New Book: The Coffee Roaster's Companion by Scott Rao

#1: Post by **farmroast** » August 3rd, 2014, 1:57 pm

Yes, the first book on roasting in many many years will be available late August

. I met with Scott about a month ago and was very encouraged by the approach he has taken with this book. Was only able to thumb through loose pages while chatting but got the sense of a primer book that can help consider ways of progressing our further understandings of the roasting process. This I can see leading to another book several years from now.

#2: Post by **kwantfm** » August 3rd, 2014, 5:34 pm

Exciting!

#3: Post by **SlowRain** » August 3rd, 2014, 8:18 pm

How entry-level is this book going to be? I think a few hours on HB for free will cover the basics. I wasn't impressed with his other two books that I thumbed through. Great photography and explanations, but nothing really that was new to people who are regulars here. Plus, I didn't know Scott was renown for his roasting skills, or did I miss something recently? A second book, if it does happen, may be something, though.

#4: Post by **dustin360** » August 3rd, 2014, 9:11 pm

Wow, that's really exciting! I never understand when people arnt excited about his other books. Everytime I pick them up I feel like there is really solid information in them. And while I wouldn't classify them as super advanced, they weren't beginner either.

I also often wonder why I don't hear about his roasted coffee... but never the less I feel confident hes a smart dude. And anything he(or anyone else for that matter) writes about roasting ill read.

August 3rd, 2014, 9:13 pm

SlowRain wrote:How entry-level is this book going to be? I think a few hours on HB for free will cover the basics. I wasn't impressed with his other two books that I thumbed through. Great photography and explanations, but nothing really that was new to people who are regulars here. Plus, I didn't know Scott was renown for his roasting skills, or did I miss something recently? A second book, if it does happen, may be something, though.

Scott has been in coffee since 1992. He started with a roasting cafe in Amherst,Ma, my hometown. There was an active early specialty coffee scene here in the happy valley. Roasted for many years before selling the businesses and getting into writing and consulting in recent times.
He said a lot a nice things about H-B and the progressive developments and efforts of our roasting section. Organizing it in a book and getting it out across the pro- roasting community will hopefully stimulate more activity and discussions refining the craft. More use of monitoring, data and analysis along with traditional sensory. And avoiding the common references to the magic stuff. I think the book is about 100pgs

#6: Post by **SlowRain** » August 4th, 2014, 12:59 am

farmroast wrote:He said a lot a nice things about H-B and the progressive developments and efforts of our roasting section.

He gets bonus points for that.

farmroast wrote:I think the book is about 100pgs

How much text and information on each page relative to the photography? Pictures are useful, but there comes a point where they're just filler.

I don't mean to sound too negative because I feel I may be the target market for his book. I just hope it's more useful to me than his other two.