Whether you are looking to further your knowledge of your favorite brew, get a coffee lover a present, or indulge in a fictional adventure that involves the magic bean, we’ve gathered a list of books in which you will hopefully find a book to your taste. Some will even teach you how to set up and run a coffee shop, should you ever decide to do this during a coffee fueled adrenaline kick.
The Art and Craft of Coffee: An Enthusiast’s Guide to Selecting, Roasting and Brewing Exquisite Coffee by Kevin Sinnott
The Art and Craft of Coffee is what it says: a coffee enthusiast’s guide to all things coffee. If you are looking to find out more about how the perfect cup ends up on your desk every day, or want to start roasting and grinding your own coffee, maybe for pure pleasure, maybe because it will suit your coffee shop, then this book is a great starting point.
Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World by Mark Pendergrast
Mark Pendergrast talks about coffee from its inception to the modern day. It will inform you about everything you need to know about the history of coffee, as well as what’s going on in the coffee world today – from Fairtrade coffee to what the coffee connoisseurs are up to these days.
The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee: Growing, Roasting, and Drinking, with Recipes by James Freeman and Caitlin Freeman
If you are looking for a guide to how coffee is grown, which coffee to buy, how to roast it (using standard kitchen tools), how to brew it (every technique imaginable) and how to enjoy it, this is the book for you. The author talks about coffee blends found in the US, so although informative for anyone and having over 40 recipes in there, you will get slightly more out of it if you can go shopping beans in America. However, 40 recipes is an entire cookbook, so if that’s what you are looking for, it’s still a perfect buy.
Coffee is experiencing a renaissance and Blue Bottle Coffee Company has quickly become one of America’s most celebrated roasters. Famous for its complex and flavorful coffees, Blue Bottle delights its devoted patrons with exquisite pour-overs, delicious espressi, and specialized brewing methods.
The Coffee Book: Anatomy of an Industry from Crop to the Last Drop
The book does what it says on the cover – it will give you a detailed journey from the crop to the last drop. It also delves into the economics of coffee, the damage mass cultivation causes and how conscious coffee is something much needed, as well as what’s going on in that scene.
I Love Coffee!: Over 100 Easy and Delicious Coffee Drinks
If you are looking to open a coffee shop and are in need of inspiration when it comes to what drinks to serve, or if you simply like something other than cappuccino in the morning, this is the book for you. It will provide you with plenty of recipes and fun anecdotes to go with them.
The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez
Deborah is most well known for her book The Kabul Beauty School and for those who loved that book and loves coffee, this book is likely to be a treat! This is a fiction though, whereas The Kabul Beauty School was a memoir.
In a little coffee shop in one of the most dangerous places on earth, five very different women come together.
SUNNY, the proud proprietor, who needs an ingenious plan – and fast – to keep her café and customers safe.
YAZMINA, a young pregnant woman stolen from her remote village and now abandoned on Kabul’s violent streets.
CANDACE, a wealthy American who has finally left her husband for her Afghan lover, the enigmatic Wakil.
ISABEL, a determined journalist with a secret that might keep her from the biggest story of her life.
And HALAJAN, the sixty-year-old den mother, whose long-hidden love affair breaks all the rules.
As these five women discover there’s more to one another than meets the eye, they form a unique bond that will for ever change their lives and the lives of many others.
The Coffee Trader by David Liss
If you love financial thrillers and coffee…well this is the book for you! It’s set in 17th century Amsterdam, so a healthy love of historical mystery might help as well.
The Coffeehouse Mystery Series by Cleo Coyle
Clare Cosi runs her former mother in law’s old Manhattan coffee shop, The Village Blend. Sadly she also tends to walk into murder wherever she goes. Fuelled by Java she decides to solve those murders, often helped by the NYPD, her cop boyfriend and gorgeous ex-husband, who also happens to be The Village Blend’s coffee buyer. The series is witty, filled with humor, love and extremely accurate coffee facts woven into the material. If you want to learn about coffee whilst having a good time reading fiction, this is the book series for you. Or if you just like witty crime novels. Or coffee shops.
Start and Run Your Own Coffee Shop and Lunch Bar: 2nd edition by Heather Lyon
This is a high rated book on Amazon about opening and running a coffee shop and will give you advice on everything from finding the right location to creating a great menu. The author runs a coffee shop herself and there are recipes included from it as well.
Wake Up and Smell the Profit: 52 Guaranteed Ways to Make More Money in Your Coffee Business by John Richardson and Hugh Gilmartin & Setting Up and Managing Your Own Coffee Bar: How to open a coffee bar that actually lasts and makes money by John Richardson and Hugh Gilmartin
These are two easy going, extremely insightful books teaching you what you need to know about profit and running a coffee shop. Given most businesses fail in the first year, profit is always a good topic. Especially when delivered in a witty way.
Together ‘The Coffee Boys’ have 40 years’ experience in how to make money in the coffee selling business. Whether you operate a single site espresso bar, a Michelin starred restaurant or chain of hotels, there is something in this book for everyone.
The Devil’s Cup: Coffee, the Driving Force by Stewart Lee Allen
Travelogue, history and caffeine fueled theories delivered with wit.
