Books About Coffee

Kahawa, Kenya's Black Gold

Kenya's Black Gold, The Story of Kenya Coffee by Jeremy Block and Rand Pearson, with Chris Tomlinson.

Eloquently told with stunning photography, Kahawa (Swahili for coffee) is the story of how coffee came to Kenya, the development of its utterly unique varieties and a most extraordinary washing process.

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Connecting Worlds - The Coffee Trail

My photographer friend, Olaf Hammelburg, spent two years in Peru working on this extraordinary story tracing the route taken by a small lot of coffee that has been picked, washed, dried and then blessed by a shaman high in the isolated green world of the Peruvian Andes before it is transported by donkeys over suspended bridges, on rafts over a river, on a truck over a rock-strewn mountain pass and beyond in photograph after breathtaking photograph all the way to the port of Lima, a transatlantic ship and then to cafes in Europe and the US. The narration is told entirely by Olaf’s nearly fifty dramatic photos of magical places and of people with faces that have been unforgettably carved by their experiences in a world that is quickly vanishing but beautifully captured by Olaf’s singing camera.

The book is interspersed with short articles by three of the farmers, a director of a Peruvian coffee cooperative, by Olaf Hammelburg, Ken Davids, well known for his numerous books on coffee and for his website Coffee Review, and by yours truly.

Amazingly, before I ever knew Olaf or his work, I bought part of the very lot Olaf traces from Peru to the US! (This was during the first year of Terroir Coffee’s existence.)

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American Terroir by Rowan Jacobsen

American Terroir
Savoring the Flavors of Our Woods, Waters, and Fields
by Rowan Jacobsen

From Rowan's website, http://www.rowanjacobsen.com:
Why does honey from the tupelo-lined banks of the Apalachicola River have a kick of cinnamon unlike any other? Why is king salmon from Alaska’s Yukon River the richest in the world? Why do coffee beans from a single estate in Panama sell at auction for ten times the price of any other beans in the world?

A great read of the fascinating evolution of "the taste of place."

Read about George and the fascinating story of La Esmeralda in the chapter entitled, "The Fresh Young Thing."

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The Professional Barista's Handbook

ImageA Great Book on Espresso!

Espresso aficionados, here is a book that is written in clear English and presents the spectrum of state-of-the-art espresso brewing today, from traditional methods to the latest innovations happening in the most avant-garde cafes.

Scott Rao’s "The Professional Barista’s Handbook" is the best book available for professionals and for aficionados. It is profusely illustrated with great photos giving clarity to every point.

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Everything but Espresso - Scott Rao

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Everything but Espresso by Scott Rao

The perfect companion to his "Professional Barista Handbook!

From acclaimed barista, roaster and our good friend Scott Rao, this book explains the procedures, technique and science to achieve consistently great results brewing in many different forms. The book covers drip, press pot and siphon methods. Essential for the coffee professional, or serious home brewer.

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Hacienda La Minita

A most beautiful coffee book by the owner of La Minita with a forward by George Howell

This book was written well over ten years ago but still remains one of the most informative books written on coffee for the general public to read. The author, Bill McAlpin, is one the pioneers of the specialty coffee movement. His influence on Specialty coffee has been huge. The photographs, which make understanding how coffee is produced so much more understandable, have yet to be equaled.

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