<p>JAMES FREEMAN is the founder and owner of Blue Bottle Coffee Company. After starting out in a tiny converted potting shed in Oakland a few years ago, Blue Bottle is now the country's leading artisan roaster, with six cafes in the San Francisco Bay Area, roasteries on both coasts, and a presence on the High Line and inRockefeller Center and Chelsea in Manhattan. In addition to its cafes, BlueBottle is served in fine restaurants nationwide, including Chez Panisse, Gramercy Tavern, Coi, and others, and regularly garners national media attention. See www.bluebottlecoffee.com for more. <br> CAITLIN FREEMAN is the resident pastry chef for Blue Bottle Coffee Company and was alongtime owner of the San Francisco cake and sweets shop, Miette. James andCaitlin Freeman live in San Francisco, CA. <br> A staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle 's food section for ten years, TARA DUGGAN earned a James Beard Award for best newspaper column and was nominated for an additional James Beard Award for feature writing. She lives with her family in San Francisco, and this is her third book. <br> CLAY MCLACHLAN is an award-winning photographer specializing in food, wine, and travel. His work has been featured in numerous cookbooks, including Cooking with Chocolate, which garnered a World Cookbook Award. He divides his time between San Francisco and Italy.<br>
Once you've tried Blue Bottle coffee there is no going back--and thanks to this book, you can now understand exactly why. This be-all book on today's coffee culture is a how-to and why manual that will thrill coffee geeks, amateurs, and professionals alike. And for those whose experience is that food is an afterthought at a coffee bar, you can now have Blue Bottle's sumptuous recipes that are like the crema in the cup. -Danny Meyer, restaurateur and author of Setting the Table Knowing James is like knowing a prophet; my friendship with him opened my eyes to a whole new planet of coffee possibilities. What he's taught me about coffee changed my world, and this beautiful brew of useful tips, surprising information, and tasty inspiration will change yours, too. I'm still buzzing. -Mourad Lahlou, chef-owner of Aziza, San Francisco, and author of Mourad: New Moroccan