Wednesday, April 17, 2002


in this unseasonably hot weather, you'd think i'd be focused on iced coffee. but no, my thoughts are occupied with espresso. . .

i've been reading an interesting but somewhat technically daunting book edited by andrea illy, "espresso coffee: the chemistry of quality." in this book illy and his co-authors discuss in massive detail all the chemical properties of coffee -- not only in the beverage, but also in the beans, roasted and unroasted. he analyses the compounds that constitute good espresso: all the lipids (fats), sugars, caffeine, acids, carbohydrates, organic solids, etc.

he discusses how various agricultural practices, processing techniques, brewing methods, etc. all affect these chemical components. it's all very scientific, and i admit i was running online to a chemical dictionary quite a bit to look up many of the advanced terms. but even if you were to skim this book, you would increase your coffee knowledge greatly. illy explains many of the rules of espresso making not just as good practices, but as important procedures based on scientific foundations.

in sum: read this book to the best of your ability and you'll soon be drinking your ristretti with near-religious devotion! i'm about half-way through. illy's most interesting fact yet: coffee contains small but significant amounts of the happy-brain chemical serotonin.

when you're missing your coffee and feeling antsy, maybe it's not the caffeine you need, but the serotonin! this would explain the unusual fact i noted several months ago, that coffee drinkers are less likely to commit suicide. . .and why a couple of cups of coffee reduce the appetite. . .

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