Boston is famous for its abundance of Dunkins, but did you know that the city’s coffee culture runs so much deeper? Like most places in the U.S., it wasn’t always easy to get a good cup of coffee in Boston. All of that changed in 1974 when, after moving east from California, a man named George Howell opened a coffee shop in Cambridge called the Coffee Connection. He didn’t know it then, but this decision would lay the foundation for the third-wave coffee movement that shapes coffee culture today.
Howell’s History
George Howell’s mission was to make high-quality coffee accessible to the average person, and he certainly succeeded. Along with other pioneers of his time, Howell worked to define third-wave coffee as a movement focusing on the highest quality of coffee beans, experimental roasting processes, and extensive attention to detail when crafting the perfect cup of coffee. Through personal relationships with individual farms and farmers, third-wave coffee takes inspiration from historic practices for wine, cheese, and olive oil production. Howell wanted to reimagine how the world interacts with coffee – so he did.
Though Howell sold the Coffee Connection, which had amassed 24 stores in the northeast, to Starbucks in 1994, his journey with the industry didn’t stop there. In 1996, Howell won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Specialty Coffee Association for the impact he had made on global coffee culture. Howell dedicated decades of work to economic sustainability for coffee farmers, working closely with organizations such as the United Nations and the International Coffee Organization. In 2004, he founded George Howell Coffee, reestablishing Boston as the home of third-wave coffee. Today, George Howell Coffee has three locations in greater Boston, with a fourth location expected to open in the next few months.
Largely due to George Howell’s influence, Boston is considered the pioneer city of modern coffee culture in the U.S., and even has the highest rate of coffee shops per capita in the country. It’s practically impossible to visit every coffee shop in the city, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from trying. Of course, Boston is filled with a Dunkin’ on practically every block, and while that certainly contributes to the city’s vibrant coffee culture, there are still plenty of hidden gems waiting to be discovered. Boston is home to many third-wave coffee shops today, but there are a few shops that specifically uphold George Howell’s original mission for coffee culture: Ogawa, Gracenote and, of course, George Howell Coffee.
Ogawa
Nestled in the narrow streets of Boston’s financial district, Ogawa Coffee offers artisanally crafted specialty coffee from Japan. Their website features in-depth descriptions of their roasting process and dedication to ethically and environmentally sourced products. CEO and President Yoshinori Uda has trained many World Latte Art Champions and stresses the significance of coffee education and technique for all employees. As a Japanese coffee chain, Ogawa’s Boston location is its first and only international location, nodding to the city’s relevance in coffee culture globally. According to the company’s website, Ogawa views coffee as ultimately all about community: “We believe that coffee always has the universal power to heal people’s hearts and enrich the world.”
Ogawa embodies the standard of coffee as a community which George Howell instilled in Boston so many years ago.
Gracenote Coffee
If you’re spending any time in Boston’s historic downtown or Financial district, Gracenote is the perfect place for an extraordinary cup of coffee. Awarded Best Coffee in Boston in both 2016 and 2017 by Boston Magazine, Gracenote is the ideal destination for coffee connoisseurs. Just as Howell envisioned, Gracenote upholds the highest standards for its globally sourced beans and looks towards coffee as an art. Gracenote’s website explains their dedication and fascination with the endless possibilities of coffee production: “The combination of taste and analytics is the most exciting aspect of our job. Our understanding of process and method is both fluid and progressive.”
George Howell Coffee
But if you’re looking for the ultimate coffee experience, George Howell Coffee is really the only place to go. According to its mission statement, George Howell Coffee “specializes in single estate coffees and pioneers in raising quality coffee standards to much higher levels.” Founded by Howell himself, the company offers everything from perfectly crafted cups of coffee made by extensively trained staff, to free coffee education classes open to the public. The company’s website features an “Exploratorium,” offering how-to’s, brew guides and extensive information on their farms and roasting processes. George Howell Coffee is the physical manifestation of everything Howell has dedicated his life to – coffee as community, art, education and joy.
P.S. Get the cappuccino.