The Coffee Tasting Handbook

The Coffee Tasting Handbook is a practical guide for coffee drinkers, baristas and coffee professionals who want to understand why coffees taste the way they do — and how to describe those differences more clearly.

Written by London-based coffee professional Tim Ridley, the book introduces a structured tasting framework grounded in how people actually perceive aroma, mouthfeel, taste and flavour. The Coffee Tasting Handbook

At the centre of the book is Ridley’s Coffee Tasting Framework, supported by a Coffee Tasting Worksheet, Coffee Aroma Map and Coffee Flavour Wheel. Step by step, the book explains how to identify a coffee’s defining characteristics, understand why some coffees feel more balanced or enjoyable than others, and recognise the styles and flavour profiles you are most likely to enjoy. United Baristas

Alongside the practical tasting tools, the book brings together coffee history, the science of flavour and the relationship between taste, origin and production. With diagrams, photography and accessible explanations, it works both as an introduction for curious coffee drinkers and as a useful reference for baristas, roasters and educators. hachetteindia.com

About Tim Ridley
Tim Ridley is a London-based coffee professional, founder of United Baristas and creator of the Coffee Tasting Framework. He previously founded one of London’s early quality-focused coffee chains and now runs Ensemble in King’s Cross. His work focuses on making coffee tasting easier to understand, communicate and use in everyday coffee drinking.