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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Lebensstil
- Sprache: Englisch
Get the skinny on your morning joe
Do you swear by your morning jolt of caffeine but are hard-pressed to tell a siphon from a slow dripper? No problem: just order a fresh copy of Coffee For Dummies for a smooth blend of fun facts and practical advice to give an extra shot of flavor to your appreciation of the second-most valuable commodity on planet Earth—and filter out all that excess grind in your knowledge.
This warm and welcoming serving from passionate coffee guru Major Cohen—a Specialty Coffee Association certified instructor, and now retired highly respected former Starbucks coffee educator and program manager—takes you on a rocket-fueled journey from the origins of the liquid bean’s popularity to best ways to prepare and enjoy coffee in your own home. You'll learn how to evaluate the advantages of different coffee styles and makers, and how even the smallest detail—varietal, roast type, texture—can influence how good that cupped lightning tastes on your tongue.
- Evaluate different roasts or brews
- Navigate menus for the best deals
- Learn how to speak “coffee” and order your half-cap-low-fat-no-sugar-add-whip with confidence
- Save money with the best store apps
- Meet some of the unknown pioneers of coffee that have made our coffee world of today
- See how you might think bigger about your coffee spend changing the world
The average American spends over $1000 on their daily brain juice every year: why not hire Coffee For Dummies as your personal barista and get more for your money—and from each invigorating sip.
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Coffee For Dummies®
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2021 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2020952999
ISBN: 978-1-119-67901-1
ISBN: 978-1-119-67904-2 (ebk); ISBN: 978-1-119-67905-9 (ebk)
Coffee For Dummies®
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Coffee For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Getting Started with Coffee
Chapter 1: Demystifying Coffee: Just the Basics
Understanding What Coffee Is (and Isn’t)
Appreciating Coffee — from Its Past to Today
Traveling Worldwide — Where Coffee Is Grown
The Lowdown on Roasting Coffee
Examining Brewing
Brewing Espresso
Examining Where Coffee Is Now
Chapter 2: Figuring Out What Coffee Is
Understanding the Life Cycle of Coffee: From Seed to Bud to Cherry to Harvest
Meeting the Two Main Types of Coffee and Understanding the Subspecies
Processing the Cherry: Getting to the Bean
Part 2: The Story of Coffee
Chapter 3: Familiarizing Yourself with Some Coffee History
Understanding How Geography Is Linked to History — the Coffee Belt
Looking Back at Coffee’s Roots
Heading to Europe … and Beyond
Chapter 4: Taking a Closer Look at Brewing Today
Understanding a Brewing Force — Alfred Peet and His Focus on Quality
Introducing Howard Schultz — the Father of Today’s Starbucks
Expanding Brewed Specialty Coffee Worldwide
Understanding the Role of the National Coffee Association
Part 3: Taking a Trip around the World
Chapter 5: Sourcing Coffee — Digging In to Where Coffee Comes From
Taking a Bird’s-Eye Look: The Coffee Belt
Understanding Nature’s Role in Growing Coffee
Recognizing How Climate Change Is Changing Coffee
Chapter 6: Considering the Western Hemisphere
Eyeing Central America’s Influence on Coffee Production
Looking Closer at South America’s Contributions to Coffee Production
Examining the Caribbean’s Impact on Coffee
Getting the Aloha Feel: Hawaii’s Influence on Coffee Production
Chapter 7: Discussing Africa
Looking Closer at Northeastern Africa
Examining Central and Southern Africa
Chapter 8: Addressing the Eastern Hemisphere and Asia Pacific
Examining the Countries Biggest in Size, But Not in Coffee Production
The Heavy Hitters: Identifying Some Traditional Coffee-Producing Countries
Part 4: Roasting Coffee
Chapter 9: The History of Roasting
Understanding How Roasting Started
Examining What Roasters First Used
Developing Roasting into a Business
Chapter 10: Roasting for Flavor
