Mark Pendergrast

Mark Pendergrast's study is a sprightly, yet thoroughly scholarly history of America's favorite hot beverage. From its roots in the sixth-century century to its critical role in shaping the nations of Central and Latin America, coffee commerce is thoroughly explored. The pleasures of the coffee bean were first discovered in the mountains of Ethiopia by goat herders. Arab traders took coffee to Europe. There it became such a seventeenth-century sensation that imperial plantations were soon established around the world to grow it: from Java (a Dutch colony) to Brazil (a Portuguese colony) to Haiti (a French colony). Thus began several centuries of coffee worker enslavement to coffee profiteers. Afraid of leftist rebellion in Latin America and eager for low-cost coffee, the US has actively supported these oligarchies. This book explores the disturbing economic inequalities behind the coffee cup, analyzing how the boom-and-bust cycles of the coffee harvest effects nations like Brazil, Colombia, and Costa Rica. It also traces the rise of names like Maxwell House, Folgers, and Hills Brothers and documents how the gourmet coffee movement emerged. Should prove enlightening to anyone curious about what goes into their daily grind, and how it has grown from motivating Arabic hospitality to fueling the mighty Starbuck's empire.