The Various Flavors of Coffee, a Novel by Anthony Capella
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When a woman gives a man coffee, it is a way of showing her desire.
—Abyssinian proverb
This book of love and coffee, was reviewed by the Economist newspaper in the article Coffee without the Grind.
Like Capella's previous novel, The Food of Love, he uses the exotic flavors of coffee, (here he uses coffee rather than food) to weave a story of romantic love peppered with forbidden passion, desire and betrayal . In previous books, he focused on food, but in this one, he weaves the perfume and flavor of coffee to take his readers (coffee-lovers perhaps or not) on this journey with him.
As for myself, I admit, I am a great fan of coffee and I am already convinced of it's special powers. Who has not fallen in love over Hawaiian Kona coffee in the morning or an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe or Harrar, or other exotic coffee from the dark continent of Africa, or coffee grown in the wild volcanic ash of Columbia or Arabica coffee from Brazil? The scent of the coffee brings fire to the quest for love.
A great source of seduction, it has art, poetry, and of course, the exotic perfume of the coffee. Who has not warmed their own heart, as well as a lovers, over Turkish or Middle Eastern coffee with the heady scent of cardamon that is ground and added, supposedly to aid digestion. But as any (even amateur) perfumer knows, cardamon is one of the most aphrodisiac of scents, and included by many perfumers, not to mention lovers, who anticipate a night of seduction. Or perhaps nutmeg is added to the coffee which brings it a certain depth and earthiness.
I have always favored coffee grown in the shadow of the volcanoes, believing that volcanic ash brings the depths and complexity of ancient fire through the coffee to the soul, so insuring that the drinker will not be too meek, too mild, too timid, but will enter into the passion of the fire whether of love or of the spirit. Some say it is not good to play with fire, but I have found it otherwise.
Among those who have been scorched by the fires of a spiritual quest, coffee also has a special place and meaning, especially for those who have spent days going into nights and back again while they seek the ecstasy of oneness. But whether it is oneness with a lover, or oneness with the spirit, or to seek deeper into themselves, the intoxication of coffee has always had an honored place, whether with ancient priest, modern lover, or just passionate coffee connoisseur.
