Coffee has been an indispensable thing in our lives now and then.
It’s a perfect ritual to start a morning, an afternoon, or get some chill vibes after a long day at work. It wakes us up and gets us ready for the day in a special way. That’s also why this drink is getting popular everywhere in the world.
Many claim they are caffeinators, yet they know little about this beverage. This ingredient has a long history and many interesting aspects waiting for us to discover.
Today, our post with the eleven best coffee books reviews will guide you through them all briefly.
The Best Coffee Books In 2023
[content-egg-block template=top_listing]
Note: Score is based on our AI score (Editor’s choice and rating)
The following 11 reviews will surely get you somewhere. Let’s see what we have to offer.
1. Uncommon Grounds
Mark Pendergrast has embraced all about coffee in just one book – Uncommon Grounds. This book is not something shallow for a relaxing afternoon; it goes deeper than you may expect.
Thanks to many years of writing and brewing beverages, Mark has “marked” all milestones of this drink’s history in his book. From the very first day, it first appeared in ancient Abyssinia to how Starbucks built everything from it.
You might be surprised to learn that this drink is more important than a normal cup in your favorite store. It caused global prices to drop dramatically, which many know as the “Coffee Crisis”.
Reading this book, you will get to discover an enriched coffee culture. The culture witnessed dramatic changes due to the introduction of the Fair Trade movement.
Then, is it quite boring reading something that seems like a history book? No, it’s not at all.
Mark brought a sense of humor into the stories, making it more than a history book, or more specifically, a study and analysis on all aspects. This work of his received many praises from reputable sources.
If you want to learn about this “last legal and socially acceptable drug” (Like how Wall Street Journal describes this drink) in a deeper view, Uncommon Grounds should be on your shop list.
2. The Craft And Science Of Coffee
Here is one more option if the previous one hasn’t satisfied your curiosity.
Written by the Coffee Science Manager of the famous Nestlé Nespresso S.A., Dr. Britta Folmer, this book ensures an authentic journey into the Coffee world. Britta’s knowledge of being a scientific advisor for brand product launches won’t disappoint you.
This book is more than just information. How Britta handles her job greatly affects the content and how this book is delivered. Like how Britta wants to combine science and craftsmanship in working, this book is also a combination of such.
It tries to deliver scientific insights while not mentioning the craftspeople’s expertise. She paid respect to those leaders, farmers, and even baristas quoted in her book. As to her, the culture is formed by those people enriching and informing each other.
This approach allows readers to have space and develop their own opinions about the topic. Thereafter shaping the future for this beverage, knowing that they are responsible for such a role regardless of who they are. How thoughtful is that!
About the content, it also starts from the very beginning of this drink back in East Africa. Then following along the way until it dominates the global beverage market in many ways. The drink contributes to sustainable development, to us as consumers, and to the economy nowadays.
3. Craft Coffee: A Manual
Are you tired of all the complicated history and stuff? Are you just seeking methods of making your cup of Joe every other morning? That’s where this Craft Coffee: A Manual by Jessica Easto comes to your rescue!
This time, the author is no professional in this field, yet her husband was. That motivation, together with her talent in understanding and illustrating with words make the success of this book. Readers will feel no lame by her quirky and casual writing style.
It’s no exaggeration saying this book is for everyone wanting to make a cup of Joe. It consists of diagrams and photos to best illustrate the making process, helping us even if we have never made this beverage before.
The content straightforward focuses on coffee (no espresso included). You will get to learn how to use ten different devices to carry out different types of coffee, from pour-over, cold-brew, to immersion.
It won’t tell you the making process from the first start but take it slowly and gently from the very basics. You will first learn about the gear required, how to grow or buy your desired coffee, and the guideline on brewing methods.
These include Chemex, V60, French Press, Clever Dripper, Kalita Wave, Walkure, Beehopuse, Melitta, and Aeropress. Jessica indicates that it mostly depends on your taste buds, whichever method you’re following.
Oftentimes, we find manuals hard to understand as they come with specialized words and information. Yet this book is totally different. It is tailored to teach us to brew our cups at home. With this book, achieving a tasty cup of Joe at home is no longer a thing only for the professionals.
4. World Atlas Of Coffee
If you’re a caffeinator, do you find the name James Hoffman familiar?
You might have come across his Youtube videos sometimes. He was the World Barista Champion back in 2007 and has also won many titles in this field. It’s also him who found the popular Square Mile Coffee Roasters.
All his specialty has contributed to the great content of the World Atlas Of Coffee. Many regard this book as “everything they need to know” about this beverage.
The book is split into three parts with colorful photographs: Introduction to Coffee, From Bean to Cup, and Coffee Origins.
The first part tells us about the process that we do not often take seriously. That’s when beans are grown and harvested. People don’t often look for the title of origins without knowing how the region actually grows beans.
Following the track, part two introduces the making process. But it’s not just the brewing method.
It’s also how you roast the beans, store them, taste and grind them, then brew the grounds into cups of Joe. Along the way, the author also gives us tips to perfectly nail the method.
Now that Hoffman has shown us how to make a nice cup, it’s time for the biggest and most distinctive section of this book: the Origins.
The section aims to break the story of each coffee origin’s taste for us by examining the growing process and how it tastes in as many as 35 different countries. Making us understand deeper why each country brings about different taste profiles.
5. The Blue Bottle Craft Of Coffee
This book is a work of a reputable roaster in California. The Blue Bottle Coffee was founded by James Freeman back in the early 2000s.
Back then, it was just a coffee cart and small roaster, which has now become famous globally for its complex yet flavorful beverages. Coffee addicts have to admit that Blue Bottle’s drink is like a drug to them and that this book can tell why.
