Uncommon Grounds The History Of Coffee And How It Transformed Our World EXCELLENT, BUT NEEDS UPDATING – AL – Waverly, Tenn
The 4 star rating is only because the book is a little out of date in places. In 1999 I would have given it 5 stars.
This is an excellent history, but needs a 2nd edition. A lot has happened in the last 10 years. For instance in 2009, coffee made news as Starbucks had to close some of its shops because of the recession. Also it’s now easier to find organic & Fair Trade coffee. I wish he would have dealt more with the ads that occured over the years. I didn’t start drinking coffee until recently, but I never forgot the Maxwell House percolator tune, Mrs. Olsen, or the “IF I DON’T GET AMERICAN ACE COFFEE, I’M GOING BACK TO BED” commercials. By the way, the man in the A.Ace. firing squad commercial in Mexico was one of Elvis Presley’s back up singers. I was once addicted to TV & so I remember the commercials very well. The book is depressing @ times (when you read abt the coffee farmers), but I recommend it highly.
If you want an in depth, detailed look at the history of coffee, this is a great book to pick up. From its discovery in Africa, to how it became the second largest export in the world (with oil being the first); from plantation to cup, and everything in between, this book covers it all. It even describes the evolution of brewing techniques, instant coffees, and coffee marketing, weaving the history of coffee in with the history of world.
I work in the coffee industry as a barista. I picked up this book in the hopes to learn a bit more about what I was serving to people, and possibly get a nice foundation for if I ever decide to go into roasting. I must admit, I got a lot more than I expected with this book. Did you know that in early history of the middle east, a woman could initiate a divorce if her husband did not have enough coffee in the household? I certainly didn’t.
This book is not as exciting as some other readers seem to think it should be. That’s fair, but I think the history of coffee should speak for itself, and in this case it does. Also, if you want the history AND an academic critique of the history, look elsewhere. In my opinion, the book is just long enough, and has enough information to last the reader at least a few weeks of caffeine consumption.
My one complaint, and the reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5, is that this book is very America Centric. Not just the U.S., but South America as well. That is not to say that it doesn’t cover the rest of the world. It does, and in great detail. But the concentration is on the U.S. and Central/South America. Here’s an example: somewhere in the first half of the book, the author spends a great deal of time speaking of pre-depression era coffee consumption in the U.S., then mentions in the last paragraph of the section how Germany at that time was actually the leader in coffee drinking countries. But he doesn’t spend nearly the amount of time on that as he does in the U.S.
Granted, I’m nowhere near an expert on the history of coffee in other countries, so maybe there isn’t that much to tell. However, given how intricate and complex the story of coffee is in the States, my impression is that a lot was missing in Pendergrast’s account of coffee in other parts of the world. Other than that one tiny complaint – and believe me, the wonderfulness of the book (and its sizable length), do make the complaint a small one – I thought this was a great and informative read. : “Pendergrast has served up a rich blend of anecdote, character study, market analysis, and social history…everything you ought to know about coffee is here.”
-New York Times
The first comprehensive business and social history of coffee, which describes how coffee has dominated and molded the economies, politics, and social structures of entire countries. Pendergrast’s scrupulously researched and lively anecdotal history provides a window through which to view broader themes of modern-day media and marketing, the rise of mass production, colonialism, women’s issues, and international commodity schemes. Since its discovery in an Ethiopian rainforest centuries ago, coffee has brewed up a rich and troubled history, according to Uncommon Grounds, a sweeping book by business writer Mark Pendergrast. Over the years, the beverage has fomented revolution, spurred deforestation, enriched a few while impoverishing the many, and addicted millions with its psychoactive caffeine. Coffee is now the world’s second most valuable legal commodity, behind oil, according to Pendergrast, who is also author of For God, Country, and Coca-Cola.
“A good cup of coffee can turn the worst day tolerable, can provide an all-important moment of contemplation, can rekindle a romance,” he writes. “And yet, poetic as its taste may be, coffee’s history is rife with controversy and politics.” For example, coffee bankrolled Idi Amin’s genocidal regime in Uganda and the Sandinistas’ revolution in Nicaragua. Uncommon Grounds provides some fascinating tidbits. Did you know that coffeehouses helped spawn the French and American revolutions? Or that coffee supplanted alcohol as a favorite breakfast drink in Britain in the late 1600s, and later became a patriotic American beverage after the Boston Tea Party? Pendergrast also details the rise and fall of regional coffee brands in the United States, the role of advertising in the industry, the global economic impact of coffee prices, and the recent emergence of specialty-coffee retailers–Starbucks, for example. Finally, he explores the social and environmental ramifications of coffee and highlights recent attempts to encourage a livable wage and environmental protection in coffee-producing nations such as Brazil. Pendergrast also includes an appendix on “how to brew the perfect cup.” This wide-ranging book is a good read for those curious about the history and context behind that morning cup of coffee, as well as for those strictly interested in the business side of the industry. –Dan Ring
Uncommon Grounds The History Of Coffee And How It Transformed Our World
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