Put your local coffee bar to the test with Coffee Basics!

With thousands of coffee bars and restaurants serving an endless variety of blends, roasts, and brews, ordering a specialty coffee drink has become as daunting a task as selecting a fine wine. How can you distinguish between great coffee and great hype? Read Coffee Basics.

Kevin Knox and Julie Sheldon Huffaker have filled this handy reference with hundreds of industry truths and trade secrets. You'll learn the fundamentals of coffee buying, brewing, and tasting; and develop an aficionado's ability to see beyond the expensive trappings of today's coffee explosion. You'll discover:

• The basic coffee facts: its origin, history, and many varieties
• Step-by-step methods for selecting, roasting, blending, and flavoring coffee "to taste"
• A coffee taster's glossary
• Simple charts showing grind progression, relative grinding times, and regional characteristics
• The scoop on decaffeinated, organic, and espresso beans
• Specialty coffee recipes
• Lists of the best sources for beans and professional equipment

Whether you make coffee at home or at a fine restaurant, Coffee Basics offers a bottomless cup of brewing knowledge and drinking pleasure.

This work offers a concise and accessible introduction to the fundamentals of good coffee, designed to serve as a practical resource for consumers, but also useful for potential brewers, servers, and sellers. It covers coffee's origins and history, its varieties and how to find good coffee.

"A coffee lover's guide to the best brews— written by two industry insiders" "Coffee Basics" is a brief, no-nonsense guide to coffee products, appreciation, and brewing. It demystifies coffee's origins and history, explores the overwhelming amount of different varieties and explains exactly how to brew the best cup. The authors describe the regional character of coffee beans from around the world and discuss a variety of roasting equipment and brewing methods for both home and restaurant. Lists mail-order sources for the best beans, plus great coffee drink recipes, tasting tips, and a complete coffee taster's glossary KEVIN KNOX (Boulder, Colorado) is a Vice President and coffee buyer for Allegro. As a beverage specialist for Starbucks he was responsible for appraisals, quality standards, recipes, training procedures, and brewing equipment. JULIE SHELDON HUFFAKER (Portland, Oregon) writes for "Cafe Ole" and "Coffee Matters" magazines.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 188-190) and index.

KEVIN KNOX, Vice President and coffee buyer for Allegro and former coffee specialist for Starbucks, is the country's leading coffee expert.

JULIE SHELDON HUFFAKER is a writer and editor who works with the specialty coffee industry.

What Is Coffee?

A Brief History of the Bean.

The Name Game: Reading Coffee Labels.

A Taster's Guide to Cupping Coffees.

Regional Character.

Roasting and Blending.

How to Brew Great Coffee at Home.

Espresso: A World Unto Itself.

Putting Restaurants to the Test.

Customizing Your Coffee.

Issues in the Marketplace.

Appendices.

Index.