Espresso Coffee, Second Edition: The Science of Quality [Hardcover]

Andrea Illy (Editor), Rinantonio Viani (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 5, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0123703719 | ISBN-13: 978-0123703712 | Edition: 2

Written by leading coffee technology specialists in consultation with some of the world's biggest coffee manufacturers, the second edition of the successful Espresso Coffee will once again comprehensively cover the current status of the chemistry and technology of espresso coffee. It comprehensively covers topics such as agronomy, green coffee processing, roasting/grinding, packaging, percolating and decaffeination techniques. It provides a comprehensive resource for those interested in the fundamental notions of coffee quality; with a point of reference given in the form of a detailed bibliography to provide direction to the wider literature.

Chapters Include:
* Quality of espresso coffee
* The plant
* The raw bean
* Roasting
* Grinding
* Packaging
* Percolation
* The cup
* Physiology

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Overall this book serves as a complete overview not only of espresso coffee but also of coffee in general. With its comprehensive overview of the parameters important to coffee quality and coffee consumption on human health it becomes a good reference book for both food scientists and nutritionists in the field."
- Massimo Marcone, University of Guelph, Canada for FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL (2005)

"A vital resource for anyone wishing to deepen their knowledge of coffee and its production, this book, with its industrial and historical perspectives, manages to combine the delivery of complex scientific data with pure enthusiasm for the product."
- CAFE CULTURE (July 2005)

".the book's precision with the details of coffee science is unparalleled. It balances scientific prowess and readability without overwhelming the reader, whether new to the coffee world or a veteran."
- FRESH CUP (June 2005)

Book Description

The most up-to-date, comprehensive, resource of the chemistry and technology of espresso coffee.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 398 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 2 edition (January 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0123703719
• ISBN-13: 978-0123703712
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #262,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Drinks & Beverages > Coffee & Tea

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative, advanced but how relevant ?, August 27, 2006

By 

P. Tellier "Boxmeer" (Monreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Espresso Coffee, Second Edition: The Science of Quality (Hardcover)

Unlike many coffee related books, this one goes a lot further. This book approaches coffee with a scientific approach, not a descriptive approach, which makes it harsher to read, but which provides info unavailable elsewhere.

By no means should this book be considered as your first coffee related book. Cover coffee basics through other more appropriate books. Once you've read a couple, if you really want to go deeper into the knowledge of coffee, this this book is for you. It requires that you have a scientific background though. You will see some chemistry formulas and it does discuss kinetic energy; it's somewhat technical.

I would give it a perfect 5 star rating, but I feel that some information in this book lacks relevance. In purchasing this book, I wanted to understand the science behind coffee to help me make better coffee. I felt that many passages of this book were irrelevant towards that goal.

Hope this helps !

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uber reference guide, October 13, 2010

By 

Kelly Lichtenwaldt - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Espresso Coffee, Second Edition: The Science of Quality (Hardcover)

A complete and total in-depth scientific analysis of coffee. Not light reading, and not for casual coffee drinkers. This is the holy bible of technical manuals regarding coffee. Growing history, chemical breakdown, regional traditions - serious stuff. An awesome book if you want the real deal behind espresso. Very technical. It includes some math and chemistry. It does, however, have enough background and clarification that a non-technical person could leaf through it and still enjoy plenty of what it has to offer. It really shines as a in-depth espresso tech manual though.
Some have reviewed this book as way to technical. That is akin to saying an in depth car repair schematic manual is way to technical. It's not full of complicated writing, it's full of very complicated subject matter. Keep that in mind. Certainly not a 'beach read' unless, like me, your an engineer and enjoy the more refined technical side of the world. And think the beach is just a big sand pit that hands out sunburns.
I requested that this book be made available on the kindle bookstore, and a few months later it was. I bought it on the spot, and love it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very detailed information on coffee, August 21, 2011

By 

Jackie Teo (Malacca, Malaysia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Espresso Coffee, Second Edition: The Science of Quality (Hardcover)

This book is like a encyclopedia of coffee. It have alot more information where other sources doesn't provide.
Its a small yet thick book. Tells you everything about coffee.