Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World by Mark Pendergrast

(Basic Books, 2010)

Have you ever wondered how humans first discovered that coffee was a really good thing? It all came about with the help of some goats. Folklore has it that an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi noticed his goats becoming very frisky and dancing about after they ate some berries. Kaldi followed their example and was hooked.

Since its publication in 1999, Mark Pendergrast’s Uncommon Grounds has been recognized as the definitive history of coffee. As a result, the book, released in its 2nd edition in 2010, has spawned many more books, documentaries and research on the social, environmental and economic impact of coffee.

While giving the reader a history of the production, trade and consumption of coffee, Pendergrast sheds light on issues of colonization, slavery, health scares, the branding of coffee, fair trade coffee, and environmental impact. An epic story full of colorful characters, illustrative anecdotes and quotations laid out in a friendly and engaging way, it’s a book to savor with your favorite “cuppa joe.”

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