Sample Table of Contents
​​

• Introduction  

• A Note to the Newcomer  

PART I: THE FOUNDATION 

• Why Specialty Coffee  

• The Seeds of History: Coffee Origin and Journey  

• Ethiopia, the Birthplace  

• Arabica and Robusta  

• Early Consumption  

• Yemen and the First True Coffee Drink  

• Europe’s First Coffeehouses 

• Sri Lanka’s Switch to Tea  

• Common Coffee Diseases  

• Brewing Innovation  

• The Price of Coffee 

• Living Traditions  

• The Stage Is Set  

• Riding the Waves: From Commodity to Craft  

• First Wave: Coffee as a Fuel  

• Second Wave: Coffee as an Experience 

• Third Wave: Coffee as a Craft 

• Fourth Wave: Coffee as a Science  

• On the Horizon: A Fifth Wave?  

• From Seed to Sip: Coffee Terroir, Species, and Processing  

• From the Beginning: Taxonomy  

• Species: The Foundation  

• Varieties: Natural Evolution and Human Design 

• Terroir: Coffee’s Sense of Place  

• The Coffee Fruit 

• Harvesting Coffee  

• Processing: From Fruit to Export  

• Milling  

• How Much Coffee Makes It to Your Cup?  

• The Value Chain: The Cost of a Journey  

• Risk at Every Turn  

• Where Does the Money Go?  

 

PART II: THE SCIENCE 

• The Chemistry of Coffee: Roasting and Flavor Development 

• Coffee’s Chemistry as a Food  

• Death Before Decaf?  

• From Green to Brown: The Chemistry of Roasting  

• The Evolution of Coffee Roasters  

• Green Defects  

• Managing Green Beans Prior to the Roast  

• Controlling the Roast  

• The Roasting Process  

• Roasting Defects  

• Troubleshooting Your Roast  

• The Importance of Roast Level  

• Single Origin vs. Blends  

• Cupping as a Roast Master  

• Home Roasting  

• Water: The Unsung Hero  

• The Big Three: Hardness, Alkalinity, pH  

• Water for Coffee  

• Water and Grounds: The Perfect Team  

• The Science of Grinding  

• How Do We Measure Particle Size?  

• How Water Interacts with Coffee  

• How Water Pulls Out Coffee Flavor  

• Bed Depth  

• Grinders  

• Blade vs. Burr Grinders  

• Conical vs. Flat Burrs  

• Burr Materials and Geometry  

• Burr Alignment  

• Adjustment Mechanisms  

• Manual vs. Electric Grinders  

• Single-Dose vs. Hopper Grinders  

• Important Grinder Considerations  

• Core Brewing Variables  

• Dose  

• Ratio  

• Grind Size  

• Pour Structure and Flow Rate  

• Agitation  

• Water  

• Filters  

• Filter Material  

• Pore Size and Structure 

• Variation by Material  

• Age and Change 

• Filter Geometry and Water Dynamics  

• Measuring Coffee: Strength, Extraction & What They Mean  

• Core Concepts 

• Managing Extraction Through Variables  

• Brewing Control Chart  

 

PART III: THE CRAFT 

• Getting Ready: How to Choose Specialty Coffee  

• Where to Buy Specialty Coffee  

• Buying Bags of Coffee  

• The C-Price  

• Reading the Labels: What Does it All Mean 

• For the Newcomer: Cheat Sheet 

• Where To Start: Buying The Right Coffee  

• Coffee Freshness  

• Storing Coffee for Peak Freshness  

• Coffee Storage Recommendations  

• Freezing Coffee  

• Espresso  

• Audience  

• Equipment  

• Choosing Your Machine  

• Essential Tools  

• More Tools  

• Brewing Fundamentals  

• Pulling the Shot  

• Step by Step Brewing  

• Reading the Shot  

• Tips and Tricks  

• Troubleshooting 

• Milk

  • Milk Chemistry and Steaming

  • Lactose, Proteins, and Fats in Milk

  • Alternative Milks and Blends

  • Latte Art

  • Espresso Beverage Menu

• Pour Over  

• Same as above (as applies)

• French Press  

• Same as above 

• AeroPress  

• Same as above 

• Turkish Coffee  

• Same as above 

• Moka Pot  

• Same as above 

• Cold Brewed Coffee 

• History 

• Flash Brew and Japanese Iced Coffee 

• Cold Drip and Tower Brewers 

• Nitro Coffee 

• Ready to Drink (RDT) 

• Variations, Outliers, and Other Brewing Methods  

• Coffee as the Foundation 

• Coffee in Food 

• Coffee Cocktails and Concoctions 

• Affogato and Desserts 

​

PART IV: THE CULTURE 

• What Is Coffee Culture  

• Exploring and Developing the Palate  

• The Five Basic Tastes  

• How Flavor Perception Actually Works  

• Tactile Elements of Taste  

• Common Sensory Bias  

• Sound and the Taste of Coffee  

• Defining What You Taste  

• Tasting Like a Professional  

• Q Graders and Professional Scoring  

• Cupping at Home  

• Recognizing Defects  

• Building Your Flavor Vocabulary  

• Sensory Training and At-Home Experiments  

• Mindfulness, Ritual, and Brewing   

• The Psychology of Mindful Brewing  

• Ritual as Human Behavior  

• Mindfulness as a Sensory Tool  

• The Ethics of it All  

• Global Coffee Rituals and Traditions  

• The Coffeehouse 

• Brief History Overview 

• Social and Political Spaces: Then and Now 

• Modern Culture: Laptops and Hospitality 

• Café Economics: Cost, Labor, and Menu Design   

• Barista Workflow, Consistency, and Service 

• Coffee as a Profession 

​

PART V: BEYOND 

• The Future: experimental tech, processes, ideas 

  • Upcycling (Cascara, Reground, etc.)​

• Sustainability and the Future of Coffee 

• Climate Change, Altitude, and Variety Choices 

• Labor, Dignity, and the Ethics Stack 

• Farmworkers, Seasonality, and Wages   

• Producing-Country Perspectives 

• Domestic Coffee Cultures in Producing Nations   

• Value at Origin vs Value Abroad 

• What Consumers and Professionals Can Actually Do  

• Approachability 

• Taste, Status, and Gatekeeping 

• Gender and Equity in the Coffee Chain  

• Language Barriers and Accessibility 

• Welcoming Newcomers Without Snobbery 

• Coffee is Built on Collaboration  

• Research 

• Health and Benefits 

• Coffee vs Caffeine 

• Coffee in Media, Myths, and Trends 

• Caffeine Myths and Popular Misconceptions  

• Social Media Trends and “Hack” Culture    

• Appendices:  

• Glossary of Coffee Terms 

• Coffee Timeline (Quick Reference) 

• Drink Recipes 

• Various One Sheets 

• Recommended Resources (books, courses, YouTube, competitions)