The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee consists of sections: Grow, Roast, Eat and Drink, following the life cycle of these coffee beans. Like the previous books in this list, it introduces how farmers grow the beans, how to brew them properly, and even the best ways to drink them.
If you’re at home wanting to try making your roasted beans, here Freeman has you covered. He showed us how to do that with just standard tools available in our kitchen!
Following the process, the brewing section includes thorough guidelines on different brewing styles, such as Espresso, Turkish, Siphon, Nel Drip, French Press, and Pour-over.
What makes this book stand out from the others is the last section of it. James Freeman had his wife contribute to this section by writing on the best food that can go along well with coffee. She also added more than thirty recipes to those dishes. How creative is that!
Again, you won’t have to worry if the book is lame or hard to read. You will feel like reading a story with numerous diagrams and photographs illustrating that story for you.
6. Coffee Obsession
It’s true that the caffeinator community has given us masterpieces and guided us to the world of a whole culture. Yes, another book with content taken after its name – Coffee Obsession.
This time, let’s meet James Hoffman’s business partner, Moldvaer. How incredible is it knowing the greatest people are working with each other? I myself find that interesting.
It’s only right to say this book is a work of dedication. The author herself travels to different regions that sell coffee to communicate with those farmers. She is such a coffeeholic that she wanted to learn more about the beans and how they are grown.
Reading the book, you will feel like yourself traveling to many more places and learning how each nation brews its cup of Joe. During the journey, you will get to examine if it’s true that coffee tastes the same everywhere. Well, it’s not. Different nations bring about different taste profiles depending on their methods and techniques.
And do you know that even though 150 people from America consume coffee every day, the world record is not just 2.25 billion cups of Joe daily? Moldvaer’s journey has discovered that truth also.
To guide readers to the world of this wonderful drink, she provided up to 130 recipes that can win even the pickiest’s heart.
7. The Devil’s Cup
Maybe some of you have just skimmed through the last six reviews and landed here because of curiosity. The name of this book is just as interesting as its content.
The Devil’s Cup’s author, Stewart Lee Allen, is more than an author. He is an adventurous person who specializes in food and beverages.
One of his works in this field that explained how f&b define our society has gained a reputation worldwide and has been translated for 15 nations. He has all it takes for a traveler and knows exactly where he must capture our attention in his book.
Unlike the other books in this list, The Devil’s Cup comes with more stories than recipes.
He went deeper than anyone to discover the history behind this drink, trying to solve the myth about whether it drives history. That’s where he saw coffee as the wire that connected us all before the Internet ever appeared.
8. I Love Coffee!
Here’s another masterpiece from a coffee connoisseur, Susan Zimmer. The experience can never be true if it’s not from someone with enough passion, right? Right from the name, she meant it. Her book covers advice and techniques that can turn you from a newbie to a professional who knows how to make latte art.
There are also tips and photographs along the way to help you avoid ruining your cup of Joe. Those techniques she provided can satisfy quite many preferences.
You will also get the chance to approach more than 100 hot and cold variants covering almost every recipe you need to try. These are Candy Cane, Black Forest, Sugar-Free Java Chai Latte, Tiramisú Martini, and Iced Orange Mochaccino.
She also involved a little gift of holiday and seasonal drinks so you can refer to every occasion.
9. The Professional Barista’s Handbook
Stemming from the desire for a book that can practically teach him to brew his cup in a café, Scott Rao wrote the book himself.
Years of reading books that gave him a headache trying to really make something out of this information has motivated him into writing The Professional Barista’s Handbook. He found that most coffee books are unreadable and not practical enough.
This book is, like its name indicated, made for professionals only. It helps you brew the best cups in a cafe and commercial setting.
Despite its modest length, the book provides just enough information that every barista needs to know. I would highly recommend store owners to refer to it as educating material.
10. You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense
Are you wondering if you’re at the wrong place? No, you’re not. It’s time to take a breath and enjoy your cup of Joe with some poem instead of that knowledge. Charles Bukowski’s book, You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense, would be a great company of yours.
If you’re searching for anything related to coffee in this book, well yes, there is one poem with such a name. Still, throughout the book, Bukowski showed his love to the cats of his neighborhood, how his youth went by that can entertain your morning better than ever.
This book will surely be your refreshing start each morning!
11. Onward, How Starbucks Fought For Its Life Without Losing Its Soul
Starbucks must be a name that all coffee connoisseurs know. It’s a reputable beverage brand that appears everywhere in the world nowadays. The company aims to strengthen the human community by enhancing our connection and introducing innovation.
The company could only achieve such success under the leadership of Howard Schultz, a great entrepreneur.
Though he didn’t receive the best education and opportunities, he managed to set out the most recognized business that owns more than 28,000 stores in 77 different countries.
His vision is more than a big business, but a company with a compassionate culture that features comprehensive healthcare, free college tuition, and stock ownership for full and part-time employees.
It sounds just as heaven that any employee would dream of working for. Perhaps he wanted to make his business a place where everyone enjoys what they do.
The book will lead you from surprise to surprise, knowing how Howard returned to bring Starbucks to the top.
If you’re a fan of Starbucks’ beverages and want to learn more about this brand or are just curious about how Howard can make it happen, this book is right for you.
The Bottom Lines
The history and everything revolving around a cup of Joe is more than one can imagine. It’s not just a drink, a “legal drug” that can help you wake up in the morning, but a whole culture with an enormous impact on our world, or as Stewart described, a wire connects us all.
Reading books on this beverage not only enlightens your mind but also helps you get away from the busy life. Find your best coffee books in the above list, make yourself a cup of Java, and take time to let the words chill your mind.
Related articles: