Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book! My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

Even if you aren't traveling any farther than your backyard, this is a great book for any coffee lover! There are so many coffee recipes to try out, which is wonderful, as everyone has been learning to make all their favorite coffee drinks at home. I might try a few of the recipes.

Although I am not a traveler, I love coffee, and decided to request this book. I really enjoyed it. Would definitely recommend!

This is listed as a trvel guide, but it is also a history book filled with a rich evolution of coffee. The pictures were stunning. the book surprised me more than I though it would, and I can now say that I can see how coffee (and the emotions it brings) expands beyond borders, cultures, and peoples. A wonderful book for the coffee lover in your life.

This was the first title I received as an ARC from NetGalley. The punchy title captured my attention from the beginning as someone who lives and breathes caffeine.

The book is an exploration of coffee and its various origins, covering quite a bit of ground in Africa, Middle East, Europe, and America. Any reader can tell that the author approaches the subject with passion and curiosity in every city he steps foot on. There's a lot to drink in especially when it comes to the first few chapters—the coffee itself, the land that yielded it, the people that congregate around it. A few dozen pages can take you miles and years away from your reading nook.

Still, a travel guide is far from a full-fledged record of all there is to know about coffee. This is a personal account first and foremost; histories and narratives, however extensive, are cherry-picked from information within the author’s grasp. The major parts may make it seem as though only French or Italian coffeehouses can brew intellectualism and innovation, while most of the “New World” are left to carry the weight of hard labor or even slavery around their beans. Cafés far removed from their coffee’s single origins appear altogether absolved from the violence at the other end of its supply chain.

If you can take the book’s historical limitations with a pinch of salt (as it suggests in one of its coffee recipes), you might just get a whiff of the world’s finest coffee beans within these pages.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy*

This book serves as a brief on coffee and a handful of places that have a coffee culture. This book wasn’t as in-depth as I assumed it would be, and the author isn’t as descriptive as I’d like on how the drinks themselves taste. The book is very much a cursory guide and not much else.

BLACK AS HELL, STRONG AS DEATH, SWEET AS LOVE is part coffee history, part immersive travel guide, and entirely captivating. With over a decade of research and travel behind it, this book takes readers on a journey along the global Coffee Trail—from Ethiopia’s tribal ceremonies to the Parisian café scene, from Cuban cafetales to Miami’s ventanillas. It weaves historical insight with personal discovery and includes 14 coffee-centric recipes to bring the experience home. Whether you're planning a trip or just love the culture around coffee, this guide offers a fresh and flavorful look at the world's most beloved beverage. Perfect for adventurous spirits, history buffs, and coffee lovers alike.

As a coffee connoisseur, I really enjoyed each vignette about unique coffee around the world. I definitely added some places to explore to my bucket list.

A unique read for coffee lovers and curious travelers alike. This guide takes you on a global journey through the cultural rituals, histories, and flavors of coffee in different countries. I especially loved the section on Ethiopia - a country I haven’t visited yet - and was captivated by the description of sharing coffee with the Mursi tribe. It sounds like such a powerful and unique experience.

Even as someone who’s been to Istanbul several times and adores the city, I was surprised to discover two iconic coffee spots I had completely missed. Thanks to this book, they’re now at the top of my travel bucket list. A great read if you love your coffee with a side of culture and adventure.

Ha! What a title!! This is how I really feel about coffee. And this book is exactly what I wanted when I read the description.
I would love to get a chance to visit all the places in the book, but it would also be fun to go through one section at a time with other coffee loving friends. There are specific methods of preparation and rituals and history -- my other barista friends could watch videos showing what it's like to walk around in these locations.
This would be a great gift to my other friends who love coffee too. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this!

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley. This book was appealing to me as an avid coffee drinker. I am happy to talk about, read about, and look at pictures of coffee pretty much any time. Some of the anecdotes were new information and were interesting to learn about. The story of coffee is so encompassing that this book has no dearth of material. I found the flow of the book to be difficult to follow, however. It felt a bit choppy and there were parts that felt repetitive. I read this as a digital copy and I think that a color copy could be a good coffee table book or gift for someone who really loves coffee. Overall, I think this book is trying to be too many different things about a huge topic.

This book covers a range of details, from historical preparation and tradition, to where to find a good cup in different cities. As a former barista, I learned many new things. There is a useful addition of listed resources at the end of each chapter, alongside recipes. I am considering adding this to the Hospitality collection in the academic library in which I work. I think this will be useful for students looking for more cultural background and history, and a fascinating read for coffee enthusiasts.

A note: The amount of information given for each location varies in scope. Some is rather dense. I was surprised to find a lot of information about Israel, but next to nothing about Palestine. Given that other areas have a much involved level of history and humanization of those preparing the coffee, this to me is a missed opportunity to go more in depth.

This was a very good book. It was well-written. I would highly recommend this book. It's very easy to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Publishing date: 31.10.2025 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to NetGalley and Robert D. Reed Publishers for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

TLDR: An all in one coffee and travel guide with pictures, history, and how to. 4 stars

This book is so fun and informative. As a daily coffee drinker and lover, this is right up my alley. I always jump at the opportunity to try new flavors and recipes.To my delight, there are try-at-home recipes in this book!

