For both the casual holiday maker and the global traveller, Lonely Planet has become the definitive name in destination guides with its ever updated pool of native knowledge as well as an aesthetic draw of high quality design and imagery that has allowed them to corner the market as providers of vital travel information, that then become a visual conversation piece once back home on the shelf. From here it only seemed logical that they branch out into coffee table literature proper, with photo collections of the more stunning locales they write about, collections on more niche travel interests; the best cycle routes, train journeys, hikes of the world etc. But with coffee table books, it was only a matter of time before they came up with books about coffee and so they released their ‘Global Coffee Tour’, a self proclaimed “taster’s guide to the world’s best coffee experiences.” As such, the finest coffee shops on the planet are divided by continent then country and then documented in a manner that tells you if it is just a simple café or if it doubles as perhaps a restaurant or roastery. Each spot is accompanied by a blurb or description, often with a quote from the owners or operators about its ideology and what makes it unique, as well as adding to the travel element by listing nearby attractions and things to do around these sites. Of course, not every decent dealer of caffeine gets a mention. In fact, not every country or city with noted dispensaries of coffee gets a mention,which raises the question, just how was inclusion in this tome decided and then justified? 37 countries were chosen and an insight into each one of their national coffee scenes is detailed with businesses with a unique or localised take on the world’s most popular drug being championed, whilst their also seems to be a touristic bent on the focus of those included. In short, you could have the world’s greatest coffee shop but if you build it on a trading estate in Slough, it’s unlikely to make it into a Lonely Planet travel guide. Take London, for example. The British capital has a ludicrous wealth of coffee shops of the finest order to offer up for any coffee connoisseur but only a paltry seven get a mention. This still remains more than most places in the book and is only fair given the logical distribution of pages but those in the know might find that highly regarded places such as Kaffeine are absent altogether. This may seem strange as for many it has always been at the forefront of the London Coffee scene and considered the best of the best by the best in the business. Perhaps then, it is because it has always marketed itself as an antipodean coffee shop and so offers little in unique value when compared to those mentioned in the Oceania section of the book despite leading the way in England. Or perhaps it is because there are other places in London that sit more favourably near to tourist attractions and tube stations that can then be mentioned alongside them in what is, ostensibly, a travel guide. Whatever the case may be, it might be striking to some. These quibbles aside, it is a fantastic tool for the caffeine powered travel junkie in order to perhaps locate a decent cup of coffee whilst on your adventures, even generating more specialist attractions to serve your own coffee obsessed tastes. Having had occasion to turn to the book when planning visits to certain places, it does offer up another avenue of discovery for third wave coffee and we’ve even had the fortune here, on this site, to review some of those featured in the book after flicking through its pages and following those recommendations. All of this is done so in a beautifully presented package; a suave hardback bound to catch the eye on any coffee table or cabinet, whilst it’s sapphire spine will make sure it stands out on the bookshelves. In short, although far from being definitive in its run down of the world’s best, it certainly would seem the ideal gift for the travelling companion who has it all and yet can never get enough coffee! £14.99 - All good bookstores and Lonelyplanet.com
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AuthorThe Mean Bean Machine (Vincent Wood) Archives
October 2023
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Get Caffeinated, Get Coffee...