Cosmos Coffee

Coffee is one of the most intensively traded raw materials in the world. From farmers in Ethiopia or Vietnam whose livelihood depends on it, to those working on Wall Street who start their day with a coffee to go, to researchers in Costa Rica ñ this fascinating stimulant shapes the everyday lives of people all over the world. In the special exhibition “Cosmos Coffee”, the Deutsches Museum approaches this versatile beverage from a scientific as well as a sensual perspective. In this book that accompanies the exhibition, renowned scientists from various disciplines shed light on the multi-faceted nature of “black gold” and its inherent contrasts. Coffee is a highly engineered and monetised natural product that is shipped around the world as a mass commodity – some of which is produced by small businesses laboriously and by hand. In some countries, drinking coffee symbolises social status and in different cultures, coffee has even made social revolutionary history. This richly illustrated volume takes you on a pleasurable and surprising journey through “Cosmos Coffee”.