Directly to the right of my desk, I have what I lovingly call my coffee bookshelf and yet roughly 50% of the books have—on the surface—nothing to do with coffee.
My collection began when I was freshly eighteen and applying to coffee shops with no relevant experience. Upon hearing my dejected frustration, my parents shipped me a package that contained the books Coffee Obsession and The Curious Barista’s Guide To Coffee.
Ever since devouring those two books, I’ve continued to grow the collection that has since become one of my most valuable sources of inspiration and knowledge. If you look at coffee holistically, you’ll see that it’s connected to many other industries and that’s reflected in the recommendations below. Hospitality, cocktails, fine dining, marketing, and business can all be found next to one another.
In no particular order, welcome to my coffee bookshelf.
Unreasonable Hospitality - My most tabbed book
Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara is part narration of Eleven Madison Park’s rise, part leadership advice, and entirely a love letter to what makes providing hospitality so addicting. I wish I could give you a greater description of what makes this book so special to me but truly, if you have any inkling of interest in customer service, this is a must-read.
It is one of my favorite books, point blank.
The New Art of Coffee - My favorite to share with others
The New Art of Coffee is written by my good friend Ryan Castelaz and my word, it is a treasure trove of coffee creativity. Ryan takes deep inspiration from the world of high-brow cocktails in a recipe book that beautifully marries coffee and mixology.
Featuring drinks at all levels of difficulty, there’s a thoughtfulness and intentionality to how this book is structured that makes it friendly to even coffee newbies.
The Flavor Bible - My most referenced
The Flavor Bible is a James Beard-winning book written by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen A. Page. Not only do I use this as a reference for flavor pairings when I’m ideating drinks but this is an incredibly helpful book for learning about how to talk about flavors and textures. For those looking to develop how they taste and experience coffee, this will give you the sensory language to use.
The Hoffmann Books - The foundational reads
Both The World Atlas Of Coffee and How To Make The Best Coffee At Home are written by James Hoffmann and will give you a comprehensive foundation for your coffee journey. From the agricultural side of coffee as a plant to what grinder you should buy, you’ll be covered.
Want to know more about coffee but don’t know where to start? Start with these.
Liquid Intelligence - For all the drink makers
So, obviously, this is a cocktail book. But hear me out. Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold is one of the first books I read when I became creating signature beverages for the US Barista Championship. Syrups, ice, texturing, distillation, shaking… it’s all there.
Similarly to how I recommend Hoffmann’s books for beginning coffee brewers, this is the one I recommend to folks who are wanting to venture into coffee signature drinks.
Uncommon Grounds - For the academics
Uncommon Grounds was written by Mark Pendergrast in 1999. Safe to say, it’s an older book. However, there’s something about that that I really like. This book is filled with words about the history of coffee (a lot of words) and it’s worth at least one read through if you appreciate a more academic retelling. Of note, it primarily focuses on the development of the US coffee market.
A Day At elBulli - The book that comes alive
Once again, not a coffee book but one that I think you’ll love if you love coffee. A Day At elBulli is a minute-by-minute chronicling of, well, a day at elBulli—one of the foundational restaurants of modern fine dining.
This book is highly-visual, featuring beautifully shot images that correspond with every step of elBulli’s process. It’s rare that a book can engross me to the degree that this one did the first time I read it. With each page, you’ll be drawn into the restaurant. You’ll feel the rising tension of the dinner service, the victory each dish served, and the unrelenting creativity that caused elBulli to be named the best restaurant in the world five times.
The Business Of Specialty Coffee - For the aspiring cafe owner
“I want to start a cafe. How do I do that?”
Personally, I can’t give you that answer but Maxwell Dashwood can. The Business Of Specialty Coffee is an honest and straightforward look at what it takes to operate in this industry. From marketing to sourcing to management, it’s comprehensive and exhaustive. Dashwood has authored quite a few very valuable pieces of coffee writing but this is one of my favorites.
Additional mentions
How To Taste Coffee by Jessica Easto
The Physics of Filter Coffee by Jonathan Gagne
The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers
Designing Coffee by Lani Kingston
If you’d like to see a full snapshot of what’s currently on my shelf (it cycles regularly!), you can find that below.
Talk soon,
Morgan
