The Philosophy of Coffee

The Philosophy of Coffee, by Brian Williams, is a concise gem of a book. Williams has done a wonderful job of writing about a subject that is rich with history, with layers of myth behind it, and lots of misinformation as well. What is contained in The Philosophy of Coffee is that, philosophy, sprinkled with nuggets of information, and actual history with proof, as well as some stories. This all cumulates in a 100-page book that is very easy to read.

CoffeeKen and Brian of Brian’s Coffee Spot at Esso Espresso in Phoenix AZ

Williams does not get preachy or try to dazzle you with abundant coffee geek knowledge, instead he offers you a pleasant conversation about coffee, where it came from, how it moved across the globe, and how it made it to Europe and America. His narrative is full of fun facts, that as a coffee geek myself, I had no idea about.

For example, there was a time in England when coffee was more popular than tea, and there were more coffee shops in historic London than there is now, they all closed down and were replaced by tea shops by the later part of the 1800’s, due to leaf rust, and tea became King of England.

You will find this type of information, and side notes throughout his book. The chapters are quick and easy to read and straight to the point. Williams starts from coffee’s humble origin of Africa, to becoming the international commodity it is today.

Delivered in a conversational style of writing which is really refreshing as a reader. You can read the whole book in one day, with a pot of coffee, or take your time to read it when you are kicking back and enjoying a midmorning cup to prolong your pleasure of reading a fine book like this.

You can find Mr. Williams writing prose, and opinions on his blog; Brian’s Coffee Spot. Well worth the look.