The Art of Coffee

Santa Rosa's Ecco Caffé proves there's more to coffee than meets the eye (and nose)

By Sara Bir

Bad coffee--diner coffee, served with a greasy heart-attack breakfast, or 7-11 coffee drunk to fuel a road trip--is like Pabst Blue Ribbon. It has its place, but as a pure expression of the integrity of the beverage, it's . . . well, it's embarrassing.

Though it seems that everyone drinks coffee, most of us have no idea what we are drinking. When it comes to coffee, people tend to think in terms of light or dark roasts, latte or au lait. There's no shame in that, though once the politically charged and deeply involved backstory of coffee production is taken into account, it gets pretty mind-boggling; a bean is no longer just a bean. Where was it grown? And, for that matter, how was it grown? Who grew it? How was it roasted, how was it brewed, and who brewed it?

More...