A Short History of Coffee

Best read with a caffeinated beverage in hand.

A Short History of Coffee is exactly what it sounds like and I really enjoyed reading it.

Given that it’s a “short history,” no aspect of the rise and spread of coffee popularity is covered in intimate detail. I would have been happy to read more about coffee, but I understand that others might have a shorter attention span for the minute details of history. I think Kerr could have given more focus on the human rights abuses associated with coffee as a cash crop, but that is my only criticism on this front.

The history aspect of this book covers the Renaissance-era discovery of coffee beans in Yemen and comes up to the advent of Starbucks and the spread of its popularity. I have previously read academic literature on coffee culture in the Ottoman Empire and how the rise of the coffee house gave [male] citizens leisure time, so I appreciated expanding my knowledge further.