Customer Reviews

The Perfect Cup: A Coffee Lover's Guide To Buying, Brewing, And Tasting

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

years ago(before Starbucks bought the world) Boston had a local chain called the Coffee Connection. Their blends were perfect, their roasts were done by an old central american master and all of their employees were coffee lovers who could tell you details on any bean (once again, pre starbucks and the "we'll hire anyone" policy). I once asked how they knew so much and was told that employees were required to read this book. Somehow I lost my original copy ... so glad to see Amazon making it available again.

If you have ever had a cup of coffee - this book is a must!

From the history of the first coffee plantation, roasting, brewing, tasting, recipes and even traditions of coffee traders are all mentioned in the well-written book. The writer writes in plain and very humorous English.

I'm in the coffee trading business myself, and this is one of the most accurate and interesting books about the whole coffee business as I have read up to now. The book also mentions coffee estates, retailers and roasters by name.

A definite 10 out of 10!

I'm a coffee freak. I roast my own espresso and grind it with great care and pump it through a two group computer controlled professional Italian espresso machine. My wife thinks I'm obsessive about it. With that in mind, Perfect Cup provides a lot of excellent information that most people probably don't know, about how to make a great cup of coffee. It also talks about the characteristics of different kinds of coffee. If A&P 8:00 is your cup of tea...coffee, you might not give a damn, but if you really are curious...interested, passionate about coffee, you will probably enjoy reading this book.

I highly recommend this book. I bought it as someone just getting into enjoying the coffee experience. I wanted a book that would help me learn more about brewing coffee, tasting, and what to expect from beans grown in the different areas of the world. It gave me the info. I was looking for. I also really enjoyed the section in which several coffee roasters across the US were interviewed about their roasting philosophies and what to them helped create that elusive perfect cup of coffee.

I second the previous reviewer's comment that this book badly needs a second edition. A lot has happened in coffee in the last five years alone, and this book was written more than 15 years ago. It still serves well as a general introduction to coffee, but the information on coffee and espresso preparation should be considered unreliable. Consider instead: Scott Rao's The Professional Barista's Handbook.

This book was an extremely helpful introduction to the world of coffee.

I only recently delved into the myriad of coffee possibilities, and I found this to be an indispensable companion on my journey thus far, and I have no doubt it will be helpful in the time to come. Though published before the turn of the millennium, I find that the information contained therein is still informative and influential, with the things which are actually out of date by this point in time do not hinder the overall message of the book. It covers the following(and more) things:
- Where are the various coffee producing countries?
- Why is this significant?
- How do we get from Kona (etc.) to cup?
- What should I look for when buying coffee?
- Is decaf worthwhile? How about flavored coffee?
- What is the best method to brew coffee?
- How do I describe the type of coffee I am drinking?
- Is there anything I can do with coffee besides drinking it?

Castle has a wit which makes the entire book entertaining all the while enlightening its reader. I understand coffee and its components so much better now, and am sure that I will be returning to this book down along the way as I get more familiarity firsthand. If you love coffee, and want to know more, this is a perfect starting place!

I cannot believe I thought Folger's was good coffee for so many years. (Of course, it is made from 100% coffee.) If you're ready to enjoy a really good cup of coffee, The Perfect Cup is a good introduction to escaping from Maxwell House. I especially liked Mr Castle treating coffee like a crop, and discussing the variations in flavor that occur from variations in growing locations. I was prepared to dislike the 60 pages of interviews he had with the specialty coffee roasters, but found them to be informative (and occasionally quite entertaining).

The book desperately needs a second edition. This book was written as a general introduction to specialty coffee, and it probably still fits that niche. Specialty coffee has become even more popular than it was 15 years ago, though, and I believe coffee fans/addicts now know more about their beans and an expanded discussion would be merited. The Internet is an incredible resource for the coffee drinker and needs to be discussed in detail. And you can't ignore the 800-pound gorilla; I may buy my coffee from my local roaster, but Starbucks dominates the market and defines specialty coffee.

All-in-all, I enjoyed this book and it gave me some fresh perspective on my favorite non-alcoholic beverage.

I haven't finished reading it yet, but it is a fascinating book about the world of coffee. I loved the detailed information it provides, such as for the professional cupping. It is definitely a comprehensive book, from history of coffee, beans of the world, brewing methods, glossary for cupping novice. A great book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about that wonderful bean.