that aims to bring out each coffee bean’s distinctive flavors. To do so, high quality coffee beans are typically sourced from individual farms and lightly roasted.

Similar to wine connoisseurs, third-wave coffee connoisseurs understand that the climate, soil, altitude, and coffee bean variety all work together to create a beautiful complexity of flavors in coffee. Vos Roasters aims to roast coffee for coffee connoisseurs who want to taste those complexities.

While people new to third-wave coffee may struggle to discern the different distinct flavors of coffee beans, all they have to do is practice. Consider writing down what flavors or notes you taste. If you’re picking up fruity notes, ask yourself if it’s sweet like a strawberry or tart like a lemon. If you’re picking up chocolatey notes, ask yourself if it’s sweet like milk chocolate or bitter like baker’s chocolate.

Asking yourself what you taste for different coffee beans will develop your palette for third-wave coffee. Over time, you’ll develop a deep appreciation for both the bold and subtle complexities each coffee bean has to offer.

Some coffee connoisseurs prefer not to pair coffee with food. They like to keep the palette neutral so they can taste all the small nuances in the coffee. However, if you wish to pair coffee with food, consider pairing the coffee with foods that match the coffee bean’s flavor profile. All of our coffees have a flavor profile that can be found on the label. For example, Columbia Narino coffee bean’s flavor profile includes raspberry, orange, green apple, and caramel. Thus, you might consider pairing Columbia Narino coffee with a raspberry fruit tart or caramel apple pancakes.

How to Brew the Perfect French Press

In third-wave coffee, the sourcing and roasting of the coffee beans are extremely important. However, the brewing of the coffee beans is equally important. A French press is a great and easy way to brew coffee beans for a delicious cup of coffee.

Here's Phil's recipe for how to brew coffee beans using a French press.

Directions:

1. Boil water in a kettle. For most coffee beans, the desired brewing temperature is between 195°F - 205°F (use a lower temperature for dark roasts and a higher temperature for light roasts).
2. Weigh the coffee beans using a scale. I prefer to weigh the coffee beans by gram. If you don’t have a scale, use 2 tablespoons of coarsely ground coffee beans per 4 oz of water.
3. Pour the coffee grounds into the French press.
4. Put the French press on a scale, set the scale to ounces or grams, and tare the scale.
5. Pour the boiling water into the French press until the desired water weight has been poured.
6. Set a timer. The proper steeping time is determined by the grind setting. Finer grinds require shorter steeping times, while coarser grinds require longer steeping times. I recommend 4 minutes on average for French Press coffee.
7. After about 15-20 seconds, stir the coffee to deflate the bloom, or frothy layer, on top of the brewing coffee. The stir helps to wet and submerge the grounds trapped in the bloom.
8. Set the lid on the press, and press the filter down until it sits just below the surface of the coffee. This keeps all the grounds submerged. When the timer sounds, plunge the filter all the way down and serve immediately.