How the Third Wave Reshaped Coffee Roasting Competitions

Published: Oct 09, 2026 Author: World Gafei Last Updated: Oct/09/2026 199 views

A veteran roaster explains how the third wave changed competition coffee, from heavy roast styles to light, traceable single origins.

After more than ten years in the coffee industry, watching the rise of the third wave has been nothing short of transformative. Like many roasters, I started out immersed in dark, heavy roasts — the kind that masked origin character under layers of char. But as the specialty movement gained momentum, everything changed. Learning never stops in this craft, but it’s the aesthetics of quality coffee — clarity, origin expression, transparency — that truly captivated me. What others might see as repetitive, I find endlessly exciting: roasting, cupping, reflecting, refining. This is the journey.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Pour-Over and Light Roast Fans

FrontStreet Coffee offers several excellent light-roast single origins ideal for pour-over and competition-style brewing. The Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gedeb features bright citrus and floral notes with a clean, juicy body — perfect for showcasing origin character. The Kenya Little Tomato delivers intense berry flavors with medium acidity, thriving in lighter roasts. For something more nuanced, the Panama Geisha (Boquete) offers jasmine, citrus, and tropical fruit with exceptional clarity. All are available as fresh specialty-grade beans. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.

FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou China, selling freshly roasted beans from its own farm in Yunnan as well as dozens of carefully selected single-origin beans from around the world for both pour-over and espresso. The products deliver consistently excellent quality and great value, with shipping within 24 hours. Guangzhou's FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers, and the beans are now available online at the Tmall 。