The Monk of Moka
The Monk of Moka is a famous book of Dave Eggers. It contains many stories about specialty coffee. We enjoy the reading so much! Below we share our impressions about coffee stories we have read.
What did we like
The whole book is connected to the history of coffee. It is an interesting interweaving of real and mythical facts, describing the relationship between Ethiopia and Yemen, the wise decisions of the King Salomon and their connection with the birth of the coffee industry.
What caused the strongest emotions
The real life story of Mokhtar Alkhanshali an American who has Yemeni roots is really inspiring. Mokhtar was looking for the ways to strengthen the kinship. He had faced a lot economical and social obstacles on the way to his dream. He showed an incredible will to overcome it. Eventually he managed to organize an export of 97 points coffee, to become the first Q-grader in the Arab world and to create a successful and sustainable coffee company in Yemen.
What impressed us less
We tend not to fully trust stories described as an American dream.
What made us laugh
Many of those absurd situations at coffee origins that the book describes. We periodically encounter them at our work as well. Of course, reading about these situations is much funnier than facing them in reality.
What else should we know
When you buy a book, you support The Mokha Foundation.