A small book chock full of interesting facts and anecdotes on the fundamentals of tea appreciation. Especially useful to the newcomer to the tea world. When I decided to give up coffee, but wanted a suitable substitute, most of my previous exposure to tea had left me unimpressed. Was there something more to the experience that a flat cup of bitter, brown hot water? I'm glad I rediscovered this book (a gift) that had been gathering dust for years.
In it I learned that there are hundreds of kinds of teas to suit anyone's tastes, all with very different character and quality, all prepared in different ways, and all grown all over the world except North America, notably. This book describes how to prepare the best cup of tea, how to have a tea party, different kinds of teas and tea pots, tea and food pairings, the chemistry and health of tea, and tea terminology.
Contains many full color photographic images such as different kinds of tea in both their raw form and prepared, the tea plant, plantations, pickers, tea clipper ships, well-known tea lovers and purveyors, tea pots, presentations, tea houses, and more.
The chapters are: (Part 1) The History of Tea, Production of Tea, Tea Equipage, Tea appreciation; and (Part 2) Global Tea Directory: A Guide to the Teas of the World, Africa, Indian Sub-continent, Other Tea-producing Countries, Addresses, Index, Acknowledgements.
Though the book is very informative, I didn't give it five stars because it's a bit outdated- doesn't contain some more modern trends in tea, such as flowering teas, bubble tea, and newer tea companies such as Numi, Tazo, etc. Other than that, it is pretty complete and I am thoroughly enjoying my journey into the world of tea.
In it I learned that there are hundreds of kinds of teas to suit anyone's tastes, all with very different character and quality, all prepared in different ways, and all grown all over the world except North America, notably. This book describes how to prepare the best cup of tea, how to have a tea party, different kinds of teas and tea pots, tea and food pairings, the chemistry and health of tea, and tea terminology.
Contains many full color photographic images such as different kinds of tea in both their raw form and prepared, the tea plant, plantations, pickers, tea clipper ships, well-known tea lovers and purveyors, tea pots, presentations, tea houses, and more.
The chapters are: (Part 1) The History of Tea, Production of Tea, Tea Equipage, Tea appreciation; and (Part 2) Global Tea Directory: A Guide to the Teas of the World, Africa, Indian Sub-continent, Other Tea-producing Countries, Addresses, Index, Acknowledgements.
Though the book is very informative, I didn't give it five stars because it's a bit outdated- doesn't contain some more modern trends in tea, such as flowering teas, bubble tea, and newer tea companies such as Numi, Tazo, etc. Other than that, it is pretty complete and I am thoroughly enjoying my journey into the world of tea.
