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Coffee

By: Robert W. Thurston, Jonathan Morris, Shawn Steiman
Narrated by: Dan Kassis
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Summary

Coffee: A Comprehensive Guide to the Bean, the Beverage, and the Industry offers a definitive guide to the many rich dimensions of the bean and the beverage around the world. Leading experts from business and academia consider coffee's history, global spread, cultivation, preparation, marketing, and the environmental and social issues surrounding it today. They discuss, for example, the impact of globalization; the many definitions of organic, direct trade, and fair trade; the health of female farmers; the relationships among shade, birds, and coffee; roasting as an art and a science; and where profits are made in the commodity chain. Drawing on interviews and the lives of people working in the business-from pickers and roasters to coffee bar owners and consumers-this book brings a compelling human side to the story.

The authors avoid romanticizing or demonizing any group in the business. They consider basic but widely misunderstood issues such as who adds value to the bean, the constraints of peasant life, and the impact of climate change. Moving beyond simple answers, they represent various participants in the supply chain and a range of opinions about problems and suggested solutions in the industry. Coffee offers a multidimensional examination of a deceptively everyday but extremely complex commodity that remains at the center of many millions of lives. Tracing coffee's journey from field to cup, this handbook to one of the world's favorite beverages is an essential guide for professionals, coffee lovers, and students alike.

©2013 Robert W. Thurston (P)2014 Redwood Audiobooks
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Critic reviews

“This comprehensive guide to the coffee bean and the beverage itself includes contributions from leading experts in business and academia... By tracing coffee's journey from field to cup, the editor’s work to create a guide for professionals, coffee lovers, and students to help them better understand their favorite beverage.” ( Specialty Coffee Retailer)
“A gift to every coffee lover and scholar: this monumental guidebook takes the reader from seed to cup, with stops in every time and place where coffee is significant. Even coffee fanatics will find many stories and details to savor in this rich and rewarding collection.” (Richard Wilk, Indiana University)

What listeners say about Coffee

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Every subject is covered...now I understand

Chapters are introduced with subject headings so the more detailed regional reviews can be skipped if you like. Great insight and read by a calm warm voice. Great book Mr Thurston.
I'm off for a coffee...! Mikedp566@gmail.com

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A very detailed all rounder

Excellent insides into the technicalities of coffee production, brewing and the industry. I appreciated most the explanation of the different coffee related organizations and traveability facts like the US Fairtrade label. Thank you for this audiobook.

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Encyclopedic Guide

An exhaustive guide to just about everything in the world coffee industry. A large part of the book looks at each coffee producing country, one by one in painstaking detail. Chapters are also there for the history and development of the drink. A good book if you want to know all the intricate details and facts and figures. If you are looking for advice on how to make a great cup of coffee there are probably better guides available. The final chapter here, only about 15 minutes, does give some good information on making coffee, though basic details only.

The reader does a decent job, but mispronounces foreign words all over the place (not uncommon with American readers) which is a bit distracting.

Still, a good detailed guide to the coffee business and its history. After this, coffee can be your specialist subject on any quiz night.

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intense book with lots of information

managed to get through a large part of this book probably 70% of little trees more than enough to really enhance my understanding of the coffee industry. would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to learn about coffee

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Holy cow that’s boring

Gave up at chapter 3. I’ve no doubt that this is very in depth but there’s a better way to get the info across. Should’ve known better when it’s 18hours long.

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