Walking the Fine Line of Roasting: A Balance between Artistry and Science
Roasting, Step by Step
Deciphering What the Different Roasts Mean and How They Taste
Part 5: Preparing Coffee and Espresso
Chapter 11: Exploring the Brewing Methods and Mastering the Tricks
Understanding Extraction
Focusing on the Basics of Coffee Brewing
Examining the Brewing Methods
Chapter 12: Making Espresso Easier
Appreciating Italy’s Contribution to Making Espresso What It Is Today
Making the Perfect Espresso — the Four M’s
Pulling a Few Shots — What’s Involved When Making an Espresso
Knowing What You’re Ordering
Part 6: Perusing Today’s Coffee Business
Chapter 13: Meeting Some Coffee Trailblazers
Identifying Early Trendsetters Whose Names Have Withstood the Test of Time
The Italians and Their Coffee Heritage
Making Waves in the United States
Examining Café Culture, Espresso, and Competitions
Chapter 14: Looking at Where Coffee Is Today
Brewing Coffee at Home
Making Espresso at Home
Stepping Out — Drinking a Cup of Coffee Away from Home
Finding More Information about Coffee Today and in the Future
Part 7: The Part of Tens
Chapter 15: Ten (or So) Myths about Coffee Debunked
Coffee Is Loaded with Caffeine
Coffee Has Tons of Calories
Coffee Is Bad for You
Decaf Coffee Isn’t Real Coffee
Instant Coffee Is Disgusting
Coffee Makers Only Need a Quick Rinse to Clean
All Coffee Tastes the Same
The Coffee Industry Doesn’t Have Any Innovation
Climate Change Doesn’t Affect Coffee
Chapter 16: Ten (Plus One) Places to Find a Great Cup of Coffee
San Francisco and the Bay Area
Portland, Oregon
Seattle, Washington
New York City
Vienna, Austria
Rome, Italy
Oslo, Norway
Reykjavik, Iceland
Taipei, Taiwan
Melbourne, Australia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Japan
Part 8: Appendixes
Appendix A: Glossary
Appendix B: Timeline of Key History of Coffee
Index
About the Author
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
List of Tables
Chapter 2
TABLE 2-1 Coffee’s Harvesting Calendar
TABLE 2-2 Comparing Arabica and Robusta
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
FIGURE 1-1: Costa Rica has great coffee farms.
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2-1: The coffee-growing process, from seed to bean.
FIGURE 2-2: Seedling-flower-cherry.
FIGURE 2-3: A coffee tree branch with flowers.
FIGURE 2-4: From left, a coffee tree flower to the different shades of a coffee...
FIGURE 2-5: The cherries on the branch ripen at different times.
FIGURE 2-6: Workers in Costa Rica hand sort the cherries for processing.
FIGURE 2-7: An oxcart in Costa Rica takes cherries to the mill.
FIGURE 2-8: The layers of a ripe cherry removed during processing.
FIGURE 2-9: A depulper in Costa Rica.
FIGURE 2-10: The beans are raked to make sure they’re evenly dried.
FIGURE 2-11: A hand-operated depulper in Sumatra.
FIGURE 2-12: Workers in Sumatra handwash the depulped beans.
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3-1: Civil War soldiers waiting in line for coffee.
Chapter 5
FIGURE 5-1: The Coffee Belt today.
FIGURE 5-2: Erosion and soil washout is a serious problem for coffee growers.
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6-1: The Americas.
FIGURE 6-2: Coffee-growing regions in Costa Rica.
FIGURE 6-3: The Apaneca-Ilamatepec region in El Salvador.
FIGURE 6-4: Coffee-growing regions in Guatemala.
FIGURE 6-5: Coffee-growing areas in Honduras.
FIGURE 6-6: Coffee-growing regions in Mexico.
FIGURE 6-7: Coffee-growing regions in Nicaragua.
FIGURE 6-8: Coffee-growing regions in Panama.
FIGURE 6-9: The Yungas region in Bolivia.
FIGURE 6-10: Coffee-growing regions in Brazil.
FIGURE 6-11: Coffee-growing regions in Colombia.
FIGURE 6-12: Coffee-growing regions in Ecuador.
FIGURE 6-13: Coffee-growing regions in Peru.
FIGURE 6-14: Coffee-growing regions in Venezuela.
FIGURE 6-15: Coffee-growing region in Cuba.
FIGURE 6-16: The Dominican Republic.
FIGURE 6-17: Coffee-growing regions in Jamaica.
FIGURE 6-18: Coffee-growing regions in Hawaii.
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7-1: Africa.
FIGURE 7-2: Coffee-growing regions in Ethiopia.
FIGURE 7-3: Coffee-growing regions in Kenya.
