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Book Reviews

Coffee At Events eBook Review

by Mike on January 4, 2010 in Book Reviews

Looking to get into the coffee business, but don’t have the money to invest in opening up a brick and mortar coffee shop? Coffee At Events, an eBook might have the solution for you. It’s a guide to starting your own mobile coffee business.

I’ll admit that owning my own coffee truck wasn’t part of my game plan in 2010, but when the author offered me a review copy, I decided to take a look and see if it was worth passing on to you guys and gals. After reading through it this weekend, I definitely think it’s worth checking out if you’re interested in starting your own mobile coffee business. In fact, I think it’s a must read if you want to start your own coffee shop on wheels.

Coffee@Events: A Guide to Setting Up and Operating a Mobile Coffee Business is a 128 page eBook for anyone wanting to set up a business selling coffees at outdoor events, with a focus on specialty or what the author calls real coffee.

Jack Harrison is a coffee industry veteran of more than twenty years and wrote the book to share his experiences and knowledge with perspective business owners. He believes that by following his advice it’s possible to make a very profitable business selling coffee.

The eBook is hands on and practical guide to starting your own coffee house on wheels. It covers all of the details from what kind of coffee grinders to buy to maximizing profit without losing quality. My favorite parts are when he talks about the finer details of making good coffee and when he talks about the finer details of dealing with shady event organizers.

The only thing that I didn’t like about this eBook is that it made me want to start my own coffee business. Unfortunately for you guys, I’m probably going to stick to blogging for now.

The price for the eBook is only £3.99 or about $6.50 in dollars. I expected the price to be a lot higher for this guide, but at the price even if I was just curious about starting my own coffee business, it would be a tiny investment that I couldn’t pass up. That’s less than the price of two white chocolate mochas at Starbucks.

Visit their website to learn more or you can follow them on Twitter at @CoffeeAtEvents.

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Coffee Books – 2009 Holiday Guide

by Mike on December 9, 2009 in Book Reviews

The Coffee Companion: A Connoisseur's Guide

I’m the type of person that’s always reading a book or two. There’s more than a few books about coffee on my bookshelf. Reading about coffee, probably isn’t as exciting as drinking coffee, but books make great presents.

Below are some of the books that I’ve read and some books that I’d like to read. Included the descriptions and reviews, to make it easier to choose that perfect gift.

Are there any coffee books that’s on your list? Or coffee books that you’ve read and consider a must read?

Books I’ve Read

These are all books that I’ve read over the past year. They’ve all helped me learn aided me along in my education about my favorite drink.

The Perfect Cup: A Coffee Lover’s Guide To Buying, Brewing, And Tasting
By Timothy J Castle
$14.49 At Amazon

Coffee in America has undergone a revolution in the last decade, and here is the book that both chronicles the change and offers state-of-the-art information on everything from the bean itself to the aesthetics of brewing and appreciating the perfect cup. The book features sections on the world’s specialty coffees, the best methods for brewing coffee, tips on buying coffee, and over two dozen recipes featuring coffee.

Coffee: A Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Enjoying
By Kenneth Davids
$12.21 at Amazon

Now in its latest revised edition, Kenneth Davids’s comprehensive and entertaining “Coffee: A Guide to Buying, Brewing and Enjoying,” remains an invaluable resource for anyone who truly enjoys a good cup of coffee. It features updated information and definitions, a history of coffee culture, tips on storing and brewing, and other essential advice designed to improve the coffee experience. Coffee lovers everywhere will welcome this lively, complete guide to the fascinating world of America’s national beverage.

The Coffee Companion: A Connoisseur’s Guide
By John Thorn
$14.78 at Amazon

With a Starbucks on nearly every corner and a Mr. Coffee in nearly every home, it is an understatement to say that coffee is a well-rooted part of American cuisine. And while 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed each year worldwide, it might seem that coffee consumption would be at a plateau, but its desirability is at an all-time high. In The Coffee Companion, coffee lovers will find a thoroughly spectacular guide to help them continue their coffee consumption, with only the best coffees of the world. This richly illustrated guide describes and rates more than 150 coffees from around the world, including tips on roasting, grinding, and blending beans to create the perfect brew. For the true connoisseur, there’s also an in-depth coverage of estate coffees plus expert guidance on tasting coffee properly. Top it off with a delectable collection of recipes for classic coffee drinks. Not just an indispensable book for coffee lovers everywhere, The Coffee Companion is a visual hymn to all (the best) things coffee.

Books On My Reading List

Some books that I’m hoping to see under my Christmas tree this year.

Uncommon Grounds The History Of Coffee And How It Transformed Our World
By Mark Pendergast
$14.36 at Amazon

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.

I Love Coffee!: Over 100 Easy and Delicious Coffee Drinks
By Susan Zimmer
$11.55 at Amazon

In I Love Coffee! coffee connoisseur Susan Zimmer shares expert advice and techniques, from how to brew the perfect cup and how to make a basic cappuccino without a machine to a World Barista Latte Art Champion’s tips for making masterful latte art designs. It is brimful with a wealth of coffee understanding from the “ground” up, from bean to cup, including international coffees and brewing techniques best suited to a variety of preferences, all topped off with plenty of problem-solving tips and delectable full-color photographs.

The Coffee Book: Anatomy of an Industry from Crop to the Last Drop
By Gergory Dicum
$11.53 at Amazon

The Coffee Book is jammed full of facts, figures, cartoons, and commentary covering coffee from its first use in Ethiopia in the sixth century to the rise of Starbucks and the emergence of Fair Trade coffee in the twenty-first. The book explores the process of cultivation, harvesting, and roasting from bean to cup; surveys the social history of café society from the first coffeehouses in Constantinople to beatnik havens in Berkeley and Greenwich Village; and tells the dramatic tale of high-stakes international trade and speculation for a product that can make or break entire national economies. It also examines the industry’s major players, revealing how they have systematically reduced the quality of the bean and turned a much-loved product into a commodity and lifestyle accoutrement, ruining the lives of millions of farmers around the world in the process.

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What I’m Reading – The Perfect Cup

May 28, 2009 Book Reviews

I’ve been drinking coffee for years, but I never really knew much about what I put into my cup until last year. I only knew that I liked the taste and that it kept me awake.
In the last year, I’ve read every blog and a few books along the way, learning anything that I could [...]

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