COFFEE ODDITIES

There’s plenty of useful tips and suggestions on things that travellers can do that goes beyond just chillin’ over coffee. The break-out section on “top things to see and do nearby” is a thoughtful feature, especially for those who aren’t as enamoured about coffee and just fancy a wander around the locale as their coffeenut counterpart down copious amounts of the dark elixir.

Meanwhile, the book’s layout makes it easy to digest the multitude of information contained within. Space is used well and sub-heads help to break up the different parts — the body, the useful tips and nuggets of trivia.

The only grouse I have, if I’m permitted one, is that I did wish that there were pictures of the cafes or coffee holes next to their respective story/description instead of just a generic picture of the locale or its attractions. Thankfully, it’s not a running feature throughout the book. But what was missing, were sorely missed!

WHAT’S HOT: Pretty much everything! Have never learnt so much from a single book. It was hard to put down and I ended up lugging it around like a prized Chihuahua!

WHAT’S NOT: I do feel that Malaysia has more to offer in terms of the specialty coffee movement or “third wave” and as such, receiving only two nods felt a little unsatisfying. I guess there are just so many countries to highlight. intanm@nst.com.my