Where the Wild Coffee Grows: The Untold Story of Coffee from the Cloud Forests of Ethiopia to Your Cup

"Enchanting . . . An absorbing narrative of politics, ecology, and economics."--New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) Coffee is one of the largest and most valuable commodities in the world. This is the story of its origins, its history, and the threat to its future, by the IACP Award–winning author of Darjeeling. Located between the Great Rift Valley and the Nile, the cloud forests in southwestern Ethiopia are the original home of Arabica, the most prevalent of the two main species of coffee being cultivated today. Virtually unknown to European explorers, the Kafa region was essentially off-limits to foreigners well into the twentieth century, which allowed the world's original coffee culture to develop in virtual isolation in the forests where the Kafa people continue to forage for wild coffee berries. Deftly blending in the long, fascinating history of our favorite drink, award-winning author Jeff Koehler takes readers from these forest beginnings along the spectacular journey of its spread around the globe. With cafés on virtually every corner of every town in the world, coffee has never been so popular--nor tasted so good. Yet diseases and climate change are battering production in Latin America, where 85 percent of Arabica grows. As the industry tries to safeguard the species' future, breeders are returning to the original coffee forests, which are under threat and swiftly shrinking. "The forests around Kafa are not important just because they are the origin of a drink that means so much to so many," writes Koehler. "They are important because deep in their shady understory lies a key to saving the faltering coffee industry. They hold not just the past but also the future of coffee."

About the Author :
Jeff Koehler is the author of Darjeeling: The Colorful History and Precarious Fate of the World's Greatest Tea, winner of an International Association of Culinary Professionals Award and a Gourmand Award; Spain: Recipes and Traditions; Morocco: A Culinary Journey with Recipes; and La Paella: Deliciously Authentic Rice Dishes from Spain's Mediterranean Coast. His work has appeared in Saveur, Food & Wine, NPR, the Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, among others. He lives in Barcelona.

Review :
Koehler's re-creation of this lost realm--the Eden of the misnamed CoffeaAbrabica--is enchanting and tragic. His depiction of its disappearance is almost Tolkienesque . . . Koehler weaves an absorbing narrative of politics, ecology and economics. Jeff Koehler dives deep and ranges widely as he pursues an understanding of the origins of coffee, how it spread around the world from the Horn of Africa, and what lies ahead in an era of climate change and coffee rust. It reads like an engaging multimystery detective novel . . . [We] gain a rich appreciation of the bean that so many depend on every day. A deep dive into the fascinating history of coffee that meanders from the once-isolated, deep forests of Ethiopia's Kafa region to the warm embrace of your local bodega. Coffee'' path to world domination is anything but straightforward and this story might be unwieldy in the hands of a lesser talent, but Koehler is more than up to the task. A must-read for coffee enthusiasts. A wide-ranging natural history [that] illuminates the pleasures and the plight of wild coffee. Blearily sipping a morning espresso? Jeff Koehler's scientific and anthropological chronicle will lend context to your cup. Fascinating . . . Readers will walk away with a better understanding of how a local crop transformed to an essential global commodity. There's a lot more that's interesting about coffee than simply its caffeine kick . . . Jeff Koehler details the history of the beloved beverage and the impact that it has had on people all around the world. You'll see why this matters as he discusses the future of coffee and the threats we should be fighting. An informative, lively history . . . [by] a consistently agile writer . . . Both an informative work for general readers and a page-turning seminar for would-be writers of narrative nonfiction. Koehler nicely captures the natural beauty and mystery of the birthplace of Arabica coffee . . . A wonderfully informative book about a bean on which many people rely. Tracing the origin of Coffea arabica is anything but straightforward, but Koehler confidently leads readers along that winding path, taking relevant detours to reveal the bean's rich history, dedicated stewards, rise to fame, and precarious future . . . Koehler closes his flavorful history on a hopeful note, ultimately transforming this seemingly pedestrian bean into something much more magical. Well-researched . . . a mix of evocative descriptions and a scholar's eye for detail. Koehler's account of Kafa's history is a yarn to rival anything from H. Rider Haggard... his history is as stimulating as the superior caffeine he describes.