Coffee snobbery has add up in wave . In the first undulation , brand - name roaster like Folgers enter the American kitchen . The second moving ridge generalize sugary espresso - found beverage through java shop class chain likeStarbucks , and the third undulation is substantially known for brace - wearing baristas who have skipper degrees in latte art account .
Fancy third - wave java culture is well-fixed to loathe , but it ’s laborious to indicate with a delicious , yummy bridge player - poured cup of heirloom Ethiopian bean discovered by the coffee equivalent of Indiana Jones . Which is why so many pour - over shover have received huge investments to serve them extend into a grocery store near you . Read on to determine about the five fully grown brand name and what makes each potential to blow up expectant .
Blue Bottle
Est . 2001 , Oakland , CANumber of locations:25 in the Bay Area , LA , New York , and Japan , with 10 more come in 2016Why it ’s unparalleled : Blue Bottle started with the mission of never selling coffee longer than 48 hours after it was roasted . It still view as fast to that principle even with a internet of 25 cafe , which match a sleek minimalist design with pioneering brew methods like Japanese siphon . More than any other company on this list , the company has worked to acquire some of the biggest , buzziest public figure in the industry , from roaster like Handsome to subscription service like Tonx , and even instant technology through Perfect Coffee . Why it might swash up : If a $ 70 million beat of investing is n’t rationality enough , the dedication to a stark loving cup and pursuit of it – through not only the trade name ’s own agency , but by bringing some of the industry ’s most promising youthful players into the fold – bodes well for its ability to adapt from a specialty experience into something that could be on every corner .
Intelligentsia Coffee
Est . 1995 , Chicago , ILNumber of locations:10 in Chicago , Los Angeles , and New YorkWhy it ’s singular : Intelligentsia take in big points with coffee nerds in the later ' 90s for pioneering the type of direct - trade relationships with farmers that are now the industry standard , but over the years has still maintain up a rock - strong reputation amongst cultivate consumer . Rare undivided - origin offer are the stuff snobs drool over , but it still strives for a coffee shop experience that ’s as approachable as the Green Lady ’s . Plus , it has a sweeping limb that supplies some of the best burnt umber shops in the country . Why it might blow up : The party has become synonymous with good umber in its hometown of Chicago and dramatise LA main office through not only prodigious beans , but also unpretentious shop . A $ 100 million investing from OG specialization roaster Peet ’s means that it ’s only a matter of time before that repute disseminate even further .
La Colombe
Est . 1994 , Philadelphia , PANumber of locations:14 in New York , Chicago , Philadelphia , and DC , with a reported150 more planned in the next few yearsWhy it ’s unique : La Colombe take exceptional coffees to consumers in unexpected way . beginner and coffee crusader Todd Carmichael has a repp as one of the most experienced generator of uncommon coffees on the satellite as evidenced by his risky venture on the Travel Channel’sDangerous Grounds , but his compulsion also extends to brew via an elaborate proprietaryDragon brewer(a manual brewer ) and envelope - pushing innovations like draft latte usable both on tap and in peculiar pressurized bathroom . Why it might blow up : Like others on this lean , La Colombe received immense investment funds ( $ 28.5 million in 2014 ) , which in the beginning came from a secret equity firm , but was then bought out by the founder of Chobani yogurt . The focus on innovative drinks is a bountiful marketing point , and the fact that the founder ’s ebullience has already earned him a place in daddy culture prefigure well for the brand to become a house name .
Revelator Coffee Company
Est . 2014 , Birmingham , ALNumber of locations : Five in Nashville , Birmingham , New Orleans , Chattanooga , and Atlanta , with three more come in in 2016Why it ’s unique : While the other chains on this list started in coastal hotbeds of deep brown culture , Revelator ’s roots pose in the South . Hospitality is paramount , and iced coffees and cold chocolate cocktails are a big part of the offerings . However , the beans are still the first precedency . Chemex pour - overs are the brewage method acting of choice , loaded with one of four dissimilar seasonally sourced burnt umber . Why it might botch up up : No other chain on this list has made substantial retail in - road to the South like Revelator , and the company is replicate down on that winner by partnering with local chef to proffer comfort dishes like Nashville hot chicken petty officer - son and gateway fancy burnt umber drink like peach cold - brew sweet tea leaf .
Stumptown
Est . 1999 , Portland , ORNumber of locations:10 in Portland , Seattle , New York , and Los AngelesWhy it ’s unique : Stumptown started off with the goal of elevating coffee to the story of more sophisticated drinks like wine-colored , and its scrappy approaching to that build it into one of the hippest brands in the food and drink in manufacture . Everything about the brand screams Portland Cool , from the founder ’s tough - rock mental attitude , to footholds with some of the voguish wholesale account across the country , to a fleet of cafe that evangelise both keeping it real and upgrading your coffee tree game . Why it might blow up : In addition to vest in Intelligentsia , Peet ’s has take a serious pastime in Stumptown , live on so far as to purchase the company outright . The tank - than - thousand image is a double - butt against blade and it ’s much of what anti - prig loathe about the third - wave coffee movement , but Stumptown ’s commitment to craftsmanship and timbre should be serious enough to advance over most skeptics .
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Revelator Coffee
Clay McLachlan
Intelligentsia
La Colombe
Revelator Coffee
Stumptown
