A Cozy Book of Coffees & Cocoas

by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler

Espresso, French press coffee, cappuccino, café mocha, café latté. All over the world, rich indulgences such as Orange Spiced Hot Chocolate and Hazelnut Cappuccino mean it?s time to relax, recharge, and take pleasure in the moment.Fascinating coffee and cocoa legend and lore, an introduction to growing regions and types of beans, and dozens of easy recipes make this book ideal for any coffee or chocolate lover. You don?t have to live next door to a specialty café in order to enjoy deliciously decadent coffee and cocoa drinks from White Chocolate Café Latté to Raspberry Iced Coffee, explore recipes and traditions and discover what it means to become a connoisseur. About the Author

Susann Geiskopf-Hadler is the co-author of numerous wonderful cookbooks, including The Vegan Gourmet, The Best 125 Meatless Main Dishes, The Best 125 Meatless Italian Dishes, The Best 125 Meatless Pasta Dishes, The Best 125 Lowfat Fish and Seafood Dishes, and other titles in Prima?s The Best 125 series. Ever Vigilant in her pursuit of the perfect mocha, Susann has spent years indulging in the offerings of coffee bars and cafés in more than 15 countries.

Genres: Cookbooks

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 1995

Reviews

[Juli Anna]

Boy, has coffee culture charged in 25 years! This is really dated.

[Emily]

I've had this book for YEARS, and have tried several recipes and read some brewing advice, but have never read it cover to cover until now. Am so glad I did! Lots of great info. Can't wait to get brewing! 😋☕🍫🥐🍰

[Susan]

Although it is over 20 years old the information is still relevant and the coffee & cocoa recipes sound good. Looking forward to trying an iced cappucino recipe as soon as the weather warms up!

[Julia]

If you've just bought an espresso machine and want ideas, this is a good overview. There are good instruction on making espresso, but only a brief mention of the many other ways coffee can be prepared.
The short history of coffee and cocoa is not extensive, and the author does perpetuate the myth that cacao contains caffeine, which it DOES NOT [Theobromine, the alkaloid contained in the beans, resembles caffeine in its stimulant action. Its effect on muscle, the kidneys and the heart is more pronounced than caffeine, while its effect on the central nervous system is less intense. - http://www.xocoatl.org/science.htm].
The recipes are what you might expect to find at a Starbucks-style coffeeshop (mostly espresso based), and include many flavored coffee drinks. Though the does give an overview of the flavor of different types of beans and roasts, most of the recipes rely heavily on sugar, dairy, and flavorings such as mint, raspberry, caramel, etc. Most flavorings are in syrup form added after the brew. There is no use of whole spice in the bean grind, which is my preferred way of flavoring coffee.
The cocoa drinks all utilize dutch-processed cocoa (except for the mexican chocolate recipe), for the "milder taste". As a dark chocolate lover, this makes most of these recipes uninteresting to me. Surprisingly, the recipes for cold drinks ignore the fact that granulated sugar does not dissolve in an iced drink.
Still, many of them sound tempting, but don't get this book for the recipes (you could probably make up your own that are just as good), if anything, get it for the instructions on how to operate an espresso machine.