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Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Young Californian risked his life to bring Yemeni coffee to the U.S.

Blue Bottle Coffee charges $16 for a cup of its limited-release brew. It’s been rated the best in the world. The beans come from war-torn Yemen and were brought to the U.S.

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By Madeleine Brand • Feb 7, 2018 • 1 min read

Blue Bottle Coffee charges $16 for a cup of its limited-release brew. It’s been rated the best in the world. The beans come from war-torn Yemen and were brought to the U.S. thanks to Mokhtar Alkhanshali, a Yemeni-American who grew up in San Francisco. Alkhanshali faced Saudi airstrikes and threats from Al Qaeda before finally escaping in the middle of the night on a fishing boat. His journey is the subject of Dave Eggers’ latest book “The Monk of Mokha.”

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    Madeleine Brand

    Host, 'Press Play'

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    Gina Pollack

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    Sarah Sweeney

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    Mokhtar Alkhanshali

    CEO and founder of Port of Mokha coffee, subject of “The Monk of Mokha”

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