Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen is a modern classic that belongs on the bookshelf of every serious cook. He was among the first, if not the first, to debunk the old saw that searing meat "seals in the juices." It doesn't, it just adds very nice Maillard reaction flavors.

Harold is also very interested in coffee and had some observations in his N.Y. Times column yesterday, which included this pithy gem:

Q. What is the best way to make a cafe Americano?

A. An Americano is a small, concentrated cup of espresso diluted to standard brewed-coffee strength with hot water. So the key to a good Americano is starting with a good espresso. And making good espresso is a long story.

The coffee column is here http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/harold-mcgee-on-coffee-and-tea/, and the current edition of his book can be found here http://www.amazon.com/Food-Cooking-Science-Lore-Kitchen/dp/0739460374/. Some of his comments make me think he has read this forum.

I have both editions of McGee - the original is dog-eared and has a permanent place at my bedside reading area, and the current edition does duty in the rest of the house. The next step (up?) is Myhrvold's Modernist Cuisine. Mind-boggling in scope and completeness, it really makes you think twice about what we do to "food" .

Thanks for sharing. I'm a fan of McGee's as well.

Sherman wrote:I have both editions of McGee...

Thanks both for mentioning this book. Read a couple of reviews and immediately ordered the current edition for both my daughter and me.

B|Java

Thanks too (made a new fan).

Yes, this book is amazing. I taught a course which was based about 50% on this book. There are lots of other good science of cooking books that are more accessible for someone with a passing interest, such as Cookwise, by Shirley Corriher, How to Read a French Fry by Russ Parsons, and What Einstein Told his Cook by Robert Wolke, but if you want the ultimate reference this for me is the one (although I haven't read the new $600 five volume book Modernist Cuisine).

That said, I don't think any of these go very deep into coffee beyond the basics but they are all well worth reading if you have an interest in food and science.