Your Guide to Third Wave Coffee and Where to Find it in Jeddah

The Third Wave Coffee phenomenon, also known as the specialty coffee movement, is a trend that has been taking off lately amongst coffee lovers. But what exactly is Third Wave Coffee or artisanal food? Guest writer and coffee connoisseur Abdullah Yahya explains the basics to us in this fascinating blog post, shedding some light on this latest trend, and taking us on a journey through Jeddah reviewing the city’s cosy third wave cafés.

We love hearing your opinions, so please leave a comment at the end of this blogpost. Have you visited any of these places? What did you think of them? Which is your favourite? Hoping to get lots of feedback so that I can persuade Abdullah to write another blogpost for us very soon.

Also, stay tuned for a detailed review of our recent visit to Medd Café coming up very soon. Please do take a minute to subscribe in the right-hand menu to ensure you don’t miss any future posts.

The philosophy behind Third Wave Coffee is that people should be treating coffee less like an everyday commodity and more like artisanal foodstuff. For this reason, much attention is focused on:

• The type of coffee beans used and the quality, so they focus on using a single-origin high quality bean, as opposed to blends. They tend to have a direct relationship with growers, and only buy fair-trade beans.

• In house roasting of the coffee beans daily to ensure the quality of the coffee used.

The preparation methods are carefully observed, including how much of the ingredients are added and how they are added. They treat coffee making as an art, but they use scientific precision as well. That means measuring the amount of coffee carefully, and the water, as well as the temperature of water and milk used.

New coffee brewing methods are used, as opposed to using the usual coffee filter machine, like Chemex, Hario V60, and AeroPress®.  They are in general slower and more elaborate, but the result is a superior coffee.

In the last couple of years, more and more third wave cafés have opened up in Jeddah and they are becoming increasingly popular. Some of the trendiest are highlighted below.

Caffeine Lab

This place sells coffee beans and all relevant supplies directly to the customers and trains them in how to prepare the coffee. You can also go there just to enjoy a cup of coffee. It doesn’t however, sell any food, cake, or snacks, so in a sense it is more of a retail shop that sells coffee.

Location: King Fahad Street, Al-Faisaliyah Dist, to the north from Al-Serafi Megamall. Tel: 059 911 0092

Medd Café and Roastery

Coffee Art at Medd Café

One of the trendiest coffee shops in the city with friendly service and excellent coffee. It gets very busy on weekends so expect to wait for a table, and it takes a long time for your coffee to be ready, so don’t go there if you are pressed for time. I love the vibes in that place; the look, the aroma from the beans, and especially the coffee. For me, the best Chemex coffee I have had was there.

They get extra points for offering a delicious array of homemade cakes and snacks. They also have a retail section where they sell coffee-making equipment and very cool mugs.

Location: Beach Tower Northern Corniche، Jeddah 21452, Saudi Arabia. Tel: +966 12 613 2122

Brew92^o

Brew 92°

The friendliest of services coupled with excellent choices of coffee and coffee beans. Very good Chemex, and their Flat White is especially great. They also serve all-day breakfast, so do try their omelettes and waffles. They offer salads and a few other dishes too. The place gets busy on weekends. Prices are moderate for the quality you get, and because it is closer to the center, it is the place I actually visit the most.

Location: Prince Saud Al-Faisal Street, Al-Khalidiyah Dist., opposite Saudia City, Tel: +966-564699118.

Cup & Couch

Cup & Couch

One of the more recently opened coffee spots. Very intimate and run by friendly young Saudis. The coffee is very good and the atmosphere is very casual. I tried their barista recommended Kalita coffee, and it did not disappoint at all. I also had coffee latte with coconut milk which was nice too. They also offer homemade cakes, but I was not wowed by them, and to me this is my one point that I think they should improve.

As for the ambience, I enjoyed being there very much, and so did my friends, including young children. You feel you are in a party in someone’s home with all the chatter of the customers hanging around. Upstairs in the family section they have a bench and a few tables, with board and card games and that only amplify the homeliness of the place.

Location: Al Yamamah St, Al-Salamah Dist, near Ice Land. Tel: +966 59 727 3474

Cold brewing at Medd Café

Warm & Frosty Café

Warm and Frosty

The smallest one I have visited so far. Their family section is not ready yet, so as of now they only have the single section or the coffee to go, which is what I had. The Chemex coffee was very good and strong. They are also a retailer for coffee tools and equipment. I would say given their location, they are more suited to serve the area around them, but I did not find them special enough for me to go back, not unless I am in the area.

Location: Hilmi Kutbi St, Al-Zahra’a Dist. Unit No. 16 Jeddah 23521 6172, Tel:  00966-12 616 4890

Manna Hair Salon

Your hairdresser is almost your best friend. She sees you when you are not at your best, she hides your imperfections and highlights the positives. A good hairdresser knows your hair better than you do, and once you find ‘the one’ you won’t want to experiment with any others. There are a few great hair salons in Jeddah, and Manna Center in Rawdah is considered to be one of them. Our mystery shopper visits the salon and reports back on her experience.

After visiting the Manna Hairdressing Salon last year, and coming away with such a great haircut, I was determined to go back again this week. I knew I would be well taken care of, but what I wasn’t prepared for was the amazing new salon they have constructed and I was blown away by the sheer professionalism and outstanding customer service being given in Manna.

Not only was I lucky to find Nawal, the same lady who expertly cut my hair last time (and did an amazing job yet again), but from the first moment I walked into the salon I began to feel pampered and relaxed. Once you check in at reception, your abaaya is taken and you are handed a white coat to wear on top of your regular clothes. You then walk past glass trickling water giving a wonderful cooling effect in this hot weather, and pass by the most interesting innovation I’ve seen recently – a cafe within the salon! It makes absolute perfect sense and I wonder why I haven’t seen anything like it before. A trip to the salon usually requires a certain period of waiting, and what a perfect way to fill the time, than with coffee, cupcakes, croissants or sandwiches. Even better if you’re spending time there with friends. It’s also quite common here to be waiting for a family member or a driver to collect you from the salon, but this time was not difficult to pass in their lovely environment.

So after waiting for the colour to sink in, you are taken to the sink to have your hair washed – pretty normal, right? Well, not in this salon ! You take a seat next to the sink and instead of having to awkwardly tip your head back to be washed, the seat lifts you up and back so that you are pretty much horizontal and very comfortable. The icing on the cake is that the chair you are sitting in is a massage chair. So all the while the ladies are checking the colour, giving it 5 minutes more, shampooing your hair you are receiving this spectacular massage from lower to upper back. Just when you think it can’t get any better, the shampoo lady gives you the most relaxing scalp massage with hair conditioner washing away any tiredness or tension from your day.

It goes without saying that Nawal gave me a clean and efficient cut in no time. After paying the cashier, your receipt and white coat is exchanged with the abaaya lady, who returns your abaaya, leaving you free to head home after a most relaxing and pampered evening.

Manna is situation on Aba Al Khail Street in Rawdah District. Travelling West on Rawdah St. turn right after the Danube, take a u-turn and then a second-right turning. Expect to pay around SR150 for a haircut, SR300-400 on highlights. Complete beauty treatments available eg manicures, pedicures, facials, massages, party and bridal makeup.

Phone: 012 6066627 –  6066628 – 6061917

Opening timings: 10am-10pm

Location: Aba al Khail Street, Al Khalidiyah District.