I remember the first time I had coffee. I was 16 and in charge of making my father’s morning cup (in exchange for him driving me to school.) My Dad’s coffee is not what one would consider a typical blend. In fact, it took me years to rewire my brain when making coffee as an intern. See my Dad loves strong coffee, but not just average strong, but let’s just say if he could pour the grinds directly into water, I am sure he would. I came to understand later that that is unusual. Not everyone likes their morning cup to blow their head right off. Who knew?

So my first cup of coffee was not great, but man the after effects were amazing. Energy! Focus! It became my fuel well into adulthood. To this day, there is nothing I love more than a good oat milk cappuccino.

I was excited when I saw that Dave Eggers, one of my all time favourite writers, was writing a book that centered on coffee. The Monk of Mokha was an excellent read that transported me into the world of coffee imports.

This was a really great true story of a young Yemeni American and the power of passion. I find myself spouting random coffee facts each morning to an unwilling audience.

Did you know coffee is a fruit?

Do you know where the term Java comes from?

Do you know that there is two ways to process coffee beans? Wet and Dry.

Do you know what a Q Grader is?

and on and on and on.

I will read anything (I mean ANYTHING) that Dave Eggers writes. His ability to take real life stories and present them through powerful narratives that inspire hope is unmatched, in my opinion. His sentence structure, spontaneity, and experimentalism always amaze me.

This is a great character study and a story of unyielding passion. It’s a story about taking charge of the direction of your life and the complexity of sustainable and fair trade coffee. It’s one of those stories that I am glad I read and will impact my choice of coffee going forward even more.