FIGURE 7-4: Coffee-growing regions in Burundi.
FIGURE 7-5: Coffee-growing regions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
FIGURE 7-6: Coffee-growing regions in Malawi.
FIGURE 7-7: Coffee-growing regions in Rwanda.
FIGURE 7-8: Coffee-growing regions in Tanzania.
FIGURE 7-9: Coffee growing in Zambia.
Chapter 8
FIGURE 8-1: Asia Pacific.
FIGURE 8-2: Coffee-growing regions in China.
FIGURE 8-3: Coffee-growing regions in India.
FIGURE 8-4: Coffee-growing regions in Indonesia.
FIGURE 8-5: Coffee-growing regions in Papua New Guinea.
FIGURE 8-6: Coffee-growing regions in Vietnam.
FIGURE 8-7: Coffee-growing regions in Yemen.
Chapter 9
FIGURE 9-1: A coffee roaster from the 15th century.
FIGURE 9-2: Wood stovetop coffee roaster from 1890.
Chapter 10
FIGURE 10-1: A roasting machine.
FIGURE 10-2: A roaster putting beans into the hopper.
FIGURE 10-3: The color range, from green to French roast.
Chapter 11
FIGURE 11-1: Cuppers taste test coffees.
FIGURE 11-2: A French press.
FIGURE 11-3: A pour-over.
FIGURE 11-4: A vacuum brewing method.
Chapter 12
FIGURE 12-1: The early manual lever espresso machine.
FIGURE 12-2: An espresso machine from a barista’s viewpoint.
FIGURE 12-3: The tamping step compacts the coffee.
FIGURE 12-4: A barista inserts the tamper tool.
FIGURE 12-5: An espresso shot.
FIGURE 12-6: The barista steams the milk with the steaming wand.
FIGURE 12-7: An espresso solo.
FIGURE 12-8: A macchiato.
FIGURE 12-9: A cappuccino.
FIGURE 12-10: A caffé latte.
FIGURE 12-11: A caffé breve.
FIGURE 12-12: A mocha.
FIGURE 12-13: A flat white.
FIGURE 12-14: An Americano.
Chapter 13
FIGURE 13-1: Illustration of the Chase & Sanborn building at 87 Broad St., Bost...
FIGURE 13-2: Chase & Sanborn marketing advertisement.
FIGURE 13-3: Moriondo’s patent for a steam-powered coffee machine.
FIGURE 13-4: Victoria Arduino image.
Chapter 14
FIGURE 14-1: Hario Buono kettle.
Guide
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
Index
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Introduction
Coffee has been around a long time, but the past 50 years have witnessed a monumental transition. I’ve spent most of my life drinking coffee, instructing others photography, and teaching coffee. I’ve lived through this dramatic change as specialty coffee has made drinking coffee so much more nuanced.
You may have encountered a virtually foreign language, extensive paraphernalia, and an often occurring, kind of know-it-all arrogance by some people when you’re buying beans and beverages. Trying to navigate and understand the world of coffee doesn’t seem to get any easier.
Yes, coffee can include not only cream and sugar, but also confusion, a multitude of questions, and even misleading marketing to name just a few, and that’s a shame. But with a bit of curiosity and minimal effort, you can start to increase your coffee confidence and feel better about the ordering language, the broad and remote world where coffee comes from, and even your own at-home barista skills.
As soon as you realize and embrace it, the wonderful world of coffee can make for joyous discovery and endless enjoyment. That world — growing it, processing it, roasting it, brewing it, and on and on — is always changing, growing, and adapting. Get ready for a ride that will help you fully appreciate this miraculous thing called coffee.
About This Book
Coffee For Dummies covers a wide range of the ever-changing and broad world of coffee and what I think is important to know. I cover some of these topics within these pages:
The history of coffee:
You can find out when and where coffee began and what has happened in its centuries of existence. The history of coffee is rich with intrigue, romance, and innovation.
Sourcing coffee:
Coffee comes from quite a few interesting places in the world and where you’re living probably isn’t one of them. Growers and buyers meet up in some remote parts of the world as they begin the process of supplying coffee. Understanding what they do can help explain a lot about why coffee tastes a certain way or why you may like one coffee over another.
