The Book of Coffee by Alain Stella
This is an excellent coffee table book that has had me hooked for the last few weeks. The Book of Coffee by Alain Stella looks at some of history’s famous coffee drinkers from Bach who dedicated a cantana to his favourite beverage to Pope Clement VIII who banned the “devils drink”. What is most impressive about this book is the amazing images that capture the coffee society and coffee houses of old. There are scenes from around the world including a coffeehouse in Salonika in 1885, Viennese coffeehouses in the 1930′s were people visited their favourite coffee houses as many as three times a day, to a potrait of Andre Gide and Friends at the 1900 World Fair Cafe Maure by Jacques-Emile Blanche. There are also beautiful images of antique classic coffee pots and makers, farmers at work, coffee plantations and clipper ships that carried coffee and passengers between Brazil and Le Havre.
If you are on your travels you will find the Connoisseur’s guide useful as it provides addresses of existing coffeehouses worldwide as well as details of coffee museums. There is also plenty of tips and advice on where to buy fine coffee, how to make or recognise a good cup of coffee, a glossary on coffee beans and a guide to coffee by origin.
This is definitely one of the most beautiful coffee books that I have come across to date with such a brilliant portrayal of the coffee world.
