An engaging, informative look at one of the most popular products in the world. Jammed full of facts, figures, cartoons, and commentary, The Coffee Book covers coffee from its first use in Ethiopia in the 6th century A.D. to the dramatic rise of Starbucks and other specialty retailers in the 1990s. Written with verve and filled with little-known facts, the book explores the process of cultivation, harvesting, and roasting from bean to cup; surveys the social history of café society from the first coffeehouses in Constantinople to Renaissance French cafés to beatnik havens in Berkeley and Greenwich Village; and tells the dramatic story of international trade and speculation for a product that can make or break entire national economies. The book also examines the industry's major players -- General Foods, Nestlé, Proctor & Gamble -- revealing how they have systematically reduced the quality of the bean and turned a much-loved product into a lifestyle. Finally, The Coffee Book considers the exploitation of labor and damage to the environment that mass cultivation causes, and explores the growing "conscious coffee" market and "fair trade" movement.