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Bristol philosopher joins forces with global coffee king for new book
On a recent morning, Julian Baggini was enjoying a flat white on the terrace at OddShop on Whiteladies Road.
The philosopher and writer had walked across the Downs from his home in Sneyd Park to talk about his newest book, The Book of Coffee: A Philosophy, which has both a foreword and afterword written by coffee expert James Hoffmann.
Baggini freely admits that it was the involvement of Hoffmann which helped get the book published.
Hoffmann is a former world barista champion who now has almost 2.5m followers on YouTube, is the co-founder of Square Mile Coffee Roasters and is the author of the bestselling The World Atlas of Coffee.
He will also be speaking at the 2026 edition of Bristol Coffee Festival which returns to Bristol Beacon on September 12.
For Baggini, who has written more than 20 books about a huge variety of different subjects, the enjoyment of coffee is not just about the drink but “about the punctuation and the rhythm of the day”.
The Book of Coffee: A Philosophy, published by Octopus Books, is described as “a treatise on how we can infuse the seemingly mundane with moments of mindful attention and meaning, exploring what our daily cup can teach us about how we live, work and find purpose”.
Baggini was inspired to write The Book of Coffee after a chance discovery in Tokyo of a copy of The Book of Tea by Kazuko Okakura, which was written in 1906.
“People always go on about how important it is to be mindful,” Baggini tells Bristol24/7.
“But actually I think that in the in the traditions which we borrowed these ideas from, it’s more about cultivating a sort of everyday mindfulness.
“So not just having a meditation about compassion for the universe or something. It’s about the here and now…
“It’s s about paying attention to your cup of coffee rather than gulping it.”
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On Instagram, Hoffmann wrote that it was “a real pleasure” to contribute to The Book of Coffee.
He said: “Julian explores coffee not just as a drink, but as a small daily ritual and what it might reveal about how we pay attention to the world around us.”
So where does Julian recommend for a coffee in Bristol?
There is OddShop of course and he is also looking forward to the return of Interlude in a new location on Colston Street following its sad departure from St Michael’s Hill.
Two Day Coffee Roasters also on St Michael’s Hill in Kingsdown was where Julian’s own coffee journey began, and he also recommends Radical Roasters in Easton and Greytone in St Paul’s.
“We’re just so lucky there are so many great places,” says Julian, finishing his flat white before walking home to have another coffee.
Main photo: Julian Baggini
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