“From Ethiopia to Panama to Portland, journalist Weissman shadows today’s vanguard ‘coffee guys’ in their pursuit of the perfect, caffeinated beverage… Tagging along behind the main characters in today’s specialty coffee scene, [she] travels from the exotic to the expected to artfully deconstruct the connoisseur’s cup of coffee.”
– Publishers Weekly
“This book is a love story. I went out one day to do some reporting, and I fell in love with specialty coffee and the people – especially the people – who populate this lively realm.” So begins Journalist Michaele Weissman as she journeys around the globe in the company of the world’s best known gourmet coffee buyers, seeking out the growers, roasters, exporters, baristas and coffee shop owners who are revolutionizing the high-end coffee industry.
GOD IN A CUP: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Coffee ( Wiley Hardcover; $24.95; May 12, 2008 ) is a smart, fast-paced narrative about the burgeoning high-end coffee business and the unlikely young entrepreneurs who are rewriting the rules of the coffee trade and altering what the culinary world expects from a cup of coffee.
Weissman begins with Esmeralda, a rare bean from Panama that sold at auction in 2007 for an unheard of $130 a pound wholesale – Esmeralda’s roots trace back to Ethiopia, where coffee evolved tens of thousands of years ago. Curious about this mythic coffee and hungry to know more about the 30-something entrepreneurs whose energy and anti-authoritarian spirit is shaping the specialty coffee business, Weissman set off on a year-long adventure. She tagged along on the travels of two of the most respected young coffee buyers in the world – Peter Giuliano of Counter Culture Coffee and Geoff Watts of Intelligentsia Coffee, journeying with them to Nicaragua, Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia. Later, she crisscrossed the United States, learning about espresso and coffee roasting, visiting elite specialty roasters, attending a barista competition, and exploring the hipper than hip café culture.
Weissman visits Durham, North Carolina, home of Counter Culture, a roasting company devoted to teaching students, chefs, and foodies the secrets of high-end coffee while wholesaling beans to the hottest coffee bars and restaurants up and down the East Coast. She travels to Chicago to track the progress of Intelligentsia, which will go anywhere and spend any amount to acquire the best beans and is now engaged in a high-stakes gamble to conquer the Los Angeles market. And she visits Portland, Oregon, home base of what many consider the ultimate purist specialty coffee company, Stumptown, owned by the rock-and-roll coffee roaster some consider the most cutting edge in the world, Duane Sorenson.
Her travels span the entire coffee chain – from farm to café, from producer to consumer, from poverty to wealth from coffee cherry to roasted bean. Along the way, she attends a coffee cupping competition in Nicaragua, meets an Ismaili trader working to revive the Yemen’s coffee trade, is present as the poorest nation on earth privatizes its coffee industry, and she spends time in Panama with the growers of the fabulous Esmeralda who help her fathom this alluring coffee’s unique genetic and culinary characteristics. Rarely does a journalist get so close to the people and the companies that are driving a fast growing, ever-changing business.
God in a Cup takes coffee lovers into a rich, aromatic world they never imagined, providing an unparalleled and detailed look at the people and passions behind today’s quality-obsessed, super-premium coffee culture.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Michaele Weissman is a journalist and author who writes about food, families, business, and American culture. Her work appears frequently in publications such as the New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. Her previous books include A History of Women in America.
| For more information, contact: David Greenberg 201-748-6625 dgreenbe@wiley.com |
GOD IN A CUP By Michaele Weissman Wiley; May 2008; $24.95 ISBN: 978-0-470-17358-9; Hardcover  |
