Scott Rao is one of the most widely followed experts on specialty coffee.
After setting up and selling two landmark coffee shops, the first at age 22 in Massachusetts, and the second in Montreal, he initiated a profound, dense and comprehensive work of transmission. Scott Rao repeats it over and over again: when he started his business in 1993, he searched in vain for books to help him set up his business, books to better understand coffee, bibles to better serve the black liquor.
But there was nothing. David Schromer's famous pioneering book, Espresso coffee, profesionnal technics, was only published in 1995. For more than 15 years now, he has been sharing his knowledge without any hesitation, through conferences, workshops and, above all, books. His guiding principle is simple: a professional speaks to professionals, without style or dogma, openly sharing his knowledge, his experiences, his doubts and his conclusions.
He is careful not to draw any definitive conclusions, as he knows that both baristas and coffee roasters are artisans of adaptation, as the parameters they integrate into their respective practices are multiple. Scott Rao does not publish theories, but rather manuals, based on his experience and current knowledge. The seminal book, which has won many awards and been praised by all baristas, is The Professional Barista's handbook.
It is The Barista Manual that is the reference. His subsequent books are no less esteemed. Everything but Espresso, a manual on all forms of brewing, was equally successful and sold out in all specialized bookstores. It is with The Coffee Roaster Companion that Scott Roa shows the extent of his practice and his vision of specialty coffee. He then wrote the book that all roasters were waiting for and that no one really dared to write, as the knowledge of artisanal roasting is fragile, questionable and even controversial. This book, like The Professional Barista's handbook, has left its mark on the profession and remains today the favorite manual of every roaster. Finally, this year Scott Roa continues to open up to other fields of coffee by publishing a book on green coffee, written by Ryan Brown, his alter-ego in sourcing and green coffee, Dear Coffee Buyer, a guide to sourcing green coffee (edited)
The good news is that Scott Roa has decided to translate his first bible, The Professional Braista's handbook, into French. This handbook, so fundamental is finally available and accessible to everyone, amateur, coffee lover or coffee enthusiast, or professional.
The second piece of good news is that Scott Roa has chosen L'Arbre à Café, sourceur, roaster, author of two books, to distribute his books in Europe!
