Coffee (Penguin Handbooks)

Rating:
Summary: Best little book on coffee, ever
Review: This isn't only a book on coffee, it's a fine essay on the coffee ceremony of the Middle East. Fragrant with memory and wonderful descriptions of exotic places, it's a fun read as well as informative--just a lovely, little book.

But the real worth of this book is the listing of coffee varietals, from Abyssinian (I mean Ethiopian, but that doesn't begin with "a") to Zaire. Roden's description of the flavor of these different coffees is surprisingly accurate; we had a Costa Rican brew and checked it against her listing and found it was right on the money. If you are tempted to try a new variety at your local roaster and don't know what "saucy, yet mild" means in terms of flavor, you should refer to Roden's book instead.

There are also recipes for coffee-flavored desserts and little "to be served with the demitasse" sweets like apricot balls stuffed with pistachios. Hard to resist. So, don't.