The Coffee Book: Anatomy of an Industry from Crop to the Last Drop

Book Description
An engaging, informative look at one of the most popular products in the world. Jammed full of facts, figures, cartoons, and commentary, The Coffee Book covers coffee from its first use in Ethiopia in the 6th century A.D. to the dramatic rise of Starbucks and other specialty retailers in the 1990s. Written with verve and filled with little-known facts, the book explores the process of cultivation, harvesting, and roasting from bean to cup; surveys the social history of caf society from the first coffeehouses in Constantinople to Renaissance French cafs to beatnik havens in Berkeley and Greenwich Village; and tells the dramatic story of international trade and speculation for a product that can make or break entire national economies. The book also examines the industry's major players -- General Foods, Nestl, Proctor & Gamble -- revealing how they have systematically reduced the quality of the bean and turned a much-loved product into a lifestyle. Finally, The Coffee Book considers the exploitation of labor and damage to the environment that mass cultivation causes, and explores the growing "conscious coffee" market and "fair trade" movement. Facts about the coffee industry:
* Coffee is the second most valuable legal item of international trade in the world (after oil)
* More than twenty million people around the world are employed by the coffee industry
* Coffee is the largest food import to the United States


From the Author
An enthusiastic summary of the delicious treats you'll find: If you're thirsting to learn the untold story behind everyone's favorite beverage and one of the nation's hottest commodities, this is the book for you. How did an unremarkable plant that grows in the shaded understory of Ethiopia's highland forests go on to become a multi-billion dollar international commodity that can make or break entire national economies? How do coffee beans make it from the farm to our cups? What are the labor issues and environmental impacts of this crop? How did coffee transform from a breakfast beverage to a lifestyle? You'll find that our book is chock full of information about coffee's history, international trade, consumption trends, growth of the specialty coffee industry, and the blossoming of the organic and fair trade coffee movements--and it's filled with fun illustrations, photos, maps, graphs, and a few cartoons to boot. We think you'll find it really gratifying to learn about the products you use, and to learn about them in such an accessible and fun book. We also think that this book, together with a nice pound of delicious coffee beans, would make a darling gift for all those coffee fans out there (doesn't everyone in the world know a coffee fanatic?) Since we're madly in love with coffee, we had a great time doing the research and know that you'll have a great time drinking it up! Our favorite coffee? We like maximum flavor and minimum impact--so we dig fairly traded organic coffees. Cheers,
Nina Luttinger and Gregory Dicum


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...[W]hat is most intriguing is the authors' emphasis on coffee's role in attracting and fomenting unrest. In contrast with alcohol, they argue, coffee encourages clear thinking — and that, they suggest, is as great a threat as any to tyrants....Indeed, the very arrival of the coffee-house — a public place for all classes to gather, exchange gossip and debate the great issues of the day — was in itself a force for change.


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