Coffee: A Dark History

Just an excellent review and analysis of the coffee industry and its influence on the worlds history behind the scene.

Quite a fascinating history of this fabulous brew. Lots of it not so pretty. I am also much more discerning where I buy my coffee now.

A very enjoyable history of coffee. Some of the reviews before this book scared me the author might just talk about himself… I did not find this to be true. There is a bit too much conspiracy theory in the tail end for me… but skeptical googling didn’t disprove any of it. I think imagery and maps could help add to the visualizing of some of the locations and timelines of the book. I definitely have a new appreciation for types of coffees and as a result of reading have started to experiment with different brewing styles, as well as paying more attention to bean types and blends.

This book is very interesting in its historical and technical data. It is entertaining, BUT when Mr. Wild starts with his political ideological rants and begins brainwashing, I had to stop reading and erase Mr. wild from any future reading...........too much editorializing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you like history like I do, you will love this book

Upon seeing the prevailing negativity of the reviews I am inspired to leave a short comment on my experience of this book. It has been several years since I read it and I no longer even have my copy (Loaned it to a friend who was investing in a coffee roasting venture). So I cannot cite any specifics about this book. I have not read etensively on the subject and cannot remark about the veracity of Wild's claims. However the complaints that it reads like a textbook or that it is biased against the rich or anti-american seem unfounded and unfair. My experience was this: when I read the ambitious intro I remember thinking, this guy will never be able to pull this off! And I felt after reading it that he was quite successful in his ambitions to discuss the many complex issues around this essential brew. Lastly I will say tht by reading his book I was inspired to try to roast my own beans. Thanks to his explanation of the process my wife and I were able to do so with absolutely perfect results! (Used a hot air pop corn popper- discovered these papery thin skins came off in the process so we learned to put the popper in a very large bowl for them to settle down into. Smells like bloody h*ll, by the way, until about 3 or 4 hours later.) Very glad I read this book.

It has been a few years since I read this book. I was living in Paris at the time and am now living in Florence, Italy. The book came up a few times in conversation and I've recommended it to friends. I am a coffee addict and have hunted out the best wherever I've been. Fascinated by the history of the brew it has been immensely useful to be able to discuss the contents of this book with various baristas wherever I travel. Immensely interesting contexts and I loved the personal twist that My Wild gives the topic. It makes it all the more interesting to search for verification or contradiction. An immensely interesting read. Thank you Mr Wild.

The book is a great start for people interested in learning about the history of coffee, however the author decided to steer in a direction away from coffee into politics, unproven economic theories and history that may be very interesting if found in another publication but not keeping up with the central theme of the book. For example, I learned more about the island of St Helen than I did about the evolution of coffee in Europe and Middle East. I would have loved to deep dive into the coffee culture of Naples and Turkey but instead I spent hours reading about the struggle of farmers in Latin America and guerrilla training provided by american forces.