The Devil’s Cup Coffee, the Driving Force in History
- 18 Jun 2001
- 9781841951430
- £10.99
- 240 pp
- 129×198mm
- 23 Jan 2014
- 9781847677518
- £8.79
- 240 pp
this is lively, interesting stuff, laced with dry wit and canny observations.
Stewart Lee Allen certainly delivers ... he cuts a caffeine-fuelled arc that runs from coffee's Ethiopian origins, through its Arabian distillation, across its European domestication, before terminating in a cross-country search for the worst cup of American coffee ... a funny book that takes some funny routes.
this is lively, interesting stuff, laced with dry wit and canny observations.
Stewart Lee Allen certainly delivers ... he cuts a caffeine-fuelled arc that runs from coffee's Ethiopian origins, through its Arabian distillation, across its European domestication, before terminating in a cross-country search for the worst cup of American coffee ... a funny book that takes some funny routes.
More about
the book
Can you handle mornings without a brew? No? Multiply that. Imagine an entire population under a cloud of lethargy, unable to kick start their days. Now introduce coffee. Bingo. The brain moves into over-drive and it’s time for empire building.
So goes Stewart Lee Allen’s crazy theory. Only thing is, after retracing coffee’s journey to world domination – by train, rickshaw, cargo freighter and donkey – he has plenty of evidence to back it up.
Stewart Lee Allen has filtered out the richest beans from coffee’s hot and frothy history . . . serving up a steamy, high-energy brew that will stimulate you more than a triple-strength espresso.
More about
the book
Can you handle mornings without a brew? No? Multiply that. Imagine an entire population under a cloud of lethargy, unable to kick start their days.
Now introduce coffee.
Bingo. The brain moves into over-drive and it’s time for empire building.
So goes Stewart Lee Allen’s crazy theory.
Only thing is, after retracing coffee’s journey to world domination – by train, rickshaw, cargo freighter and donkey – he has plenty of evidence to back it up.
Stewart Lee Allen has filtered out the richest beans from coffee’s hot and frothy history . . . serving up a steamy, high-energy brew that will stimulate you more than a triple-strength espresso. As they might say in Starbucks: ‘Enjoy.’
Two parts travelogue and history to one part caffeine-fuelled theory ... From the genteel cafes of Vienna to wired, late night email conversations on the internet, the book celebrates coffee's ability to sharpen the mind and give society a jolt. Not just mocha do about nothing.
I loved this informal bio of the humble cup of joe... Allen's funky history provides the answer and sets the standard.
Two parts travelogue and history to one part caffeine-fuelled theory ... From the genteel cafes of Vienna to wired, late night email conversations on the internet, the book celebrates coffee's ability to sharpen the mind and give society a jolt. Not just mocha do about nothing.
I loved this informal bio of the humble cup of joe... Allen's funky history provides the answer and sets the standard.
