Devil's Cup (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this appealingly offbeat "coffeecentric history of humanity," Allen brews up a highly personal tribute to everyone's favorite legal recreational drug. Made of equal parts inspired travel writing and savvy cultural criticism, the book describes Allen's pilgrimages to coffee's major sites of interest. From the drink's origins in Harrar, Ethiopia, to its arguable demise at a place called Adrien's Coffeeshop somewhere along Route 66, Allen's espresso-powered peregrinations offer a lively study of coffee's role in world history. By turns worshiped and scorned for its psychoactive effects, the beverage has spawned legends almost as fabulous and seductive as the drink itself. It inspired the Islamic Whirling Dervishes, who slurped the stuff as a prelude to their bouts of religious ecstasy, and is thought to have precipitated the French Revolution, when citizens stormed the Bastille in part to liberate a coffee-deprived Marquis de Sade. To his credit, Allen, who claims he can tell in a sip that the coffee in a particular Ethiopian town is adulterated with smuggled Zairian Robusta beans, wisely avoids the overworked topic of Starbucks and its bid for a global latte empire. Mark Prendergast's social history, Uncommon Grounds (Forecasts, May 17), is more of an omnibus survey of the bean, but Allen's quirky insights more than make up for any scholarly shortcomings. Call it gonzo gastronomy: the work strikes just the right balance between the frenetic praise of a bug-eyed caffeine freak and the informed observations of a true connoisseur. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Chef-turned-journalist Allens debut book is a thoroughly entertaining, absorbing, and often hilarious jaunt through the history and geography of coffee. Allen retraces the spread of coffee, searching the globe for its historical and cultural significance. He begins in Harrar, Ethiopia, where coffee is profoundly embedded in tribal religious practices and local legends. Allen's method of research is delightfully seat-of-the- pants. When he hears of a religious ceremony in Harrar in which serving coffee is a sacred ritual, he bribes his way inside. Next he follows the dissemination of coffee north to Yemen, putting himself on board a merchant ship carrying liquor, AK-47 rifles, and an unforgettable cast of characters. Allen is the perfect traveler: curious, persistent, resourceful, fun-loving, with a nose for adventure, and a deep understanding of human motivation. One of the book's highlights takes place in a coffeehouse in Calcutta, where Allen befriends a glassy-eyed hash addict named Yangi. The two men hatch a plot to export forged artwork to France. Needless to say, the whole thing becomes an international comedy of errors. Allen is an elegant prose stylist, providing countless insights about people and his beloved brew: ``Turkish coffee is like a clenched fist in a cup, tight, bitter, and black. The Yemen version, which comes glowing golden in a large glass tumbler, is a lighter, whimsical brew, deliciously sweet.'' In Vienna, Allen discovers how the invading Ottoman Turks brought coffee to Europe, transforming the whole continent. The author describes precaffeinated Europe as deadly dull, ``a lot like Nebraska on a slow weekendchurch or beer.'' Coffee was a harbinger for European political reform, especially in England and France. He summarizes a number of quirky yet strangely convincing theories about how coffee triggered revolution, colonialism, slavery, and economic inequality. Allen enjoys his cup to the last drop, and there's nothing decaffeinated about his wonderfully tasty brew. A must for both Java junkies and travel lovers. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 231 pages
• Publisher: Soho Press (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569471746
• ISBN-13: 978-1569471746
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #171,030 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Wonderful!, October 10, 1999

By	happy reader in NYC (New York City, NY) - See all my reviews

This is a must read for people from all walks of life. It would take me a lot more than 1,000 words to illustrate the wit, wisdom, and historical relevance indicated within these pages. So, If you like, coffee, travel, history, and or interesting stories, this is the book for you. I do not even drink coffee and I found in a cafe ordering a cappucino this morning! I have a lot of new and interesting infomation to make small talk at the many boring functions that I go to all week. Not many books can top that! Enjoy!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, more travelogue than history, October 30, 2001

By	J. G. Heiser (Sunninghill, Berks) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a quick and enjoyable book. Although I actually did learn quite a bit about an interesting subject, the book is as much of a travel story as it is the history of a foodstuff that has only become ubiquitous during the last several centuries.

I suspect that the search for the roots of coffee is just an excuse for a jaunt around the world, from the rain forests of Africa, to the bleakest coast of the Arabian peninsula, to an art scam in India, across the Atlantic in a tramp steamer and finally a road trip across America. Well, actually, that's a bit of a simplification--I missed a couple of continents.

It is an entertaining book. The author has a wry sense of humor and is an astute observer of human diversity. He's also something of a free spirit, and I have to wonder if his being stopped by Southern Patrolmen looking for drugs came as more of a surprise to him than to the reader.

The book really does operate at two levels, providing an interesting and informative story about the history of coffee, viewing it through contemporary eyes in the many locations where coffee made its way through history, eventually culminating in Starbucks.

Looking for the perfect cuppa joe? Sounds like a good story. Yeah. We can have some fun with that. Ask the barista for another latte grande and enjoy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Devil, November 30, 2000

By	David Naugle, President "[e-mail]" (BetterBeans.com) - See all my reviews

I'm not a good writer, but I am a good reader. Stewart Lee Allen is a good writer. Stewart takes you with him on his personal adventure for the perfect cup. He goes to the scene of the crime, where it all started, Eastern Africa and he follows his nose. It doesn't always lead him to the safest places but they are indeed exciting. Along the way Stewart presents the reader with coffee folklore that is very old but fresh to the untraveled ear. You will get a taste of every thing from the coffee balls of the Oromo tribe to the Garri ceremonial coffee made with butter and milk. You'll learn more things about coffee than you'll ever want to know. Stewart makes astute analogies between ancient ceremonial coffee drinking habits with today's practice of drinking coffee with business meetings. His numerous and humorous observations about coffee are refreshing. He brings new life to the old and tired subject of coffee. Thanks to Stewart we all know it is smugglers like Baba Budan we have to thank for our mild addictions. You'll have to read the book to find out why. You won't be sorry and you'll walk away loaded with a new coffee vocabulary.