Len Brault

“Coffee has long been a subject of controversy for humanity. King Charles II of England, Murad IV of the Ottoman Empire, and even Henry Ford have sought to banish coffee from their empires and enterprises, while Pope Clement VIII, Napoleon Bonaparte, and President John Adams championed the beverage.”
― Len Brault, The Coffee Roaster's Handbook: A How-To Guide for Home and Professional Roasters

“After this debacle, Vietnam relearned how to cultivate decent coffee. The government allowed private vendors, such as Trung Nguyên and Highlands Coffee, to reestablish better methods of cultivation. Vietnam once again began to produce its share of Specialty Grade coffee. While most of Vietnam’s Robusta is still what is called Exchange Grade, they also produce arguably the world’s finest Robusta in their better growing areas. A 2009 book written by an Italian coffee consultant exposed a surprising fact: The Italian espressos that had won about 80 percent of international competitions since 2005 contained top-quality, higher-altitude peaberry Robusta from the Dalat region of Vietnam. Soon after, most competitions began requiring that entrants label the coffee species in their blends. Many entries contained what they called “Asian Robusta,” a euphemism for both Dalat Robusta and Robusta sourced from India.”
― Len Brault, Coffee Roaster's Handbook: A How-To Guide for Home and Professional Roasters