From Booklist
This nation’s obsession with coffee continues to evolve. Coffee addicts who have already traded up to the latest bean grinders and brewing machines now have a new frontier to conquer: roasting their own beans. Davids’ updated edition of his earlier work addresses the technological advances that have made home roasting even more accessible. After surveying the history of coffee roasting and the machinery invented for that purpose, Davids scrutinizes the world’s coffees, comparing their varietal characteristics so that home roasters can anticipate which beans will produce coffees that best suit their tastes. His quick guide to home roasting methods clearly delineates the advantages and disadvantages of each alternat (more…)
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Coffee, Edition, Home, Paperback, Revised, Revival, Roasting, Romance, Updated
June 25th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Update: March 1, 2006
In June, 2001, I wrote about “Home Coffee Roasting”:
<quot>”This book is worth several times its purchase price for the two-page roasting chart alone. As a technically-oriented (read: geek) amateur roaster with three (3) roasters (a Hearthware Precision, an Alpenrost, and the fabulous Sonofresco fluid bed) I am constantly referring to this book to improve my art and understanding.
But, amazingly, the book — only a few years in print — is now dated, because the equipment options for the home coffee roaster have increased so much. My three roasters (or the types they represent) are not covered. That’s the only reason that I gave this 4 stars instead of 5. But if you roast coffee at home — regardless of your equipment — you need this book.
What else is missing? I’d love to see a table in the appendix covering the top 50 (or so) growing regions and rating the AVERAGE bean on acidity, sweetness, body, finish, etc, so that one has a clue where to begin when making a blend. The professional coffee roaster is cupping samples all day long, and quickly learns the characteristics of the world’s coffees. But we amateurs, buying 1, 2, or 5 lbs at a time could use a secret decoder ring that would tell us in advance what variety we should order that has a good chance of rounding out that blend that is “not quite there yet.” Short of that, David’s excellent narrative coverage in the book of different coffee characteristics will have to do.”</quot>
With the release of the “Revised, Updated Edition”, the book no longer merits the caveats I described. In particular, Davids has meticulously covered the wide range of available home — as well as cafe or semi-professional — roasting equipment, and has excellent coverage of the growing availability of equipment and green coffee sources via the Internet. After 5 years of blending and roasting many pounds per week, and as a writer, I probably could by now have almost written this, and yet I found it endlessly entertaining and informative. Someone new to the hobby will, as I said in 2001, find it indispensable.
Nice job, Ken. Here is your fifth star: “*”
June 25th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
I found this book to be very informative and useful for a novice about to start home roasting his own coffee. However, the equipment and resource sections are woefully out of date. This book was published back in 1996 and it shows; there have been many products and resources for the home roaster released into the market since then.
If you are interested in roasting your own coffee, read this book. Even though it is slightly out of date, it is full of useful information, well-written and well-presented.
June 25th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
4.0 out of 5 stars
Home Coffee Roasting: Romance & Revival
This book gives you all the basics about coffee roasting - the history of coffee, the different varietals, geographic differences, and the different roasting techniques.
June 25th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Let me start off by saying that I do not like to read at all. I rarely start books and even more rarely finish them. With this book however I read it from cover to cover in three days! A very fun book for the coffee hobbyist or anyone who would like to learn more about coffee and home coffee roasting. Not only is this book packed with history (in a fun way) it is also a wealth of reference information regarding home roasting and the overall coffee process, from plant to cup!
This book is laid out in a very easy to read format. The chapters can be long but everything is broken down into small 1-4 page sections. Kenneth Davids has a real grasp on the fundamentals of coffee production and lays out a lot of information in an easy to follow entertaining way. The book reads very well from cover to cover.
The content is not too scientific and also not too general. Whether you have no idea about anything coffee or you are a coffee hobbyist (like me) you will learn a lot and come to appreciate all that goes into a truly good cup of coffee. Davids also includes a lot of reference information laid out in a fashion that is easy to search and locate specific information such as coffee origin notes, roasting and flavor terms, roasting equipment and methods to name a few. Davids does review and discuss many of todays home roasting equipment quite well however this information is already dated. Not to worry though the total of this information represents a small portion of the total book.
Included are also a lot of drawings and diagrams. This book really captures the romance of coffee and coffee roasting and delivers it in a wonderful easy to read and use fashion. I cannot put this book down and have read and reread many parts of it. I refer to the roasting notes and procedures to assist in my home roasting. This book is as much an indispensable tool as it is an entertaining easy chair read. If you even have a slight interest in coffee then this book has a lot to offer!
June 25th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very informative
This book had the hidden answers I’d been searching for.
It has really helpful information on how to build a coffee blend, how to understand different processing methods and…
June 26th, 2009 at 5:19 am
5.0 out of 5 stars
I’m now roasting coffee
The thought of actually roasting coffee was intimidating. Kenneth Davies not only made the process possible for, me he did it with the kind of good writing that makes complex…
June 26th, 2009 at 8:40 am
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent source for the new home roaster!!
Hands down, the second best way to learn about home roasting! My copy is dog eared and well worn. I refer to it, WAY BEYOND Alot!
June 26th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good place to start
As a novice, this is a great book to start exploring coffee roasting. Easy to follow and very informative.
June 26th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
5.0 out of 5 stars
wonderful book
I plan to start roasting my own coffee and was told to read this book first. I did, and that was good advice. It’s very readable and full of excellent reference material.
June 26th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
5.0 out of 5 stars
Romancing this book
Great history. I learned a lot from this book. I would recommend it to anyone that is alreaday roasting coffee.
June 26th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
5.0 out of 5 stars
Coffee roasting, explained
Although my coffee roasting apparatus (homemade) is not included in this book,
virtually all of the commercial roasters, and some homemade, are, and
in great detail…
June 27th, 2009 at 3:45 am
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dated, only for the true beginner
If you have other books by the same author,pass this one. Roasting techniques and stylesare to be found on various web sites with muchgreater detail.
June 27th, 2009 at 8:59 am
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Literary Love Affair with Coffee
Ken Davids has put into words what every coffee lover feels! His verbalization of the passion coffee lovers hold for the object of their affection is perfect.