This book was a thoughtful birthday gift from my family who knows just how much I love coffee! Gordon Kerr’s history covers the entire history of the blessed bean from it’s first mention in historical documents to its spread throughout the western world.

While A Short History of Coffee is encyclopedic in scope, the writing is bland. It’s missing a compelling story, a narrative to hold it all together. The raw data’s interesting, but Kerr’s prose tastes like Folgers or Maxwell House (both of whom are featured in the book).

Such a tasty subject deserves better.

Kerr, Gordon. A Short History of Coffee. Oldcastle Books, 2021.