It wasn't far along my path as a barista that I started seeking out as much information about coffee as I could find. Some sources of that knowledge included YouTube, coffee festivals and events, there was a lot of word-of-mouth and associating with other coffee-people too. But the thing that was always certain to light a fire of revelation inside me was a good book.
There are hundreds of great books about coffee; ones about coffee history, improving your barista skills, the sociology of coffee, specialty drink preparation, coffee's geography, mastering the art of coffee roasting - the list is endless! I'm not going to tell you what books to read because it's just so much more personal than that - but if you want me to recommend something, please do reach out.
I'm going to tell you about the books that changed the way I thought about coffee, how they guided my path and brought me to where I am today.
ESPRESSO COFFEE
The Chemistry of Quality
I'd say it's probably 2009 - I've been working in a coffee shop for 2 years and in that time I've started to discover just how different espresso can taste when you start brewing it in different ways. My natural inquisition drives me to ask "WHY! Why is this damn bean so complex!?" - well this book by Andrea & Ernesto Illy (of Illy fame) has pretty much all the answers. It's a bit like reading a science dissertation - actually I've never read a science dissertation but this is what I imagine one would read like - it's so padded out with research, diagrams and tables. I can still pick it up today and find some concept to explore and learn more about.
If you're looking for this book, I believe it now exists as a new and even more thorough edition in the form of Espresso Coffee - The Science of Quality
What I learned: making great espresso involves a magnitude of factors
GOD IN A CUP
The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Coffee
God in a Cup is the story of journalist Michaele Weissman's introduction to the coffee world by some of the United States' leading coffee people, known throughout the book as "the coffee guys. They lead her on their journey to discover the best beans the world has to offer.
This book really fuelled my urge to travel to origin, to see a coffee farm and learn more about the process from seed to cup. It also opened my eyes to the story of Geisha coffee, one of, if not THE most sought after varietal of coffee in the world.
I'm sad to say I no longer own this book, if you're reading this and it's you I lent it to you - please can I have it back?
What I learned: varietals are an incredibly important aspect of coffee flavour, learn them!
BLACK GOLD
A Dark History of Coffee
This book tells a fairly concise story of the history of coffee, honing in on the slightly darker aspects. It's fairly critical of both globalisation and colonialism, which I can get behind.
I believe my boss gave me (but possibility lent me, sorry!) this book around 2012 shortly after I arrived home from working on a coffee farm on Hawaii. The farm was owned by a retired couple, him from Chicago and her from Australia - and it was VERY comfortable employment. After experiencing the Hawaiian coffee industry, it was completely eye-opening to read the full story of coffee's exploitative past.
What I learned: we have got a long way to go to make coffee fair.
WATER FOR COFFEE
Written by three-time UK Barista Championship winner, Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood and Professor of Chemistry, Christopher Hendon - Water For Coffee breaks down the fundamental principles of chemistry and physics relevant to coffee brewing. It explains how water chemistry significantly impacts coffee taste.
Slightly controversial these days as fellow chemists didn't particularly like certain units of measurement that were used throughout the book - but this book definitely got me thinking even more about the enormity of factors involved when brewing a cup of coffee.
What I learned: the importance of water quality when brewing coffee, but also that essentially all of the elements we see on the Periodic Table were made at some point during the life and death of a star. And also that chemistry is really hard.
HONOURABLE MENTION
STANDART MAGAZINE
Although not so influential at any point in my life, few magazines - especially coffee related - offer such consistently fascinating content as Standart Magazine. If you're looking for some occasional, light reading or even just a beautiful piece of coffee-table literature - then Standart is for you!
Thanks for reading, again these are not recommendations per se but are all insightful. If you're looking for something, let me know your tastes and I'll do my best to suggest something else. Perhaps you have something you'd recommend? If so, let us know that too!
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