Roasting coffee:
Sourcing delivers the green coffee bean into a roaster’s hands. Without those roasters you’d just have a hard green coffee bean. The roaster is the scientist and artist whose skill is transforming that green bean into what can be ground, brewed, and enjoyed. Knowing about roasting explains a lot about your coffee likes and dislikes.
Preparing coffee and espresso:
The final moments for the roasted coffee beans are most important. Although it sometimes seems that a great deal goes into making the end product in the best way — one that highlights all that the coffee has to offer — it’s really rather a simple process.
Looking at coffee today:
Some intriguing and courageous people have helped build the foundation of today’s coffee world and getting to know a few of them helps to explain that world and can also help you make your decisions about coffee. If your curiosity is piqued and that coffee world is increasingly intriguing, you can read about ideas where you might turn next.
This book intends to share just what you need to know about coffee so you can appreciate it more. The bottom line is to help you make an even greater tasting coffee than you’re creating today and to share some additional information pathways for you to explore. I clarify the coffee jargon and explain the terms baristas and coffee aficionados use so you can understand them. I’ve based the content on my experiences as a coffee lover and consumer, and on my experiences I’ve had as a coffee teacher.
Foolish Assumptions
I assume you’re exploring this book for at least one of these reasons:
You don’t know too much about coffee, but you want to find out more.
You do know something about coffee, perhaps more than most people, but you recognize there is so much more, and you want to understand some of that other stuff.
You want to figure out how to brew the perfect cup of coffee or shot of espresso to share with your friends and family.
You’re well-informed about coffee, but you’ve recognized you could discover more.
Icons Used in This Book
The pictures in the margins of this book are called icons, and they point out different types of information.
This icon points outs text that can enhance either your knowledge, skill, or craftsmanship.
This icons marks those helpful tidbits of info you can ponder again and again as your coffee knowledge expands.
I’ve been shocked (yes, real electricity shocked) and burned, and I call out a risk or two to help you avoid the same mistakes I’ve made. Keep an eye out for this symbol, especially in brewing.
This icon points out interesting chunks of information you can find online about different aspects of coffee.
This world of coffee can be intensely complex, but sometimes the line between knowing and geeking out needs a bit of clarification. This icon notes info that may be super interesting, but it’s not essential to understand what you need to know about everything coffee.
Where to Go from Here
This book is an easy-to-use reference. You don’t have to read it from cover to cover for it to make sense and be useful to you. Simply turn to the chapter or section that interests you and dig in. If you want an overview of all things coffee, start with Chapter 1, so you’re grounded in the big picture.
If a new café or coffee shop in your neighborhood is an imminent destination and the drink names have been a stumbling block, turn to Chapter 12. If you have an upcoming trip scheduled and coffee touring might be possible in the city in which you’re headed, check out Chapter 16 to see if your destination is on my list. Or, if you want to brew your own coffee or espresso, go to Part 5. If you’re not sure where to begin, scan the Table of Contents or index, find a topic that piques your interest, and start there. If you simply have an insatiable curiosity about some aspect of coffee beyond all the others, dive in anywhere you want.
For additional information online, check out www.dummies.com and search for the “Coffee For Dummies Cheat Sheet” to find a resource you can refer to again and again.
Part 1
Getting Started with Coffee
IN THIS PART …
Understand the basics of coffee, including where coffee beans are grown, how coffee is roasted, how you can make a great cup of coffee, and more.
Satisfy some of your most pressing questions about coffee’s taste and where it comes from.
Travel to a coffee farm and encounter a by-product of processing that isn’t coffee but reveals a key element important in modern coffee farming.
Clarify some of those coffee shop terms that may have confused you so you can simplify buying coffee.
Chapter 1
Demystifying Coffee: Just the Basics
IN THIS CHAPTER
Discovering the characteristics of coffee
Grasping a process that includes sourcing, processing, roasting, and brewing
Exploring the links that exist between coffee’s early history and the coffee world today
Seeing coffee as an agricultural product
Coffee and all that its world encompasses today can be confusing. I toss the word coffee around rather cavalierly and use it to define quite a few things — a drink, a bean, a crop, an industry. It used to be far easier, and if you’re old enough, you probably remember the biggest decision was whether you wanted cream and sugar or black. The story is quite different today as the industry has exploded and, in that growth, it has become immensely confusing. I want to make it easier so you just might start to understand it better, gain a bit more confidence with it, and in the end, enjoy that coffee experience way more.
