The Birth of Coffee

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!

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.