Coffee

This engaging guide traces the history, cultivation, and culture of coffee, as well as the major factors influencing the industry today. Robert Thurston provides a readable, concise overview of coffee from the time the seeds of the coffee fruit are planted to the latest ideas in roasting and making beverages. He considers cultivation and its challenges, especially climate change; new research on hybridization; the history of coffee and cultural change surrounding it around the world; devices, new and old, for making coffee drinks; the issue of organic versus conventional agriculture; and the health benefits of the brew. The first book that coffee lovers naturally will turn to, it will also appeal to anyone interested in globalization, climate change, and social justice.

Robert W. Thurston

1 INTRODUCTION 2 IN PRODUCING COUNTRIES: COFFEE FROM FARM TO PORT Where and How Coffee Grows Organic vs. Synthetic: Yes, Coffee Is Full of Chemicals Coffee Cultivation Women in Coffee Gathering and Processing the Harvest The Cost of Coffee through the Supply Chain Certification Programs: Benefits and Drawbacks Cupping (Rating and Purchasing Decisions) Climate Change 3 ROASTING COFFEE, MAKING COFFEE DRINKS Coffee Consumption around the World What Is "Sophistication"? How Coffee Spread around the Globe Roasting Making Coffee to Drink 4 COFFEE AND HEALTH, SOCIAL AND PERSONAL How Coffee Brought Social and Political Disruption to the World Coffee and Personal Health Caffeine Recent Research on Coffee and Health 5 CONCLUSION GLOSSARY NOTES INDEX ABOUT THE AUTHOR