This chapter serves as your jumping-off point into the world of coffee. Whether you like it with cream and sugar, with just a little cream, with steamed milk, with some syrup and whipped cream, or just black, you can find the basics in this chapter and then dive into the rest of this book for more details in your search of the perfect cup.
Understanding What Coffee Is (and Isn’t)
Coffee is right up near the top of the list of the most consumed beverages in the world. (It actually ranks third behind water and tea.) But before it gets to your cup, it’s a significant, globally grown agricultural crop that represents a livelihood to millions of people around the world.
Coffee is all the following:
A seed (the bean), well protected in a layered fruit (the cherry).
Put through one of a number of distinct processes in order to get to the seed at the center. Whichever process is used plays a big part in its eventual taste. (Refer to
Chapter 2
for more about the different processes and how they can affect the taste of coffee.)
An annual crop — and, like wine, a different crop every year, even if it’s from the same place. (The chapters in
Part 3
look at the different places in the world where coffee is grown.)
Significantly impacted by environmental conditions, such as temperature, rainfall, and where it grows. Refer to
Chapter 2
for more info on coffee growing and the impact the environment has on it.
Coffee isn’t any of the following:
Easy to grow.
Easy to harvest and process.
Chapter 2 explains in greater detail how coffee is grown, harvested, and processed to show you how delicate the multiple steps are that get the bean from inside the cherry.
Appreciating Coffee — from Its Past to Today
To better understand coffee today, it’s useful to look at where it came from. With a history spanning across centuries as well as the globe, coffee is more easily understood when you know some of its historical background. That history has witnessed romance, revolution, discovery, and turbulent change, all of which have led to coffee being what it is today. The following sections give you a snapshot of important historical developments that have led the coffee industry to its present state.
A world of farms and fickle crops
At its most basic, coffee is a precious miracle of nature. Although it’s scientifically classified in a rather confusing hierarchy of names, here I focus on two types of coffee crops:
Arabica:
Represents about 70 percent of what is grown and consumed around the world and is the type seen most prominently in the gourmet or specialty coffee business. Arabica is difficult to grow because it needs elevation and is easily impacted by insects and disease. Even if everything goes perfectly in a crop year, the yield with Arabica is limited. Arabica is the type that has the best taste though, with complexities and flavors that are unrivaled.
Robusta:
This would be the ideal type of coffee because it has greater yield per tree than Arabica, isn’t as susceptible to insects or disease, and grows at any elevation. Unfortunately, it’s known for its harsh taste characteristics, and even though a significant quantity is grown, processed, and consumed, it isn’t considered specialty or gourmet.
Chapter 2 digs in to the specifics of the fruit and delves deeper into the differences between Arabica and Robusta.
The cherry is picked annually, and it yields seeds. About 95 to 97 percent of the time, each fruit has two seeds; 3 to 5 percent of the time, it has a peaberry. A peaberry is the seed of a cherry that has only grown one inside. Multiple decisions regarding growing, often driven by long-standing practices, availability of water, and technology, determine how the trees are raised, how their fruit is collected, and finally how the seed inside that fruit, the coffee bean, is handled. These factors all have a significant impact on the taste of the coffee when it gets to you, the consumer.
Going back to coffee’s roots
An almost inadvertent discovery by some goats and their herdsman might just have started it all. Whether this story is truth or fable, the centuries that followed that discovery certainly saw coffee rise as a brewed beverage that inspired passionate interest and dialog.
Religious leaders, politicians, and artists played a part in the development of the beverage’s refinement and a burgeoning café society. Cultures across time and the globe seem to have been imbued with coffee and its side effects. Furthermore, industrial and cultural revolutions, coupled with the growth of coffee consumption across all demographics, put coffee at the forefront of change. An industry sprang up from those changes as entrepreneurs recognized a wide-open frontier and major opportunities. Chapter 3 examines the history of coffee — where people started drinking it and how the business of coffee started.
Examining coffee and roasting today
Coffee in modern times really began with a vision and a dream in the late 1960s. A transition occurred that involved a small group of entrepreneurs taking a different approach. Specifically they began focusing on origin (where the coffee is grown), quality, craft roasting, and taste as fundamental to their coffee work. Like many entrepreneurial adventures, that of coffee is wonderfully woven into a kind of art and science, and roasting coffee is central to and representative of that. I discuss how coffee roasting has evolved in Chapters 9 and 10.
