In 2011, fine coffee became the protagonist of the third wave of coffee consumption.

Moonlit Boston Harbor, people dressed as Native Americans

is throwing crates of tea overboard, a famous event that led to the Revolutionary War.

1652-The first coffee shop opens in England, when a cup of coffee costs a penny; today the average American espresso drink costs $2.45.

1773-Following the Boston Tea Party, the Continental Congress declares coffee the official national drink of the United States. Today, Americans consume an average of 400 million cups of coffee a day, making them the world's largest coffee consumers.

1790-The first wholesale coffee roasting company in the United States is founded, and the first coffee advertisement appears in the New York Daily in the same year.

1903-German coffee merchant Ludwig Roselius discovered that a shipment of coffee beans lost most of the caffeine when soaked in water, but still retained the flavor of coffee, inspired by this, he first produced decaf coffee Sanka Coffee. Twenty years later, he introduced decaf coffee to the United States, which is still distributed today by Kraft Foods.

1938-Nestlé launches Nescafé instant coffee, thus driving the first wave of coffee consumption. 70 years later, Nestle is still one of the largest retailers of instant coffee in the United States.

1946- Achille Gaggia invests in the production of modern espresso machines. According to the 2011 Coffee Statistics Report, 30 million Americans drink Espresso and Espresso based specialty coffee drinks every day.

1962-The first international coffee agreement is reached by the United Nations. Coffee is now the second most traded commodity in the modern global economy, with annual sales of $70 billion.

1972- Filterfresh invents the first single-cup coffee brewing machine. Last year, sales of a popular Senseo single-cup coffee maker reached $536 million;

2010-Starbucks, which established its leadership in the second wave of coffee consumption in the United States in the 1990s, continues to maintain strong momentum in the third wave of coffee consumption, with net revenue growing 9.5% to $10.7 billion despite the economic crisis.

2011-Boutique coffee becomes the protagonist of the third wave of coffee consumption. Coffee Statistics Report shows that specialty coffee sales are growing at an annual rate of 20%, accounting for 8% of the US $18 billion annual coffee market.