cover image The Community Kitchens Complete Guide to Gourmet Coffee

The Community Kitchens Complete Guide to Gourmet Coffee

John DeMers. Simon & Schuster, $9.95 (251pp) ISBN 978-0-671-55870-3

Written under the auspices of Community Kitchens, a major Louisiana coffee purveyor, this guide's aim is not so much to be the last word on the subject as it is to be readable. Hence DeMers offers such historical tidbits as the origin of the term ""Kaffeeklatsch'' and comprehensive if not overly detailed descriptions of different beans and roasts. Few other books on the subject discuss the variety and advantages of different pots and roasters with such thoroughness. And the more than 75 recipesfrom cafe brulot to coffee-flavored rye bread, from coffee walnut mousse to red-eye gravywill leave the aficianado as delighted as the legendary Arab goatherd who reportedly first discovered coffee. Better Homes and Gardens alternate. (February)