Traveling Worldwide — Where Coffee Is Grown
I realized early in my journey with coffee that I was challenged by global geography. The equator and the continents were easy to recognize, but the names and locations of countries, borders, mountains, lakes, and streams quickly became overwhelming as I learned more about coffee. I also found that geography established connections to the perceived quality and inherent characteristics linked to taste.
Add to all that the crucial environmental elements, because growing coffee requires Mother Nature’s cooperation. The following are important aspects of climate:
Temperature
Rainfall
Soil conditions
Sun, shade, and wind
I survey these aspects in greater detail in Chapter 5. Meanwhile, the following sections look at where coffee is grown in the world to help you understand how many places coffee comes from.
Visiting the Western Hemisphere
In the Americas, coffee has been grown successfully in several countries, both large and small. Chapter 6 provides more in-depth information about these places.
Central America
Some of these smaller countries feature a few of the most noteworthy coffees and coffee success stories of the last century:
Costa Rica:
Known as the Switzerland of Central America, Costa Rica offers a perfect environment for growing coffee. Peace and neutrality have allowed for the development and growth of an envied coffee infrastructure.
Figure 1-1
shows a Costa Rican coffee farm.
El Salvador:
Societal development, the coffee industry, and cultural growth in El Salvador both benefited and suffered together over the past 25 years, and a solid but still not fully realized coffee opportunity exists there.
Guatemala:
This country is the source of some of the most exquisite and treasured coffees in the world.
Honduras:
This country has a burgeoning coffee industry and an increasing premium crop production.
Mexico:
One of the world’s top ten coffee producers, Mexico features diverse, mountainous terrain and an equally diverse range of potential flavor profiles.
Nicaragua:
Although coffee is a principal crop in Nicaragua, an opportunity remains for both increased output and better quality.
Panama:
The famed Boquete Valley, and an interest and investment in producing the Geisha varietal, have cemented Panama’s reputation for amazing coffees.
Photo by Major Cohen
FIGURE 1-1: Costa Rica has great coffee farms.
South America
An almost perfect coffee-growing climate and vast land made South America a prime spot for cultivating a relatively new crop all the way back in the 1700s. Today it’s home to Brazil and Colombia, the top coffee producers in the world for annual production. Here are countries in South American known for coffee production:
Bolivia:
A forest called the Yungas in the Andes Mountains is home to some strikingly beautiful, high-elevation coffee farms. Despite Bolivia having a past reputation for lower-quality output, the industry is watching and waiting to see what the future holds.
Brazil:
The largest coffee producer hasn’t always been the best, but Brazil has focused on fine-tuning its crops; some prodigious infrastructure efforts and a significant goal to be a top premium coffee source have spurred a resurgence.
Colombia:
Famous thanks to stellar marketing and some beautiful coffees, Colombia is thought by many to be “the most coffee” of coffees when it comes to flavor in the cup.
Ecuador:
Small farms in the Andes are producing limited quantities, but there’s currently hope for infrastructure investment, because coffee in Ecuador has considerable potential.
Peru:
A diversity of growing regions in this country has resulted in a wide variety of intriguing flavor profiles.
Venezuela:
At one time, Venezuela had a coffee output that was comparable to its high-production neighbors. However, Venezuela’s diminishing output has really taken away from the country’s coffee exports, and so most of the interesting and good-quality crop is consumed in country.
The Islands
With striking mountainous regions and situated perfectly in the tropical climate of the equatorial belt, these islands have history and heritage in coffee. Three are in the Caribbean Sea and one is in the Pacific Ocean, but all continue to have tremendous potential and some considerable pedigree as coffee growing origins:
Cuba:
Although Cuba has been growing coffee since the mid-18th century, the political situation has all but eliminated any output from what is a coffee-growing environment with true potential.
Dominican Republic:
This is another country with a long-established history of coffee farming and recognized potential for investment and renewed effort.
Hawaii:
These islands host some of the most beautiful coffee farms and celebrate production of some of the most favored and pricey coffees in the world.
Jamaica:
The famed Blue Mountains, which are located in the eastern third of the island, are home to coffee farms with a heritage that dates back to 1723 and French King Louis XV. King Louis sent three plants as a gift to Martinique, and five years later the governor of Martinique gave one of those as a gift to Jamaica’s governor.
