The Coffee Purist Hardcover – January 13, 2026

From the roaster and podcaster whose copyright wars with Starbucks were brought to light in the documentary The Perfect CappuccinoWhat's happened to coffee? It's a question Brian Franklin asks and attempts to answer in this provocative new memoir. In his 25-year career as a roaster and cafe operator, he's traveled the world in pursuit of excellent coffee, often finding it on small farms where roasters seldom venture. He meets farmers and producers young and old who share his dream of the elusive perfect cup.But things are changing in the world of so-called "specialty coffee." As more and more consumers enter drive-thru lines to order drinks more suited to a dessert menu, the idea, the very taste, of coffee is adulterated. Coffee, it turns out, is only a euphemism.Into this maw comes The Coffee Purist, at a time when coffee is under assault and in need of a champion. In stories both compelling and illuminating, Franklin examines an industry being sold to the highest bidder. Gone is the "third place" and, in its place, a bewildering attempt to ride the coattails - at the cost of health, passion, and purity - of a multibillion dollar bonanza.The Coffee Purist is must reading for those who relish the experience of a properly brewed pourover, who long to know what actual coffee is and where it comes from, and who embrace the opportunity to simply sit with a good cup of coffee. Read more