Synopses & Reviews
From Alfred Peet's original shop on the corner of Walnut and Vine in Berkeley, to the small roasters opening each year, West Coast roasters have largely defined and refined how Americans drink and think about their morning cup of joe. They have turned a morning ritual into an obsession.
Left Coast Roast is a caffeine-fueled guide to 55 key companies in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California — from small artisan roasters like Heart, Coava, and Kuma and history-making icons like Peet's and Starbucks, to rapidly expanding shops like Portland's Stumptown and San Francisco's Blue Bottle. Profiles describe each company's background, roasting history, and style, and explain how to visit and order beans for home brewing.
A coffee primer — with notes on lingo, varieties, roasting basics, and how to brew the perfect cup — makes this an ideal guide to the coffee obsessed. Drink up!
Review
"An excellent road-trip companion. Toss it into the glove compartment before your next car trip. Whether you're headed to Bend, Ashland or San Jose, Calif., there's great coffee to discover." The Oregonian
Review
"A playground of information and art....Required reading, and not just for West Coast coffee types." Sprudge.com
Review
"A fabulous, informative read coffee aficionados will definitely want to check out. In fact, I would love to use Hanna's guide to coffee as a map for a future, very caffeinated road trip of my own!" Leela Cyd Ross, TheKitchn.com
Review
"A smartly written, info-packed book that gives coffee lovers the low-down on the businesses that have pushed roasting forward." Fresh Cup Magazine
About the Author
Hanna Neuschwander has written extensively about the coffee-roasting movement in the Pacific Northwest for publications including Portland Monthly, Willamette Week, and Edible Portland. She began her career in coffee working as a barista and has since judged regional barista competitions and written for Barista magazine.