Heading to Africa
Home to the birthplace of coffee, and centuries later some of the most powerful stories of human perseverance and resilience, Africa today is an important frontier for innovation and growth in the coffee industry. Here are the countries in Africa that are known for coffee (Chapter 7 takes a closer look at coffee in Africa).
Northeast Africa
The Great Rift Valley, Mt. Kenya, and the Ethiopian Plateau combine to establish a splendid geography for coffee production in these two countries:
Ethiopia:
The birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia is home to a long-standing, established culture that is centered on coffee and its place in community. Ethiopian coffees are some of the most exotic in the world.
Kenya:
Although not the largest in terms of output among the African coffee countries, Kenya is certainly recognized and celebrated for its unusual and often high-quality, noteworthy coffees with unique flavor characteristics all their own.
Southern Africa
This region is home to countries that are often seen as having the greatest potential in the industry, as development and innovation are alive there. Following are the main coffee producers in southern Africa:
Burundi:
An on-again, off-again approach has impacted Burundi’s coffee consistency; despite that, this small country is often the source of some unique offerings.
Congo:
Some refreshingly bright and flavorful coffees have come out of Congo in recent years.
Malawi:
Despite the fact that this country has experienced turbulence linked to political instability, Malawi still has been able to export some tasty coffees that have found their way to consumers in Europe and the United States.
Rwanda:
Highly respected for their response to the tragedy of genocide in the 1990s and the ensuing focus on coffee as a key to a brighter, more prosperous future, Rwandan coffee growers have established a reputation for producing some terrific coffees.
Tanzania:
Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru are home to some highly regarded coffee farms, and coffee plays an important role in Tanzania’s economy.
Zambia:
A small country with a growing interest in expanding its coffee industry, Zambia is another country with potential — one to be watched.
Heading to the Eastern Hemisphere
Perhaps the most remote and exotic environments for coffee growing exist in the region known as the Asia Pacific. Head to Chapter 8 for more information about coffee in Asia.
Consider coffee in the following countries:
China:
Although coffee production in China didn’t really begin in earnest until the late 1980s, what has been developed, primarily in the Yunnan Region, has been impressive, and green coffee buyers now recognize coffee from China as having huge potential.
India:
An incredibly long history of both coffee and tea production has made India a long-standing and important source of both beverages.
Indonesia:
The thousands of islands that make up Indonesia include a few that have established an enduring and respected place in the world of coffee.
Papua New Guinea:
Coffee represents an important export for Papua New Guinea, and the industry began here with the importation of coffee seeds from the Jamaican Blue Mountains in the early 1920s.
Vietnam:
The number-two coffee producer in the world, Vietnam has made progress in establishing itself as a source for quality and not just quantity over the past few decades, and so high-quality coffee exports from this country are being noted more than ever.
Yemen:
Coffee dates way back to the 6th century in Yemen. The Arabian Port of Mokha, a Yemen coffee variety called Mocha, and a drink named Mocha all contribute to the confusion, but there is no denying that Yemen has been the source of some of the greatest coffees.
ROASTING: WHERE IT STARTED
Roasting has seen some incredible technical advances in the past century. At its core, this simple concept has been developed and refined since someone, long ago, realized that the coffee seed, when roasted, ground, and steeped, created a flavorful, powerful beverage. Although that realization occurred centuries ago, the industry that developed around coffee roasting took some time to get going.
A few beans tossed in a frying pan over an open fire may seem almost too elementary, but that’s an appropriate way to think of the beginning of coffee roasting. Speed, efficiency, and quantity drove interim change until finally, a focus and prioritization to use the art and science for the best tastes have prevailed.
In Chapter 9, I dig into the history of roasting and the beginnings of the business that is coffee.
The Lowdown on Roasting Coffee
Take a raw, green seed, and heat it up until it turns a shade of brown. Sounds easy unless the seed is a coffee bean, and you begin to grasp the impact roasters can have on the end result (the flavor qualities and characteristics) as they ply their trade, a skilled combination of artistic creativity and sound science.
