Uncommon Grounds is the definitive history of coffee, from its discovery on a hill in ancient Abyssinia to the advent of Starbucks. In this sweeping epic, Mark Pendergrast uses coffee production, trade, and consumption as a window through which to view major themes of the last three centuries of world history: the clash and blending of cultures, slavery, revolution, global inequity, the rise of brand marketing, fair trade, health scares, environmental issues, and the rediscovery of quality. Pendergrast's treatment is fully up-to-date, reviewing how coffee culture continues to change in the twenty-first century, shaped by pricing crises, climate change, social unrest, and the enduring passion of the "coffee connoisseur." Uncommon Grounds is nothing less than a coffee-flavored history of the world, a brilliantly entertaining guide to the currents of one of the world's favorite beverages. Book jacket.