Miguel Lienzo, a Jewish sugar trader in 17th-century Amsterdam, is worried about his business. The sugar trade has taken a downturn, and he fears he will not be able to pay his debts. Miguel meets his Dutch friend Geertruid in a tavern where she introduces him to “a new drink—a wondrous luxury” (13).

The drink is coffee, which Geertruid explains is used to “awaken the intellect” (14). Coffee is almost unknown in Amsterdam, but Geertruid believes there will be a big market for it soon. She asks Miguel to partner with her in the coffee trade. Miguel is concerned that the plan is too financially risky. The Ma’amad, the ruling council of Jews in Amsterdam, has forbidden the brokering of deals by Jews for gentiles, with the punishment being excommunication (or cherem). Miguel tells Geertruid he needs a week to make his decision. Geertruid gives Miguel a bag of coffee berries to take home and sample.

Following Chapter 1 is the first excerpt from “The Factual and Revealing Memoirs of Alonzo Alferonda.” Written from the first-person point of view, Alferonda introduces himself as the man who “brought the drink called coffee to the Europeans” (22).