Lots of coffee people assume that coffee quality was mediocre to bad in 'the old days'. However, the more I read about how people like Ukers and Bickford thought about coffee, and how old-timers remember it, the surer I am that coffee was often pretty great 100 years ago. 1/

For example, in 1986, an elderly coffee importer named Charles Behre said of 1922 San Francisco, "you couldn't get a bum cup of coffee in town." I believe him. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-12-me-27245-story.html 2/

I think it's a mistake to think of the 'waves' as First wave: bad coffee, Second wave: popular coffee, Third wave, best coffee as many people do. Each of these 'waves' had their passionate, intelligent, perfectionist advocates, and each sometimes fell victim to apathy. 3/

And if you don't know who Bickford or Ukers are, I have good news for you: there is a world of coffee history out there and it's amazing. /end