COFFEE CULTURE - READING
The Best Books About Coffee
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If you’re anything like us, you’re obsessed with coffee and want to know and learn everything there is to know about it. Find out everything about its humble origins and how it’s grown to how to make truly insta-worthy latte art and dazzling coffee cocktails with our 11 best books about coffee that’ll load you up with trivia and party tricks for your next dinner party.
1. The World Atlas of Coffee by James Hoffman
Written by James Hoffman, owner of Square Mile Coffee Roasters, a multi-award-winning coffee roasting company in East London, The World Atlas of Coffee is an encyclopaedia of all things coffee.
The in-depth guide covers everything you need to know from where coffee comes from and how it’s grown and harvested, right up to how to roast and make coffee at home. Not only is it packed full of fascinating historical content, but you’ll discover plenty of useful tips and tutorials too, which is why we think this is one of the best coffee books on the current market.
2. Uncommon Grounds by Mark Pendergrast
Want to discover the complete history of coffee? Then Uncommon Grounds is the best book about coffee for you. This wonderful read dives into the initial discovery of the coffee bean on a hill in ancient Abyssinia, then travels through the years to the creation of the first-ever Starbucks. Pendergrast looks at how the coffee industry has shaped the world today in a truly interesting book that’s perfect for reading whilst sipping your morning brew.
3. Coffee: A Global History by Jonathan Morris
Want to know more about the distinctive taste of different coffees? This is the one for you. Coffee: A Global History explains how the world acquired a taste for coffee, yet why coffee tastes so different throughout the world.
This wonderful read also discusses who drank coffee, as well as why and where, how it was prepared and what it tasted like. It goes on to identify the regions and ways in which coffee was grown, who worked the farms and who owned them, and how the beans were processed, traded and transported. Morris looks at the business structure behind coffee too, in a truly inspiring and interesting book, perfect for those lazy coffee mornings.
4. The Philosophy of Coffee by Brian Williams
Do you feel like you’re in need of more historical factual coffee content in your life? Then you definitely need to get your hands on this book about coffee. This is a short, entertaining and illuminating introduction to the history and culture of coffee, from the humble origins of the bean in northeast Africa over a millennium ago, to what it is today, a global phenomenon that is enjoyed around the world by millions. It is the perfect gift for coffee lovers, including chapters on the rise of the coffeehouse, legal bans on coffee, Brazil's domination of the world coffee trade and the birth of the espresso.
5. How to Make Coffee: The Science Behind the Bean by Lani Kingston
Sometimes having a pocket-sized book all about coffee, for those of us who aren't coffee scientists but like to have a latte or two is a good idea, this best book about coffee is the perfect fit, literally. How to Make Coffee, lays out the scientific principles for the coffee-loving non-scientist; stick to these and you will never drink an ordinary joe again. How is it that coffee has such a hold? It’s all in the chemistry; the molecular structure of caffeine and the flavour-making phenols and fats that can be lured out from the bean by roasting, grinding and brewing.
Making good coffee depends on understanding the science: why water has to be at a certain temperature, what method works best with which grind, how roast affects taste, what happens when you add cream, and which bean you start out with. If you want to be a clued-up casual cappuccino drinker, then this is the book for you.
6. Craft Coffee: A Manual by Jessica Easto
The essential manual for brewing delicious craft coffee at home, Jessica Easto takes you through the equipment you need for home brewing, how coffee beans are grown, and how to purchase the best coffee machine for you, alongside the various coffee flavour profiles. It’s aimed at those looking to get serious about crafting their own coffee at home, so if you’re wondering how to get started with craft coffee and are looking for some truly useful tips, this book about coffee is for you.
7. The New Rules of Coffee by Jordan Michelman & Zachary Carlsen
From the founders of Sprudge, one of the world’s biggest coffee publications, The New Rules of Coffee is a wonderfully light read that provides a jargon-free guide into the world of coffee. Perfect for those who aren’t big readers as it’s on the shorter side, the book covers where coffee comes from, how it’s grown, as well as how to brew the perfect cup at home.
8. Coffee: The Epic of a Commodity by Heinrich Eduard Jacob
Referred to as a documentary novel, this classic best book about coffee follows coffee's journey around the world, from London to Brazil, telling in fascinating detail and amusing anecdotes, the singular history of the legendary commodity, from its discovery that chewing on the beans were keeping goats awake in Yemen, to the author’s own experiences with the bean in 1935. If you’re looking for some truly inspirational and great factual content, this book about coffee is the one for you.
9. Coffee For One by KJ Fallon
For those of you who love a bit of A-list name dropping and coffee, this best book about coffee is the one for you. This is an inside look into the modern business of making coffee. But rather than a general history, Coffee For One focuses on the revolution that made single-serve such a popular way to consume coffee worldwide, and the competition and conflict that got us here.
This story features A-list names, corporate intrigue, environmental controversy, and much, much more. This is a truly interesting and revolutionary book that is a great pairing with your cappuccino as you sit back and have a lazy Sunday morning read.
10. Coffee Art by Dhan Tamang
Want to learn how to create beautiful latte art by yourself? Pick up a copy of Coffee Art and get stuck in. Featuring over 60 designs from one of the world’s leading latte artists, you’ll discover how to free pour, stencil, etch and even more complex designs between its pages. Just don’t forget to snap a pic for your Instagram when you’re done!
11. Coffeeography: The Coffee Producers by Stephen Philip Leighton
Coffeeography: The Coffee Producers, presents profiles of some of the many amazing and inspiring coffee producers with whom Leighton has had the privilege of working with during his time at Hasbean, each sharing their story in their own words. This best book about coffee dives into the importance of relationships in the coffee world. Speciality coffee isn't just about coffee and its flavours, but about the love and care that goes into it.
All these books about coffee offer unusual and unique perspectives on the coffee industry, the origins of coffee and the process of coffee to cup, from all kinds of writers.
There are of course many other books which haven’t been added to the list, however these are some of the top books about coffee to get started with and learn more about the contents of your mug. If you want to know more about coffee and books, take a look at our top coffee table books, next.
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