Black as Hell, Strong as Death, Sweet as Love – A Coffee Travel Guide by Steven P. Unger
Publisher: Robert D. Reed Publishers
Genre: Non-Fiction, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by AstilbeBLACK AS HELL, STRONG AS DEATH, SWEET AS LOVE: A Coffee Travel Guide, is the first and only book to trace coffee consumption from its origins in prehistory to becoming the world’s second-most-valuable commodity after oil—and to pair this history with replicable, affordable Coffee Experiences that provide a unique approach and added value to the readers’ destinations, no matter how many times they’ve been there before. This book is a multi-genre travel book with unique historical insights that immerse the reader in the culture of a country or city through the lens of the destination’s deep relationship with coffee. No other travel book has ever provided the kind of total immersion into a country or city—through histories, travel directions, one-of-a-kind photos, and recipes—that BLACK AS HELL, STRONG AS DEATH, SWEET AS LOVE: A Coffee Travel Guide, delivers in every chapter.
Coffee makes everything better.
Some of my favorite passages in this book were the ones that described how various cultures read people’s fortunes based on how the coffee grounds settle in the bottom of their cup. This was something I’d only ever heard about being done with tea leaves, so I was intrigued to find out what rituals and cultural expectations were associated with this form of predicting the future.
I also loved learning about what has been added to coffee both historically as well as in our current time. Milk and sugar were the most common answers, of course, but human beings are far too creative to stop there. As someone who prefers sweeter and milder doses of caffeine, it was interesting to read about the other options out there and how they’re ground up, dried, frozen, baked, or otherwise prepared for the perfect cup of joe.
Mr. Unger achieved the perfect balance of giving readers an overview of the history and cultural mores of coffee from all over the world while also keeping the pacing moving forward steadily. There were bibliographies provided at the end of each section for readers who, for example, might want to learn more about how coffee is served in Ethiopia or Hawaii in particular. This was a great way to share deeper information with readers who wanted it while also sticking to the highlights for those who preferred to read a little bit about every region featured here.
Black as Hell, Strong as Death, Sweet as Love – A Coffee Travel Guide made me want to run to the nearest coffee shop. Yum!
