Home Coffee Roasting: Romance & Revival by Kenneth Davids
Manufacturer:
Varies
Quality:
9
Average Price:
Varies
Usability:
9
Price Paid:
$9.00
Cost vs. Value
9
Where Bought:
amazon.com zshops
Aesthetics
9
Owned for:
1 month
Overall
9
Writer's Expertise:
I love coffee
Would Buy Again:
No
Similar Items Owned:
Bottom Line:
Needs a new revised edition, but still worth buying.
Positive Product Points
This is a good overview of the history, tradition and process of roasting. It's a fine starting point for new roasters.
Negative Product Points
The book was written before a lot of relevant products existed, so they're not covered. The sources in the back are similarly dated.
Detailed Commentary
This was the only book that came up in a search for "coffee roasting" at Amazon, so I bought it. I'm glad I did. There is a lot of good information in here about bean origins, the history and science of roasting, and how to roast using several different methods.
The big drawback is that there's no mention of things like the Alpenröst, HWP or FreshRoast, because the book was published before they existed. There's plenty about stovetop and popper roasting, though.
The part I enjoyed the most was the regional breakdowns. Naturally, he had to be general when describing coffees from a given country or continent, but I think he did a good job of giving a basic idea what to expect from beans of many nations.
Buying Experience
Amazon is always easy, what can I say. One click and it was mine.
