When I enter a coffee shop, I usually see a group of friends chatting at a corner table, hear the hiss of steaming milk and smell the deep aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

At Reverie Coffee, at 2611 E. Douglas, I see bizarre-looking instruments and containers that, for a minute, make me think I stumbled into a chemist’s lab by mistake.

But it’s all part of the craft that is “third-wave” coffee, barista Tom Murillo said.

“It’s more like coffee as a profession,” he said. “It’s taken more seriously rather than just kind of a social hangout spot.”

Coffee shops like Reverie are referred to as third-wave because of not-so-common brew methods that shops like Starbucks — seen as first- or second-wave — don’t employ. New techniques such as pour-over, cold-brew and vacuum brew coffee join the traditional brew methods to offer a deeper coffee experience.

And it’s becoming more popular. Even though Reverie is the first shop of its kind in Wichita, similar shops have opened up everywhere in Kansas, from McPherson’s Craft Coffee to Manhattan’s Arrow Coffee. And the product really is better — and much more intricately made.

With the vacuum method, water is heated on a flame and the steam is pulled up a stem to another chamber where the coffee grounds are added. Once all the steam is pulled up, the pressure changes and the steaming hot water, filled with coffee grounds is pulled through a cloth filter back into the lower pot. The method is extremely precise and leaves virtually no residue in the coffee.

The process takes exactly 3 minutes and 15 seconds and requires “agitation,” or stirring, at precise moments. It offers a glimpse into how much more of a craft third-wave coffee is.

“If you’re doing everything correctly and you have decent technique, your goal is to have a perfectly formed mound on top of your filter,” barista Kerry Burrow said as he prepared my cup. “It’s very easy to mess up.”

The liquid looks silkier and darker and has a bold, but smooth and almost sweet taste.

“It’s pretty tasty,” Burrow said. “I’m just curious, who figured that out? Obviously some scientist… A scientist who liked good coffee.”

Another way Reverie sets itself apart is with the giant machine in the middle of the room. The machine — a roaster — is what Reverie uses to create their own roasts to sell wholesale and use in their own retail creations. What’s really unique is that the roasting and packaging processes takes place in the middle of the shop.

“There’s a bit of theater to it,” lead roaster Ian Miller said, as he bagged freshly roasted coffee beans. “I think it connects people more closely to what they’re consuming.”

Miller said they used to roast and package in the back, but moved into the storefront to be more visible and accessible for people who may not know how coffee is produced.

“I like when people come in and they’ve never seen green coffee before,” he said. “It’s just another step closer to the source of where coffee comes from.”

For people who have never experienced handcrafted coffee, it truly is an experience. The staff is very friendly and is quick to show how each cup of coffee is being made, as well as why they love what they do.

Burrow has been at Reverie since a day or two after they opened about a year ago. Before, he worked as a freelance photographer.

“Coffee is the only other thing I love besides music or photography,” he said. “I would rather do something that I love doing, even if I have to work a little bit harder.”