- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co; Revised edition edition (Mar 19 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1576300609
- ISBN-13: 978-1576300602
- Product Dimensions: 24.1 x 16.3 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 249 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
If coffee from a can or jar is your idea of purgatory, The Joy of Coffee is the book for you. Its author, Corby Kummer, originally came to the subject of coffee while writing a series of articles for the Atlantic Monthly, and he found so much to say about the bean that he decided to write a book. Kummer began with some basic questions: "What matters most in buying coffee? How can you sort through the jumble of place names and whimsical labels on beans and blends? Is a dark roast better, more sophisticated, than a light roast? Is it essential to grind coffee beans at home?" What he learned in response to these queries comprises the bulk of The Joy of Coffee.
Starting with a tour of a coffee plantation and ending in the reader's own kitchen, Kummer leads a lively and informative discussion of all phases of coffee production, from harvesting to roasting to brewing. He discusses different roasts and the different types of coffeemakers, and he even talks about caffeine consumption and methods of decaffeination that preserve the bean's flavor. At the end of The Joy of Coffee is a chapter chock full of recipes for tasty treats that either go well with coffee or include it as an ingredient. Like a great cup of Joe, The Joy of Coffee is good to the very end.
From Booklist
With coffee bars springing up on every urban corner, this engrossing guide couldn't arrive at a better moment. Kummer writes on food for the Atlantic very well, thanks, because he injects his own physical experience with his subjects into the exposition. Here, he takes us through the coffee bean's progress from tree to tummy, eyewitness-style. He tells us what it's like to pick coffee because he went and picked it, what it's like to cup coffee (the method by which roasted beans are qualitatively sorted) because he cupped with the pros, what it's like roasting coffee because he tried it at home as well as scrutinized it being done as a business, etc. He analyzes and advises on grinding and brewing methods; he appreciates espresso and its appurtenances; he describes the coffees of different growing countries; he discusses caffeine and its health effects; and then, he wraps the book up with coffee-complementary dessert recipes and a resource section. Kummer's Baedeker of the exquisitely bitter brew is, as the old slogan says, good to the last drop. Ray Olson
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
A good plug for La Minita, otherwise worthless,
By LT (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Joy of Coffee: The Essential Guide to Buying, Brewing and Enjoying (Paperback)
Wow, a page-filling 5.5-by-5.5 photograph of a Krups propeller mill dominates page 74. Wait, there's more: on page 116 you'll find an equally imposing photograph of a Krups steam-operated coffee maker. (There's no need for a pump, it's so clever.) This book, essentially worthless to those interested in espresso, is completely oblivious to some famous ways of making coffee. There is no mention of café cubano and there is no mention of the traditional ways to prepare the famous Hungarian dupla....
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book but a question,
By
This review is from: Joy of Coffee: The Essential Guide to Buying, Brewing and Enjoying (Paperback)
My husband and I both enjoyed reading Joy of Coffee, and the suggestions for improving our coffee life were interesting and helpful. Kummer's prose makes us smile, but I tried making his recipe for mocha brownies and found them, well, awful--thin and sticky little bars with ground coffee residue on top. I wondered if something was incorrect about the directions, proportions or the ingredients in the recipe. I'd love a response if anyone knows. Thanks.
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book lives up to its title.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Joy of Coffee: The Essential Guide to Buying, Brewing and Enjoying (Paperback)
Like most caffiene addicts I routinely start my day with a cup of coffee. And since the coffee I made at home was never as good as the coffee I could purchase just about anywhere else I would force myself to drive to a nearby coffee shop no matter how inconvenient or expensive this might be.Since I was devoting a great deal of time and money to this quest I decided to purchase Korby Cummer's The Joy of Coffee thinking that the investment would eventually result in a better home brew. Happily, the plan worked. "Joy" is an incredibly detailed, thorough book which begins with the author traveling to Costa Rica to pick beans and includes descriptions of the various means of roasting, grinding, and and brewing. There is a chapter on Espresso and another chapter examining the health effects of caffeine. The author spends time demystifying coffee terms and compares coffees from around the world. He writes about the advantages and disadvantages of various coffeepots and includes a source guide and a glossary. But the book is not only comprehensive-- the writing is engaging. Mr. Kummer also includes forty tempting recipes. I baked the "marvelous mocha cupcakes" which the author says are "wonderful"-- sorry, but I didn't think they were better than "very good"-- in fairness the comments "scrumptious" and "amazing" were elicited by two of my friends who generously agreed to sample them. They lasted one night. I also baked his "unbeatable biscotti". They were excellent-- very crispy and light-- they lasted two nights. Naturally, I drink them with coffee I brewed from my new pot-- at home. An excellent companion piece is "Glass Paper Beans" which eloquently describes something we would normally take for granted each day, in this case lingering over a cup of coffee at the local cafe. The author, Leah Hager Cohen, describes what is really involved when we sip our brew while browsing the local paper. She introduces us to the the family who picks the beans, the man who cuts the trees to provide the wood pulp for the newspaper and a woman who works at the glass factory and helps to make the glass that holds the coffee. After reading Ms. Cohen you will never take your daily cup for granted and Mr. Kummer will tell you how to fix that cup in your own home.
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