The main attraction here is the history, spanning several countries. It dives into the many different ways coffee is prepared, drank, and used. I learned a lot and view coffee slightly differently now.

In addition to history we get guides for where to get coffee locally in the countries, where to stay, what to do, and some other tips that vary from place to place. Sadly, with this kind of info it will get outdated at some point.

Now my favorite is the recipes presented in the book. They are easy to follow, sometimes with pictures of the final product, a little history, and of course ingredients. I haven't tried any of them yet, but I am looking forward to it.

Overall this is a great little book for coffee lovers and curious minds. I highly recommend it. 4 stars.

As a total coffee addict, I loved all the cool info about how important coffee is in different countries too. It was so fun seeing the photos and learning where to grab a great cup around the world. The recipes were awesome too—I seriously can’t wait to try some of them out!

As an ardent lover of filter coffee, I picked up this book with great curiosity—and it didn’t disappoint. What I expected to be a light read turned out to be a deep, immersive journey into the global culture, history, and rituals surrounding coffee. From Ethiopia and Jordan to Paris, Istanbul, Turin, Cuba, New Orleans, and beyond, the chapters paint a vivid picture of how coffee connects people across countries and cultures.

Each place's brewing techniques, serving customs, and the ceremonial importance of coffee are meticulously documented in crisp prose that brings the scenes to life. The rich, vibrant photographs not only complement the text but elevate the reading experience, adding layers of visual storytelling. I especially loved the thoughtful quotes that open each chapter—they set the tone beautifully.

This book is much more than a guide; it’s a celebration of coffee as both art and ritual. Scattered throughout are fascinating facts—some surprising, even shocking. For instance, did you know coffee was once banned in 1600s Istanbul under threat of death? Or that Ethiopians used almost every part of the coffee plant centuries ago, long before brewing became widespread?

Each chapter ends with curated recipes, beverage suggestions, and contact recommendations, making it both practical and inspiring. While it would’ve been great to see more countries included, what’s here is rich, layered, and satisfying. It’s not a book you rush through—you can flip to any section and find something compelling.

Though it leans slightly textbook-like at times, the blend of storytelling, travel, history, and culture more than makes up for it.
If you love coffee—not just drinking it, but understanding its place in the world—you’ll definitely enjoy this one. I now know with joy that wherever I go, I can sip my favorite drink while appreciating the diverse, beautiful traditions behind it.

This book was all over the place for me. It mostly felt like reading a dry textbook, not too travel-y, lots of dates, some anecdotes, and recipes sourced from the internet or cafes themselves. Coffee felt like the loose connection between dense historical dates, several countries, and what read like a lot of compiled google information.

I found a few things I really enjoyed. Namely, some of the places I've actually been, and some nice photographs. It felt like a person who wanted to write an ode travel and coffee - I can appreciate that. It just didn't quite deliver in the vein of a compelling travel guide/story or a comprehensive guide to flavors of coffee aside from "this one is quite good" or "they drink their coffee very sweet".

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for a copy of this book to review.

This was way more in-depth than I expected, but in a good way! I learned so much about the history, culture, and science of coffee. It leans a bit textbook-y at times, but if you're curious about coffee beyond just drinking it, it’s super interesting. The global traditions were a highlight, and I loved that there were even a few recipes sprinkled in!

I have only been drinking coffee for the past 10 years, but I have often felt that African coffee is not given the recognition it deserves, compared to the flavours that Americans prefer. This book, however, kicks off with the history, influence and flavours from Ethopia, before moving into separate parts about Europe and The New World. With history, recipes and personal stories, I drank this up (ha)!

However, I did not enjoy the formatting on Kindle and the photography had been rendered as low resolution, which would serve so much better as printed, coffee table book. As a Kindle publication, I felt it lacked aesthetic appeal.

Thank you to NetGalley and Robert D. Reed Publishers for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

This was such a delight to read and experience! There is a lot of information about the history of coffee... its origins and the different ways to prepare the coffee depending on the many regions we experience through the author's words.

I learned a lot about coffee and many ways to prepare it. I'm looking forward to the experiences in my own home if I can manage to make some of these. Of course, to really experience the true nature of coffee, it would be super awesome to visit all these different countries and have the true experience. Until then, through the stories and pictures, I live vicariously through Unger and Steven's travels.

#NetGalley #Blackashellstrongasdeathsweetaslove

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is an amazing non-fiction book about the history of coffee from around the world. The photo's, the journey - from Ethiopia, to Hawaii was very well written and so easy to follow - reading it all was just fascinating. I've been drinking coffee since I was a kid and have always been a fan - not just of the drink, but also the act of making coffee as well.- that smell, that first sip - it's truly one of my favorite experiences each day and it was nice to read about others that also feel that way!

A thorough examination of the history of coffee is presented in this book. I did not anticipate the depth of information it would provide. The accompanying photography and graphics significantly enhance the overall aesthetic of the publication. I will now be purchasing a Moka pot to brew Cuban coffee.