What do you give that coffee lover in your life that they will cherish more than a delicious single origin coffee or the newest & coolest coffee gadget? A book with such thorough and detailed information about their passion, it will go alongside their coffee obsession for years on end.
At least that’s what James Hoffmann’s World Atlas of Coffee has been for me since I was gifted one. I’ve had this book for a few years now and even wrote about it previously, but I was so curious to find out the differences between the original and the 2nd edition.
The World Atlas of Coffee second edition stands out at first glance. The hardcover has a rough texture reminiscent of a coffee jute bag which makes it a perfect table book. This new edition bears most of the information of the previous book though with some aesthetic changes. It also includes good bits of new information and segments.
My favorite addition to the 2nd edition is the short history of coffee drinking, it takes us from the coffee houses in Constantinople in the 1500s through Venice, London, Paris, and Vienna one hundred years later; The espresso bars in the 1950s and bring us to where coffee is at today. This new blurb really puts into perspective the role that coffee drinking’s had in humanity.
James also expanded the coffee origins in this book to include a few more countries in Asia such as China, Thailand, and the Philippines, the latter a significant powerhouse in the global coffee industry in the 1800s which was wiped out by coffee leaf rust. The second edition also highlights Haiti, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo which is just a fantastic country for coffee.
One last small change made in the newest edition is a more in-depth look at home roasting which is getting more common. As the technology becomes more accessible there will be those that prefer to roast their own coffee.
The world atlas of coffee 2nd edition is the perfected version of an incredible book.
A piece of work so whole and significant that it’s still relevant, it is the perfect springboard
into specialty coffee, a map to navigate the state of coffee today and a great addition to any book collection.
