Best Books to Brew the Perfect Pot of Coffee Knowledge
Updated: Nov 9, 2020
Falling in love with the art of coffee brewing and cupping?
Finding yourself with a bit more time to enjoy delicious freshly made coffee at home?
Maybe you have just entered this whole new world, or it's been a passion for a while and you are getting more and more curious and eager to learn further about your favourite drink. Time to dig deeper into all the flavours, the paraphernalia and the fun of new discoveries.
From a humble bean picked at a specific coffee plantation out of seventy different countries around the world to the tasty steaming brew in front of you, the everyday routine of drinking coffee is so simple and yet so incredibly complex.
We need some help in understanding the history of coffee, from growing, processing and roasting to the different types of bean, the rich flavours and perfect brew methods. For all coffee lovers, these are excellent resource books we recommend.
Tip: You can read most of these books for free with this Kindle Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial.
Rather have the actual paper book? We totally agree, but this can help you get a better idea of what the book is about, how it's written, and all the subjects included before buying.
The Craft and Science of Coffee by Britta Folmer
This unusual approach guides the reader on a journey from coffee farmer to roaster, market analyst to barista, in a style that is both rigorous and experience based, universally relevant and personally engaging. From on-farming processes to consumer benefits, the reader is given a deeper appreciation and understanding of coffee's complexity and is invited to form their own educated opinions on the ever changing situation, including potential routes to further shape the coffee future in a responsible manner.
Craft Coffee: A Manual by Jessica Easto
Written by a coffee enthusiast for coffee enthusiasts, is a comprehensive guide to improving your brew at home. The book provides all the information readers need to discover what they like in a cup of specialty coffee and how to replicate the perfect cup day after day. From the science of extraction and brewing techniques to choosing equipment and deciphering coffee bags, it focuses on the issues (cost, time, taste, and accessibility) that home coffee brewers negotiate and shows that no matter where you are in your coffee journey, you can make a great cup at home.
The World Atlas of Coffee by James Hoffman
For everyone who wants to understand more about coffee and its wonderful nuances and possibilities, this is the book to have. Country by country - from Bolivia to Zambia - the author identifies key characteristics and the methods that determine the quality of that country's output. Along the way we learn about everything from the development of the espresso machine, to why strength guides on supermarket coffee are really not good news. This is the first book to chart the coffee production of over 35 countries, encompassing knowledge never previously published outside the coffee industry.
Coffee Obsession by Anette Moldvaer
Over 100 coffee recipes include brews to suit every taste. Master classic favourites like the flat white and the espresso and learn how to make iced coffee and the perfect chai coffee. From French presses to cloth brewers you'll explore all the different equipment to create fantastically flavoured coffee, along with a guide through the flavour wheel and "cupping" tasting notes. Go on a voyage through the life of a coffee bean and learn the ideal harvest seasons and roasts of different types of coffee beans, all combined with mouth-watering flavour profiles.
The Devil’s Cup by Stewart Lee Allen
Less recipes, more anthropology, The Devil’s Cup is driven by the question: Is coffee the substance that drives history? Imagine an entire population under a cloud of lethargy, unable to kick start their days. Now introduce coffee. Bingo. The brain moves into over-drive and it's time for empire building. So goes Stewart Lee Allen's crazy theory. Only thing is, after retracing coffee's journey to world domination - by train, rickshaw, cargo freighter and donkey - he has plenty of evidence to back it up.
Uncommon Grounds by Mark Pendergrast
Tells the story of coffee from its discovery on a hill in ancient Abyssinia to the advent of Starbucks and the coffee crisis of the 21st century. Mark Pendergrast uses coffee production, trade, and consumption as a window through which to view broad historical themes: the clash and blending of cultures, slavery, the rise of brand marketing, global inequities, fair trade, revolutions, health scares, environmental issues, and the rediscovery of quality. As the scope of coffee culture continues to expand, Uncommon Grounds remains more than ever a brilliantly entertaining guide to one of the world's favourite drinks.
The Birth of Coffee by Daniel Lorenzetti and Linda Rice Lorenzetti
Accompanied by 100 duotone photographs that Daniel Lorenzetti toned with actual coffee, this startling book will strike readers with the beauty and substance of the worlds and peoples behind a simple cup of coffee. From the cloud-covered farms in Colombia to the rugged mountains of Indonesia and the bustling markets of Yemen, the Lorenzettis find themselves in landscapes dominated by the coffee industry: roads lined with beans, trails to distant fields, and wild forests of coffee trees. But the business of coffee easily flows from the fields to all aspects of life: for the people in these photographs, life too is steeped in an industry dependent on nature.
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