Review: "Toddy" isn't "Espresso"
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 29, 2012
This book is flawed from the start...Now don't stop reading this review just because I said that; in actuality, there is some good information here but...lets get this straight...you make Espresso drinks with Espresso and you make cold coffee drinks with Toddy.  They are completely and totally different methods of extracting the flavor from coffee and, as such, have neither interchangeable names nor flavor characteristics.  Don't get me wrong, toddy drinks are easy to make and you don't need an espresso machine (or even a toddy maker) to get acceptable results, so that makes cold coffee drinks more readily available to just about anybody.  Espresso, on the other hand, is an art form, and with the cost of a "real" espresso machine and the learning curve involved in actually producing a shot of perfect espresso, not to mention the expense of the grinder (which is as or more important to the end result than the espresso machine itself), well...you see why most folks plunk down big bucks for their coffee drinks at their local coffeehouse.That being said, I also have a problem with the author's statement that "dark roast coffees have more flavor".  Untrue, dark roast coffees have more ROAST flavor while coffees with lighter roasts have more varietal flavor, the subtle nuances which make you think of blueberries or earthy hints or flowers or nuts etc.. You can roast any high end coffee; i.e., Panama, Sumatra, Kona, Jamaica Blue Mountain or any of the other wonderful varietals from around the world, dark enough that they will all taste just the same--like the roast and nothing more.  Sorry, but I really take issue with people who consider themselves professionals ("I'm also an ex-barista") and then present misinformation where their profession or ex-profession is concerned.This book, as I said earlier, has its merits, so make some of the drinks and enjoy them.  Just understand that you are NOT making espresso drinks like you get in a professional coffeehouse; you are making an acceptable substitute.One last thing, the author uses this book as a way to market her brand of coffee cups so be advised, along with her "helpful hints" and recipes comes the infomercial for her line of cups.Not the best, and certainly not the worst coffee related book I have read, so I gave it three stars.