Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Where to Drink Coffee Book Review: The Tastiest Places to Grab a Cup

By
where to drink coffee
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Have you ever found yourself in a random city, craving a good cup of coffee that’s served in a well-designed place where neat people hang out? We’ve constantly stumbled into these situations, and we often end up with a cup of watered down brew in a paper cup from some random café.

Recommended Videos

More Books

Luckily for us, the search is over. One-hundred and fifty baristas and other java authorities from around the world did the footwork and highlighted best places in the Phaidon book,

Where to Drink Coffee

, by Liz Clayton and Avidon Ross.

Related: 
Upgrade your daily routine with the best smartwatches for men

“It was hard to know where to find a wonderful cup of coffee. It was difficult, sleuthing work, cobbled together by rumor, visual cues, and, if you had your feet on the ground already, word of mouth,” writes Clayton in the book.

Clayton and Ross spoke to 150 coffee experts, who discovered 600 spots in 50 countries that range from cafés to bakeries to restaurants to more unconventional places. Whether you like it black, cold brewed, topped with foam, or served with milk and two squirts of caramel syrup, these guys have you covered. Not only do they list the go-to spots, they also include recommendations, complete reviews, important information, and special maps, so you know exactly where to go and what to order.

The suggestions even go towards the unconventional; Klaus Thomsen points to Scandinavian Embassy (the shop, not the actual embassy) in Amsterdam for “the best filter coffee” and “the most innovative food pairing,” while Drew Johnson describes Habit Coffee in Victoria, Canada, as “a coffeehouse in the true sense. A hub for the community. Good music in a comfortable space that isn’t kitschy. And it isn’t distracted by navel gazing.”

There’s also glossary in the 348-page guide that teaches you all the coffee culture terms and history you need to know, like cortado (“an espresso-based drink made with textured milk or foam, a little smaller than a cappuccino and with a higher ratio of espresso to milk”) and flat white (“a style of coffee similar to the cappuccino … but first popularized in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly New Zealand and Australia.”)

Coffee enthusiasts will love this book. It will come in handy next time you’re in the search of that perfect cup of joe.

If you’re taking that joe to-go, check out our favorite travel mugs. And if coffee liqueur is more your style, we’ve got you covered.

Ann Binlot
Ann Binlot
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ann Binlot is a New York-based freelance writer who contributes to publications like The Economist, Wallpaper*, Monocle…
Topics

Editors’ Recommendations

Coffee bar essentials: Must-have items to recreate cafe-style drinks at home
All the basics and gadgets you need
coffee bar

My coffee corner, or "coffee bar," is by far my favorite area of my kitchen. If you're interested in recreating cafe-style coffee drinks at home, you'll need a few coffee bar essentials to get started. Crafting a coffee bar you love can take time, and if you're anything like me, you may even find yourself redoing your coffee bar every time you get a new coffee gadget.

Either way, you'll want these coffee bar essentials to start making stellar coffee at home. From selecting a coffee maker to finding the right grinder, these must-have items will make crafting any coffee beverage you can think of easy.
Coffee makers and espresso machines

Read more
How to steam milk: Perfect your technique for rich, creamy coffee drinks
Learn to steam milk like a Barista
steamed milk

As an aspiring barista, I've grown to understand the importance of steamed milk in making all of my favorite drinks. To learn how to make a cappuccino at home, I had to master the art of making steamed milk. Learning how to steam milk at home is difficult, but you'll need to commit to learning if you want to expand the types of coffee drinks you can make at home. Teaching yourself how to steam milk will allow you to experiment with all kinds of elaborate espresso drinks just like you order at the café -- from the cafe au laits to cappuccinos.
Steamed milk vs. frothed milk

As you experiment with how to steam milk, it's key to understand the slight differences between steamed milk and frothed milk. In the world of coffee-making, these two are often confused -- and I completely understand why. To help you know the difference, consider how you'd make a latte. The ratio of espresso to milk in a latte is usually 3:1, with espresso on the bottom, steamed milk on the top, and a light layer of frothed milk on the top.

Read more
What is a black tie coffee? Why it might become your new favorite drink
A blend of sweet and spicy
Iced coffee with cream

Part of what makes the world of coffee so fascinating is that there's always something new to learn. If you think you've heard of every type of coffee imaginable, perhaps you'll need to rethink that statement. The black tie coffee offers something unique that other coffee beverages simply do not: the perfect balance between tea and coffee. If you're a tea and coffee lover like me, this drink could become your new favorite. Here's what you need to know about the "black tie coffee" and how to make it.
How to make black tie coffee

Ordering a black tie coffee at your local cafe isn't relatively as easy as ordering an iced latte. While you might find this specialty beverage more easily abroad, it's hard to come by on coffee shop menus throughout the U.S. Luckily; this drink is simple enough to prepare enough on your own at home, even for beginner Baristas. Here's how to make a black tie coffee.
Ingredients

Read more