Aficionados call it coffee's "third wave." Bostonians might call it the backlash against Dunkies. A growing number of connoisseurs are demanding real coffee, ground and brewed the right way. They approach it "less like a cup o' Joe and more like a pinot grigio," says Cabell Tice, head barista at Thinking Cup, one of a crop of gourmet coffee shops that have opened in recent years. At Thinking Cup, java is brewed in a number of peculiar ways, all more exciting than the drip machine. Here, Tice shares his secrets for making non-drip coffee at home. Snobs claim these methods produce a superior cup. You decide whether they're just blowing steam.
WANT TO REALLY HONE YOUR BREWING KNOW-HOW? Check out Counter Culture Coffee's new Somerville training center, which offers in-depth courses like Brewing Science I and Beginning Espresso Lab as well as free weekly tastings. Learn more at counterculturecoffee.com.
