What do coffee documentaries reveal about the American coffee revolution?
Three coffee documentaries trace different sides of the industry. One covers how coffee changed America, another follows baristas through the World Barista Championship, and a third tracks the supply chain from origin to cup. The International Coffee Organization puts global consumption at 400 billion cups a year, about 14,000 cups every second, with retail value above 100 billion dollars.
The films also give context for a drink that moved from fruit to daily habit. Convenience store coffee, chain shops, and independent cafes now sit within blocks of each other in first-tier cities, and drinking coffee has become a marker of lifestyle taste. Each documentary shows a different link: the roaster, the barista, and the producer.
According to data from the International Coffee Organization, 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed globally each year, with 14,000 cups drunk every second on average. Calculated at retail prices, the annual output value of coffee has long exceeded 100 billion dollars, so calling it a "black gold industry" is no exaggeration. Today, coffee is not just a pick-me-up beverage but also an expression of lifestyle taste. In China's first-tier cities, convenience store coffee, Starbucks, and independent cafes can be seen almost everywhere. But have you ever wondered when coffee was discovered, and how it transformed from a fruit into an everyday drink? This article recommends three coffee documentaries, focusing respectively on how coffee changed America, the journey of baristas competing in the World Barista Championship, and the complete industry chain from origin to cup, along with related recommendations from Front Street Coffee, to help you rediscover the cup of coffee in your hand.
According to statistics from the International Coffee Organization, the world consumes 400 billion cups of coffee annually, with 14,000 cups drunk every second on average. Estimated at retail prices, the global annual output value of coffee has long exceeded 100 billion. With such a massive black gold wave, coffee truly deserves to be called a "black gold industry."
Do you love drinking coffee? Beyond its alluring aroma and refreshing effects, modern people's pursuit of coffee goes beyond mere consumption; the act of drinking coffee has become a symbol of lifestyle taste. If you walk the streets of a first-tier city, you'll encounter convenience store coffee, Starbucks, and cafes almost every few blocks. Drinking coffee has gradually become part of China's daily beverage culture.
In an environment where coffee is gradually becoming popular, have you ever thought about when this beverage "coffee" was discovered? And how does "coffee" transform from a fruit after processing into an everyday drink that modern people can easily obtain?
Today, the editor sincerely recommends three coffee documentaries to help you understand how "coffee" swept the world, and how the people in the coffee industry strive to provide a good cup of coffee.
1. Coffee: The Drink That Changed America (2016)
Days without coffee are like days without air
This film not only discusses coffee history but also details how coffee craftsmanship underwent revolutionary changes in America, the birth of coffee chain enterprises, and the story of the recent third wave coffee movement..
The film features two hosts, one of whom is Dean Cycon, originally a human rights lawyer focused on indigenous issues, and later the founder and owner of Dean's Beans coffee company, a fair trade and organic certified coffee roaster. You could say Dean Cycon is a human rights lawyer, coffee traveler, fair trade coffee bean importer, and even more commendable is the philosophy behind his promotion of fair trade coffee beans: business is never just for profit, but should create positive economic activities, bringing social development and environmental protection improvements to the Third World.
Grandpa Dean Cycon will guide everyone in the film to understand the historical process of "coffee" in America, from the 17th century when the Dutch introduced "coffee" to North America, and how its long-term spread indirectly influenced American history.
For example, the film mentions changes in coffee bean transportation. In early times when technology was not yet advanced, people transported coffee beans in moldy ship cabins. After packaging technology developed during the American Civil War, and mechanized inventions in the early 20th century, coffee beans had more complete technology in packaging and transportation to extend their freshness period. Through continuous technological progress, more and more people are willing to spend time and effort improving coffee flavor.
The other female host, Judith Jones, is a food and travel critic. In the film, she visits cafes in various countries to sort out the context of coffee development for you.
This film is quite worth watching, not a generally lengthy and dull storytelling. Grandpa Dean Cycon intersperses interesting dialogue throughout, describing coffee culture in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. After watching, it feels like getting a coffee supplement, absorbing a wealth of coffee knowledge.
Coffee: The Drink That Changed America – Promo (2016)
2. Barista (2015)
Every barista is as unique as the coffee beans in their hands!
If the Olympics are the highest-level comprehensive sports event internationally, then the World Barista Championship (WBC) is the top competition in the coffee world, arguably the highest hall in a barista's milestones. WBC attracts excellent baristas from around the world each year. For example, in 2016, barista Wu Zelin from Taiwan, China, won the championship that year, becoming the first Chinese person to win the championship in WBC history.
The documentary "Barista" began filming in 2013, tracking five baristas participating in WBC events, starting from three months before the competition, following their preparation process and mindset changes, and presenting the most important WBC event.
During the competition, contestants have only 15 minutes to make 3 types of coffee for 4 judges: espresso, milk coffee, and creative signature coffee.
Within such limited time, contestants must fully demonstrate brewing and service skills. The music during the competition also needs pre-competition preparation, as well as evaluation manuals, etc... ensuring all aspects are presented in the highest standard. Therefore, each contestant must be fully prepared before the competition, facing the triple test of intelligence, physical strength, and mental energy on the competition stage. Even with slightly trembling hands on stage, baristas must hold their breath and focus intently to present the best 15 minutes!
If readers are interested in the WBC competition format, they can explore through this film how baristas practice and prepare before competitions, and how they continuously seek the best coffee beans through cupping, all to win the WBC championship honor.
Barista Official Trailer 1 (2015) – Coffee Documentary HD
3. A Film About Coffee. (2014)
If you want to understand the appearance of modern coffee development, just watch it!
The film is one hour long, and through interviews with renowned figures in the global coffee industry from their perspectives, it fully explains to consumers the hidden story behind a cup of coffee.
How exactly does a coffee bean affect people's lives? It allows ordinary people to enjoy the deliciousness of coffee, and some even regard drinking coffee as an important daily spiritual support. Some gratefully rely on coffee beans to support their families, while others use it as a way to make money. The camera records the process of farmers harvesting coffee fruit in production areas, from transportation to green beans to processing methods, completely telling the close relationship between growers, traders, baristas, and consumers in the coffee production chain, letting you thoroughly understand how "coffee" transforms from a fruit into a delicious beverage in your cup.
I once heard a senior barista say: "The quality of green beans determines 70% of the key to coffee flavor, while the other 30% depends on roasting and brewing techniques." Therefore, the editor particularly likes the interview with George Howell in the film, who uses an easy-to-understand metaphor to describe the importance of a coffee fruit to processing methods affecting coffee flavor.
Image from A FILM ABOUT COFFEE screenshot
George Howell: "If your getting ripe fruit and ripe coffee.that's the landscape. So now you've picked the beautiful landscape.
But the processing is like the window through which you see the landscape.
If the processing isn't perfect ,your window is dirty.”
Chinese translation: "Harvesting sweet coffee fruit is like a beautiful landscape, and processing is like a window. If the processing is not done properly, it's equivalent to this window being unclean. When you look at this beautiful scenery through this window, it has lost its original charming view."
This is a film worth recommending to coffee lovers or coffee practitioners, allowing you to re-examine the quality of coffee in your cup, rather than simply focusing on the effects of drinking coffee.
A Film About Coffee (2014)
If you are full of curiosity about the story behind coffee, you might want to find these three films, allowing you to analyze the appearance of coffee more deeply.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
