Bean There, Drunk That: Coffee & Barista Guide (Illustrated Paperback)

Ordering your favorite café drink is one thing. Understanding how to make it yourself is where the fun starts. Bean There, Drunk That by David Gee and Matthew Gee is an illustrated paperback guide to coffee and the world of the barista, covering the beans, the equipment, and the skills behind the cup.

The book starts with how coffee is grown, roasted, and blended, then moves into keeping beans fresh, adjusting a grinder, using an espresso machine, and working with milk. It also covers pouring café drinks, coffee art, and advice on getting and keeping a barista job.

What this coffee and barista guide covers

• From growing to blending: Background on the coffee before it reaches your grinder.
• Keeping beans fresh: Guidance on looking after the coffee you plan to brew.
• Grinder adjustment and espresso machines: Topics for understanding the setup behind espresso drinks.
• Milk texturing: A closer look at the milk preparation that goes into café-style drinks.
• Pouring drinks and coffee art: Techniques to explore as you practice making and presenting your coffee.
• Working as a barista: Advice on getting a job and keeping it, alongside the coffee-making topics.

Who is this book for?

This is a good fit for home espresso enthusiasts who want to get more comfortable with their routine and aspiring baristas who are curious about working behind the counter. The illustrated format gives you a visual element alongside the written guidance.

If you're happy with your usual coffee but keep wondering how the café gets its milk texture or how grinder adjustments fit into the process, those are useful places to start. You don't need to take on every topic at once.

Read a little, practice a little

Choose a section that connects to what you're learning now. Read it through, then practice with your own setup, following your equipment's operating and safety instructions. Take notes about what you changed and how the drink turned out so you have something to compare next time.

If you're exploring barista work, use the job advice as a starting point alongside hands-on training. Published in 2010, this guide offers context from that time; current workplace expectations and equipment instructions should guide your day-to-day practice.

Book details

• Title: Bean There, Drunk That
• Authors: David Gee and Matthew Gee
• Format: Illustrated paperback
• Published: July 14, 2010
• Dimensions: 6 × 9 × 0.31 inches

Start with the drink you enjoy making. Getting more comfortable with one part of the process is a worthwhile reason to pick up a coffee book.