About the Author, Jon Thorn: from the cover, "Jon Thorn is a prolific food journalist working in London. He has written for a wide range of publications including A La Carte, Vogue, and Good Food Retailing, and has his own monthly magazine column on tea and coffee. He is the author of The Good Cellar Guide: How to Buy and Store Wine for Pleasure and Profit.
Summary: The Coffee Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide is the perfect book for those just getting started in the coffee world. It has the historical anecdotes, the preparation techniques, and the industrial insight to make anyone mildly interested in coffee an instant expert. The language is very readable and the narrative intriguing. Also, there are many full color photos, illustrations, and text boxes that make it worth the buy if you only have time to browse. I could not recommend this book more highly. It is a classic for the coffee enthusiast.
Copyright: 2006 by Quintet Publishing Limited, Paperback 2nd edition
Pages: 160
Cover Price: $18.95 in the US, $23 in Canada
Chapter-by-Chapter: Part One: The Story of Coffee
The Secret Spreads: Thorn recounts the journey of coffee from Ethiopia to Arabia in 575 AD and then to the rest of the world beginning in the early 1600s.
What is Coffee?: Thorn describes the botanical elements of coffee and then proceeds to describe in detail how the coffee is harvested, processed, and exported.
Tasting Coffee: Thorn describes how coffee is tasted by connoisseurs and introduces some of the professional terminology.
Roasting Coffee: Thorn describes how coffee is roasted by master roasters and introduces some of the professional terminology.
Grinding Coffee: Thorn describes how quality coffee is ground for various brewing methods.
Making Coffee: Thorn discusses the uses of different brewing methods (drip, french press, espresso) as well as the professional techniques of baristas in specialty coffee shops.
Buying Coffee: Thorn gives advice on what to look for when purchasing whole beans as well as how to handle and store them once purchased.
Coffee Around the World: Thorn discusses the culture of coffee and how it is consumed in Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, Africa, and the United States, as well as incorporating a brief discussion on the history and impact of Starbucks.
Part Two: Global Coffee Directory -- includes detailed information on how coffee is grown, processed, and marketed in the major coffee origins of the world.
Central America and the Carribean: Costa Rica, Cuba, The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico
South America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Peru, Venezuela
Africa: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Cong, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda, St. Helena, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Asia: China, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Phillipines, Vietnam
Australia and the Pacific Rim: Australia, Hawaii, Papua New Guinea
At the end of his book, Thorn also includes a Useful Links page, including Institutions and Coffee Bodies, Sustainable and Ethical Coffee Organizations, Reference, Consumer Advice, Equipment Retail Sites, and Roaster and Retail Sites, as well as a general glossary of terms throughout his book.
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