Customer Reviews

The Birth of Coffee

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4 star:		(1)
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I expected this book to be interesting, but I didn't expect to be captivated. I picked it up late last night with the intention of thumbing through the pages, and I became engrossed. I ended up reading it from cover to cover. The text guides us through a brief overview of the history and oddly familiar geography of coffee (Kaffa, Al Mokha, Java). But the photographs of the people who grow, pick, and process coffee around the world are what make this book distinctive. "Their faces will always be reflected on the dark surface of every cup of coffee we drink." Indeed.

We are coffee lovers and sample different flavors from around the world. This book has filled a gap in the history of coffee. The text was inspired and the photos are truly amazing. The sepia tones reflect the coffee flavor of the book. One can imagine the fragrance of the coffee beans just from the photos. Bravo!

This is not your average book about coffee! This is also not about what this writer thinks rather, what you, the potential reader can expect from this book.

The depth of information found in both the provacative photos and the text are factual as well as revealing. Coffee growers around the world produce one of the most coveted products on earth, yet are among the most unappreciated and abused people groups. While The Birth of Coffee does not necessarilly condem those who unashamedly taken such licentious advantage of growers, it paints a clear picture of conditions that exist. It would be difficult for the reader/viewer to not see this as photographically it is so well exposed.

If you have a real desire and thirst (pun intended) to know more not just about coffee, but follow it from bean to cup, this is the book.