This fascinating book examines coffee, from its origins to its current status in our daily lives as an essential part of Western European and American culture. Coffee is a dynamic product, evoking mystery and passion, and these play out in the disputes this book narrates, such as the story of a man compelled to return again and again to coffee plantations in Africa against the wishes of his employer, the story of men lusting for power over markets and the profits from coffee to the disadvantage of growers, workers, and investors, the story of men driven by the desire for profits to engage in smuggling coffee beans.