Surfing Cannabis’ Waves
As Our Relationship to Cannabis Deepens, We Expect More Information About Its Origins. We’ve Done This Before — With Coffee.
As Our Relationship to Cannabis Deepens, We Expect More Information About Its Origins. We’ve Done This Before — With Coffee.
Terminology Origins
In 2003, Patricia Rothgeb used the term ‘third-wave coffee’ — and either coined the term or brought it from relative obscurity. The concept, inspired by three waves of feminism, articulated changes in coffee consumption.
The first wave was when coffee consumers didn’t care much about coffee type, origin, or any of that. This wave was focused on making coffee widely accessible as possible. Low-priced, consistent coffee was the aim here.
The second wave was ushered in by the coffee giants we know today — Peet’s Coffee & Tea in particular is credited with this shift, but it is the multinational coffee giant Starbuck’s (inspired by Peet’s) that is emblematic of coffee’s second wave. This is when consumers were introduced to more nuanced information about the product — moving away from the generic and towards the specific. Now countries of origin were noted, and flavor profiles were explored.
Third wave coffee embraces the more specific: now instead of countries of origin, particular farms are identified and sought after. Roasting techniques are noted with relish, and roasting techniques are selected for their ability to enhance the bean’s flavors — the entire supply chain is focused on enhancing the coffee’s flavor and adding value to the consumer’s experience.
How it relates to Cannabis
Cannabis could be undergoing similar waves to coffee, but with its own special nuances. Before prohibition, it was widely used in remedies and even early medications and medicines. This initial, normal use of cannabis (be it edible or extracted) was curbed during prohibition.
Cannabis’ prohibition narrowed selection for consumers and relegated cannabis to the black market. Consumers were largely unable to select varieties and instead were only able to focus on accessibility. Growers and producers were focused on their ability to keep their crop hidden — ditching flavorful, smelly crops for those that were harder to detect.
When legalization of cannabis first happened, science struggled to catch up. Testing of effects and impacts of this important plant had been halted during the prohibition years, and in the first decade of the new marketplace, our ideas and understanding of cannabis expanded, and dispensaries started popping up around the world. Scientists were able to examine the plant and learn of the chemical components, and growers were finally able to focus on quality of product, not stealth of their grow. A new world of terpenes, cannaflavins, and VSC’s opened, with new components being discovered all of the time. Testing results and terpene profiles have begun to supplement strain and farm information, and consumers are becoming more invested in the variety of experiences cannabis has to offer.
Much like its coffee in its third wave, in the new wave of cannabis, cannabis farms and their growing methods and efforts are being highlighted.
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