Here are the basics to roasting coffee:
Early roasters prioritized decisions around speed, efficiency, and economics thinking that their path from a green, raw, unroasted seed of a fruit — that is, how they might raise or lower temperature to affect the time it took to reach the color of brown they were after — was about using less fuel to heat or less time spent by the person doing the work. Not until the beginnings of specialty coffee (refer to
Chapter 4
) did roasters begin to understand and target the desired flavors by adjusting the time and temperature continuum and by all but ignoring the earlier priorities of speed, efficiency, and economics.
If great flavor is the vision and established goal, then there is neither a correct result nor a wrong one.
The entire process takes only minutes, but within that time frame are multitudes of decision points when the roaster draws on experience, an aesthetic connection to the process and intended goal, and a scientific expertise that drives confidence throughout a delicate dance with fire.
I jump deeper into the details of roasting in Chapter 10.
Examining Brewing
All the steps that have contributed to get the coffee bean expertly roasted are incomplete without a transition to a consumable and hopefully delicious beverage. Through brewing, coffee drinkers finally get what they’re after.
The following list shows some of the ways in which coffee is brewed:
Cupping:
This is the industry standard for assessing coffee.
Cupping
refers to a brewing method where precisely ground coffee is placed in contact with hot water, and extraction happens. After a carefully measured brew time, the grounds have sunk in the bowl or cup, and someone (a cupper) tastes it. Although it’s a complex, somewhat impractical method for a daily morning coffee ritual, it’s undeniably the best way to brew, compare, contrast, and eventually assess multiple coffee samples.
French press:
Perhaps the first sophisticated brewing method, French press is an extremely popular way to brew coffee. As is the case with every brewing method, this one has benefits and drawbacks.
Drip coffee:
The most ubiquitous method — because you encounter it everywhere you get coffee — drip-coffee brewing depends on gravity and a filter to deliver the end result.
Chapter 11 takes a closer look at these different brewing methods, and more.
Brewing Espresso
An amazing technological advancement in brewing developed in Italy in the early 1900s led to what is one of the most significant experiences in today’s coffee scene. In simplest terms, espresso is strong black coffee created by forcing steamy hot water through ground coffee using pressure. This list covers a few basics about espresso:
Espresso got its start in a quest for speed.
Espresso brewing involves some sophisticated gear creating a remarkably simple but small and concentrated output: a shot of espresso that’s usually 1–2 ounces.
The espresso world has the most well-known and unusual drinks and recipes.
Chapter 12 takes a closer look at the phenomenon that is espresso and more.
Examining Where Coffee Is Now
The world of coffee today belongs to you, me, and all other coffee drinkers. Whether it’s simply a desire to easily find good-tasting coffee or a desire to dig in, explore, and realize that as a consumer that your action buying a coffee or some beans can have a more worldly impact and relevance. At its core, coffee today is about people and the vision they have for a sustainable coffee future. The following sections highlight the current state of coffee.
Identifying some of the people behind the coffee industry today
All that you experience of coffee today is a result of someone’s spirit, vision, and imagination. In many cases, unsung heroes — and some well-known names, too — have impacted coffee. They’ve all demonstrated a mix of entrepreneurial vision, perseverance, and even a bit of craziness, and they’ve all inspired me.
Chapter 13 identifies some of the trailblazing companies and individuals who have played a part in making the coffee business what it is today.
Recognizing coffee’s presence today
Coffee is almost everywhere you go, and you may want to replicate both the brewed coffee and espresso experiences that you enjoy at your local coffeehouse in your own home. You may have a lot of questions, ranging from how you begin and what ingredients and gear you need. Furthermore, you may be thinking about the type of business you’re supporting with your purchase. Does it support the folks who do the work to grow the coffee? Is it considering the environmental impact of its efforts?
You may be surprised at the array of beans, brewers, grinders, kettles, and scales that are available. Any number of them may end up on your list, and you may even hunger for more.
Perhaps you want to read more — maybe a book, periodical, or blog. Perhaps your curiosity leads you to consider taking a class or classes. All these options and more are possible in today’s world of coffee. I explain coffee’s presence today in greater detail in Chapter 14.
THE COFFEE WORLD THROUGH MY EYES
I started with coffee at an early age, drank quite a lot of bad coffee in a 20-year career as a photography teacher, and landed a part-time barista job in Boston with a Seattle-based coffee start-up. Over the first seven years I experienced and learned. In 2003, I was offered an opportunity to move to Seattle and join a team of coffee educators. Coffee opened my eyes to the world.
