The Devil's Cup (Paperback)

this is lively, interesting stuff, laced with dry wit and canny observations. * * Scotland on Sunday * * Stewart Lee Allen certainly delivers ... he cuts a caffeine-fuelled arc that runs from coffee's Ethiopian origins, through its Arabian distillation, across its European domestication, before terminating in a cross-country search for the worst cup of American coffee ... a funny book that takes some funny routes. * * The Independent * * Two parts travelogue and history to one part caffeine-fuelled theory ... From the genteel cafes of Vienna to wired, late night email conversations on the internet, the book celebrates coffee's ability to sharpen the mind and give society a jolt. Not just mocha do about nothing. * * The Face * * I loved this informal bio of the humble cup of joe... Allen's funky history provides the answer and sets the standard. * * Sunday Herald * *