THE PERFECT CAPPUCCINO is the story of one woman's obsession with a beverage. The film accompanies me on a personally-narrated journey that traces the origins and social significance of the cappuccino. And along the way, the film confronts a series of larger questions: Why is the Starbucks chain-store model a uniquely American approach to coffee? Is there something in our character, as Americans, that pushes us toward expansion and mass standardization? Are we a culture that values business enterprise? Or a culture that is ruled by it? Blending the voices of baristas, cultural critics, business leaders and coffee geeks everywhere, this film relies on the cappuccino to explore the strange intersections of individualism and mass culture in America.

The DVD is loaded with content not available online, including:

  • Two-time U.S. barista champ Heather Perry demonstrates the "chrome finish"on a perfect cappuccino
  • Two Roasting Philosophies go head to head - dark-roasting Giuseppe from Rome’s Sant'Eustachio vs. light-roasting Brian Franklin from DoubleShot in Tulsa. Two very different approaches to roasting good coffee.
  • A century of espresso, featuring the espresso machine collection of Enrico Maltoni
  • Blended Beverage Bingo: confessions of a Starbucks marketing exec
  • 2008 U.S. barista champ Kyle Glanville shows off his skills and chats about the third wave

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